This is for you my gorgeous friends – all of you who have asked me what the heck you can cook for all those pesky vegan/veggie family members who are gracing you with their presence over the holidays! The answer is simple – Mini Veggie Lasagna Cupcakes. It’s also the perfect recipe for someone like me, who can’t eat most of what’s laid out on a holiday buffet because it’s food that doesn’t make me feel good: buckets of sugar, dairy, gluten, and all of those foods that make me feel absolutely terrible if I cave in.
So, here’s a little idea for you – a cute little Lasagna Cupcake! You can either make it vegetarian or vegan (I’ll show you how), and the great thing is that you can make them now and freeze the little guys. You could even pop a couple of the frozen ones in a cool bag to take to a party, and without making a song and dance about it, slip it to the host to pop in the oven for you – that way you don’t make any extra work for anyone.
I often tell the host ahead of time that she/he needn’t worry about me, as I’ll bring something to pop in the oven. And, if I’m feeling super generous I’ll bring an entire tray of them for everyone else too (you kind of have to read your host on this one).
yield: 8 CUPCAKES
MINI VEGGIE LASAGNA CUPCAKES INGREDIENTS:
- 2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4 oz zucchini, grated
- 3 oz broccoli florets, diced small
- 2 oz carrots, grated
- 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning, divided
- ¾ cup vegan Alfredo Sauce (now you could make your own, but at this time of year…CHEAT!)
- 16 wonton wrappers
- 4 oz Ricotta cheese (or vegan Ricotta)
- 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese (or Vegan Mozzarella Shreds)
- 2 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese (or vegan Parmesan)
If you are gluten-free, I recommend using gluten-free lasagna sheets in place of the wonton wrappers, just make sure you cut them into small “wonton wrapper” size squares.
Instructions:
- Pre-heat the oven to 375. Lightly mist 8 cups in a muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.
- Bring the oil over medium heat in a large skillet or sauté pan. Add the vegetables and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are cooked and slightly softened. Transfer the vegetables to a mixing bowl and stir in one teaspoon of the Italian seasoning. Add the vegan sauce and stir to combine.
- Push a wonton wrapper into the bottom of each of the eight sprayed cups in the muffin tin. Using about half of the ricotta, spoon evenly into the wonton wrappers. Follow by spooning some of the veggie mixture into each cup (using about half the total mixture). Sprinkle about half the mozzarella evenly over the top of each cup. Press another wonton wrapper on top and repeat the layering steps with the remaining ingredients. Top each finished “cupcake” with ¼ teaspoon of Parmesan cheese and then divide the remaining teaspoon of Italian seasoning over the top.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from muffin tin.
(Image from Oh My Veggies – a great blog!)
Love healthy recipes? Check out my complete collection here.
