Lasagna Bites
- Judie Foodie
- Dec 5, 2014
- 3 min read
Lasagna Bites - 450 Calories - 8 Points Plus
This is the combo of a home cooked meal and finger foods come alive! Lasagna Bites have made quite the debut on food blogs already but these bad boys are leaner and made with a northern Italian twist through the swapping of ricotta cheese for a light bechamel sauce. Irregardless, they’re still just as delectable as the real thing minus the heaviness and hours of work.
I can’t stress the importance of quality ingredients enough.
Fennel seeds: the secret to replicating the taste of Italian sausage.
San Marzano Tomatoes
It’s not a brand of tomatoes, but it’s a type of tomatoes cultivated in Italy and picked when ripe, juicy and sweet! Ask any Italian how to make a legit tomato sauce and they’ll tell you these are not interchangeable. They’re a bit expensive, about $3-$4 a can but totally worth it.
Parmigiano Reggiano
It’s nutty flavor in conjunction with its slight savoriness is what gives these cupcakes balance to the sweet acidity of the tomato sauce.
Lasagna Cupcake Recipe: (4 servings)
For the meat sauce:
1/3 cup of yellow onions 1/3 cup of celery 1/3 cup carrots Pam spray (any type) 2 cloves of garlic 3 oz of 93% protein, 7% fat, lean ground beef (3 PP) 3 oz of 93% protein 7% fat, lean ground turkey (3 PP) ½ tablespoon of fennel seeds 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning Optional: 4 fluid ounces of a dry red wine (recommended: Cabernet Sauvignon) (4 PP) 28 ounce can of crushed San Marzano tomatoes (If you can only find whole tomatoes, just crush them with your hands. It’s very therapeutic.)
1 teaspoon of salt (or to taste) 1 teaspoon of black pepper 1 teaspoon of brown sugar (light or dark)
For Béchamel (cheese sauce):
2 tablespoons or 1 ounce of “I can’t believe it’s not butter - light” (2 PP) 2 tablespoons of white flour (2 PP) 6 fluid oz of skim milk (1 PP) ½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano (4 PP)
For lasagna cupcake assembly
15 Italian basil leaves (12 left whole and 3 chiffonade/sliced thin) 36 Wonton wrappers (21 PP) Muffin tin
For the meat sauce: Gather onion, celery, carrots and garlic and purée into a coarse paste in a food processor. In a large pan over medium-high heat, cover surface area of pan with Pam and stir-fry the vegetable purée until slightly brown, stirring constantly. Then add the ground beef and turkey to the pan and season with salt, pepper, fennel seeds and Italian seasoning. Stir constantly until meat has browned; it should happen in about 15 to 20 minutes.
After meat has browned, deglaze the pan with red wine. When the wine has reduced by half, add crushed San Marzano tomatoes. Add sugar and lower heat to medium low and let simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and set it aside when done.
For the cheese sauce: In a medium sauce pot, over medium heat, add “I can’t believe it’s not butter - light.” After it melts, add flour and mix with a whisk until it has turned into a blonde color. Whisk mixture as you pour in skim milk to avoid lumps. In a few minutes, the mixture should thicken. Then add 2/3 of the Parmigiano Reggiano to the sauce. Stir until cheese has melted and set aside.
To assemble lasagna muffins: in a standard muffin tin, spray all cups with Pam and place one wonton wrapper per cup. Take one tablespoon of meat sauce and place on top of each wonton wrapper. Cover that layer with another wrapper but twist it in a 90 degree angle so the wrappers aren’t on top of one another.
Then add a heaping table spoon of the cheese sauce. Top that layer with another wonton wrapper also at 90 degrees from the previous wrapper. Finish this last layer with a basil leaf, a tablespoon of the meat sauce, and the leftover grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
In a preheated oven at 375 degrees, place assembled cupcakes in oven and bake for 20 minutes until the edges are golden brown and crispy and cheese is melted. After allowing these little delicious bites cool for 10 minutes, top with chiffonade basil for a vibrant color contrast. Enjoy everyone!
10 Points Plus, per 1 serving=3 lasagna cupcakes (accompany with steamed asparagus and carrots for an extremely colorful plate)
Happy eating!
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