More Savory "Cupcakes"

I had some leftover ingredients from the lasagna cupcakes and wanted to use them up, so I came up with two new cupcakes that we can eat throughout the week. For these, I reduced the heat down to 300 and baked for 30 minutes, which probably wasn't necessary.

Breakfast Cupcakes
This one's like a baked omelet. Line the bottom of each cupcake slot with the gyoza wrapper (after spraying with cooking oil). Layer 6 slots with the spinach and sausage. Beat 4 eggs in a measuring cup and pour over those 6 layers. *I'd add some milk to the egg mixture next time so that it's not so dry.

Pesto Shrimp & Egg Noodles (cupcake version of Linguine & Eggs)
Cook noodles according to package instructions (I used Japanese somen), drain and toss in about 2-3 tablespoons of prepared pesto sauce and shredded Parmesan. Beat 3 eggs, and stir some chopped spinach and more pesto sauce to it. Cut 6-7 large shrimp into bite-size pieces (thirds or quarters) and saute with garlic until pink.

Fill the remaining 6 cupcakes about halfway with the pesto noodles, then pour the egg and spinach mixture over it. Top with the cooked shrimp and sprinkles of Parmesan.

These did not need the gyoza skin because the eggs helped bind the ingredients together and hold the shape, but I needed to use them up and they didn't make a difference on the overall taste. I would add more pesto into the noodles next time for more flavor and saltiness, especially since I didn't add salt to any of these...figured the pesto and Parmesan had enough in them. My solution is to top them off with a little pesto when reheating. Also, I'd toss LOTS of sauteed garlic directly into the noodles...no explanation needed. What matters most is that Ken finds them tasty, which he does. Four (2 lasagna, 2 shrimp) seems to be enough for a hungry man.

Lasagna Cupcakes!

I got the idea to make these from another blog. The genius of these cupcakes is that they're portable and easy to serve. My version is filled with Italian sausage and spinach.

• gyoza/wonton wrappers for the noodle part (gyoza are round, wonton are square)
• sauce (I used TJ's Tomato Basil Marinara)
• ricotta cheese
• shredded Parmesan cheese
• shredded mozzarella cheese
• Italian sausage, cooked
  
• fresh spinach, chopped
  
• cooking spray
  

Start by spraying a cupcake pan with cooking oil then line each slot with a wrapper. Layer with a teaspoonful of sauce, then a teaspoon of ricotta, a sprinkle of Parmesan, spinach, and finally sausage. Add another wrapper on top and repeat the layers. Top off with the mozzarella with another hit of Parmesan. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Wait a few minutes for the cupcakes to cool and set to retain shape before removing from the pan.

Pictured above is the lasagna at various stages of completion.  Starting at the lower left corner then counterclockwise: wrapper w/ sauce, then with ricotta & Parmesan; 2nd row down middle right has sausage and the one to the right has the second layer started; above those have second layers with sausage & spinach, and the 4 on the upper left are completed.  These are perfect to make on the weekends and eat for lunch or dinner later during the week. Why didn't I know about them sooner?!