Every 10 years or so, I get a hankering for lasagna, but not so much that I want to make a big 9- by 13-inch casserole of it.
But my most recent temptation had me digging for lasagna noodles in the back of the pantry - wondering if they were still any good because, as I said, this hasn't happened since 2011. And then I checked my spice cabinet to make sure my Italian seasonings were fresh enough. But when I considered that I would still need to go to the store, get an armload of other ingredients and spend the afternoon heating up the kitchen, I decided that was simply too much trouble for a beautiful Saturday that I could spend by the pool with a cool drink.
But I still had a craving. As I perused the internet for a new, good lasagna recipe, I happened upon lasagna wontons that you make in muffin tins. What an interesting fusion idea - Italian Chinese! And best yet, the recipe called for a jar of spaghetti sauce, so I wouldn't be stuck simmering homemade sauce over the stove on a hot summer day.
Off to the store I went, happily bringing home ground beef, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses and wontons. I'd never used wontons before. Why make them when you can get really good ones from most every Chinese takeout?
This is a clever recipe that takes just minutes, browning the meat, adding the sauce and shredding the cheese. Place the wontons in muffin tins, fill with meat sauce, top with ricotta, sprinkle with cheese and bake. Easy as that.
Best yet? You aren't left with a big dish of lasagna. The lasagna wontons freeze beautifully so you can pull them out of the freezer and reheat when you need them.
I would imagine this would be a kid favorite, too, both preparing and eating.
The only change I made to the recipe was adding onion to the meat sauce. I used a four-cheese spaghetti sauce from Aldi that I've found to be really flavorful. If you have any sauce left over, freeze it for a spaghetti dinner later on. Or make more lasagna wontons.
Lasagna Wontons
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion, optional
24-ounce jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, divided
8 ounces part-skim ricotta
1 egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 package wonton wrappers
Additional grated Parmesan
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and onion, if using, and cook, crumbling until beef is no longer pink and onions are tender. Drain the fat from the beef, and return meat to the pan. Remove from heat.
Add spaghetti sauce and 1/4 cup mozzarella to the meat, stirring to combine. Set aside.
In a medium-size bowl, combine the ricotta, beaten egg, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and Parmesan. Mix well.
Grease a 12-cup muffin tin. Place two wonton wrappers, overlapping slightly to make a cup that will fill the muffin tin.
Place 1-2 tablespoons of the meat mixture in the bottom of the cup. Add 1-2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture. Top with another 1-2 tablespoons of meat mixture and remaining 1/4 cup of mozzarella. Sprinkle with a little more Parmesan.
Bake 12-15 minutes until wrappers are cooked and cheese is melted. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
BY THE NUMBERS
As Americans are getting back out and making up for lost time, restaurants are finally seeing a return to normalcy. As a result, visits to dining outlets are 45% higher across the nation compared to figures from this time last year. Can you guess which restaurant chains are benefiting the most from pent-up demand?
Here are some numbers from a study conducted by market research firm Top Data that reveal which restaurants saw the biggest increase in consumer traffic compared to the previous year.
* Golden Corral: 2.5 times increase
* The Cheesecake Factory: 2.3 times increase
* Applebee's: 2 times increase
* Panera Bread: 2 times increase
* IHOP: 1.8 times increase
* Olive Garden: 1.7 times increase
* LongHorn Steakhouse: 1.7 times increase
* McDonald's: 1.7 times increase
* Outback Steakhouse: 1.7 times increase
Contact Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com or at annebraly.com.
Anne Braly