Sunday, December 6, 2009

Lasagna Appetizer Cups

Posted by Erin Wilburn / 20 comments » / appetizers, vegetarian

I’ve seen a lot of bloggers on other blogs get contacted by PR companies for free products and stuff like that. I’ve been blogging for over a year, so that gave me a lot of time to decide what I would do if/when one ever contacted me about free product. Anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE to rave on & on about a product or service I like. I want my readers to always know that I will never ever rave about a product I don’t truly love. Also, I will always be 100% honest, and tell you when I received something free.

Now, that being said… can you tell I’ve been given a free product? A rep from Nasoya contacted me and asked if I would be interested in coupons for free products. I was already familiar with the company in the past because I had purchased tofu before. I could use the coupons for any of their products, and I went with the wonton wrappers. I was throwing a baby shower the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and I thought I could use the wonton wrappers to come up with some kind of tasty appetizer. I needed to keep it mainstream, and not do anything too wacky. When cooking, as when editing video (my job I love that pays the bills) I try to always be aware of my audience, and I knew something geared towards familiar comfort food would work best. Something I realized after purchasing the wonton wrappers was that people often use them to make ravioli. I decided to make a play on that, and do something italian, but also totally handheld, something you wouldn’t need a fork to eat. That’s how I arrived at the idea of doing mini lasagna bites.

This was so incredibly simple to whip up. If you know me, you know I run around like a crazy woman when throwing a shower or birthday party. I try to make everything perfect. So it was nice to have such an easy, stress free appetizer to quickly prepare. The exposed edges of the wonton wrapper crisped up a little, while the underneath, cup part held it’s formed shape, but remained a little bit softer & chewier. It really tasted like a little bite of lasagna. I was very happy with how this recipe turned out! If you know me, you know I have some trepidation when it comes to confidently creating and sharing my own recipes. I am confident enough in this recipe to enter it in Nasoya’s Holiday Wrap-Up Recipe Challenge. After doing the Slow Cooker Chili Cookoff, I’ve learned these types of contests can be fun, especially when you’ve got nothing to lose!

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Lasagna Appetizer Cups

Yields: 24

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups part skim ricotta
4-5 basil leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
salt & cracked pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
6 oz shredded mozzarella
24 Nasoya wonton wrappers, (the round ones)
freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix together ricotta, chopped basil, italian seasoning, salt, & pepper.

Place wonton wrappers in standard muffin cups, to form little cups. Using a tablespoon, layer in marinara, then ricotta mixture, and sprinkle shredded cheese into each cup. Top with grated parmesan cheese.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until cheese has melted. Let cool in muffin tin 2-3 minutes before removing. Serve immediately.