I'm the opposite of perky-and-personable-and-on-TV

I am starting to think I should buy Rachael Ray’s “30 Minute Meals.” 

We try to be pretty tight about the time we eat dinner- aiming for 6. By the time I get home it’s usually closer to 5:30. Factor in successfully getting the toddler and baby out of the car and into the house without instigating a meltdown (“I neeeeeed to play outsiiiiiiiide”), changing out of my work clothes, and getting all the ingredients laid out on the counter, my barely-adequate prep time has shrunk even more.

Now I’m starting to think I should…buy Rachael Ray.

This lasagna recipe is something I’ve seen for awhile now and I finally tried it out. Besides the cuteness factor of having lasagna in cup-form, it took me less than 15 minutes to prep the night prior, and then throwing it together and baking took 20 minutes. Not bad at all.

Lasagna Cups

-1 lb extra lean ground beef

-1 20oz jar of marinara sauce (pick your fave)

-Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

-1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

-1/4 teaspoon onion powder

-1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

-1/8 teaspoon pepper

-1/8 teaspoon salt

-1 ½ cups part skim ricotta

-1 egg

-1 package frozen chopped spinach, microwaved, with excess moisture squeezed out

-30 wonton wrappers (find these in the refrigerated section, usually close to the packaged tofu)

-1 1/3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Steps you can do to prep:

-Saute the beef and absorb any excess liquid fat with a paper towel. Pour in sauce and seasonings, stir well. You could cover and put in the fridge for later.

-Stir together the ricotta, egg, and spinach. Cover, and set in the fridge for later.

When assembling the lasagna cups:

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Reheat your meat sauce, if it was refrigerated (do not heat ricotta/egg mixture though!)

-Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with olive oil or canola oil nonstick spray

-Arrange two wonton wrappers so that they overlap at an angle (one square, one diamond). I found this is what best fits in the muffin tin cup.

-Spoon about a tablespoon ricotta mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup. Follow with about a tablespoon of meat sauce. Repeat with ricotta mixture, and finish with meat mixture.

You’ll have enough meat/ricotta to make 15 cups, but honestly I never bothered to make more than 12.

-Top with a sprinkle of cheese on each cup and bake for 20 minutes.

Let cool for ~5 minutes. This will help the lasagna cup “set” so it doesn’t flop apart when you take it out of the muffin pan. Serve with a vegetable or salad. 

Per lasagna cup: 170 calories, 23 grams protein