Easy Lasagna Cups for Lunch or Dinner

Don’t you love finding an easy recipe that turns out scrumptious the first time you make it? I found a tasty lasagna recipe that’s great for either lunch or dinner.

Instead of laying out the lasagna noodles in a large pan, you roll them up and place them in muffin tins.

The original recipe called for store bought spaghetti sauce, but I made mine from scratch.

The lasagna cups stay nicely shaped after removing them from the pan, which means they’re great for packing in a lunchbox. I enjoyed the flavor and texture of these the day after.

The recipe doesn’t call for an abundance of cheese so I think they’re lower in fat and calories than regular lasagna. If you decide to try them, I hope you and your family will enjoy them!

Easy Lasagna Cups

9 lasagna noodles
2 c. store bought spaghetti sauce or homemade sauce (see below)
1 1/2 c. reduced fat ricotta cheese
3 c. chopped spinach
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
salt to taste
fresh basil, torn
grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions. When done cooking, place noodles in cold water to cool. Divide the pasta sauce among 6 jumbo muffin cups. Lay the lasagna noodles on a flat surface and spread ricotta over each, then top with the chopped spinach. Roll each noodle tightly, then carefully cut in half. Put 3 lasagna rounds in each cup (it will be a tight fit). Sprinkle the tops with a bit of salt. Top each with the remaining pasta sauce and sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese.

Bake for about 20 minutes until the cheese is melted. Remove from oven and cool for several minutes (during the cooling process, the lasagna rolls will meld together so don’t skip this step). Run a butter knife around the edges. Then place a flat object like a cutting board over the top of the muffin pan. Carefully flip the board and muffin tin over and slowly remove the pan so the lasagna cups are standing on the board. Sprinkle tops with Parmesan cheese, add a couple pieces of torn basil and serve.

Homemade Pasta Sauce

2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot (or small sweet onion), chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
9 Roma tomatoes, diced
2 t. dried oregano
1 t. dried parsley
salt to taste

Pour olive oil into large skillet and heat over medium low heat. Add the onion and cook a few minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook a minute or two more. Place the finely chopped carrot in the pan with the onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes and turn up heat slightly. Once tomato mixture starts to simmer, turn heat back down and simmer for at least 30 minutes. Add water if necessary, although you don’t want the mixture too thin. If your tomatoes have a lot of juice, you can thicken the mixture with a couple tablespoons of tomato paste. 10 minutes before the mixture is done cooking, add the oregano, parsley and salt.

This recipe is an altered version of the original which appears in Muffin Tin Chef by Matt Kadey

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