Mini Mexican Lasagnas made in muffin pans.

 

If you live somewhere that they make fresh tortillas I’m sure those are better so get those but if you can’t any ol’ tortillas will work. I’m using “any ol tortillas”. They were a little crumbly but they were in the fridge when I decided I wanted to make these. 

 

In a bowl mix cooked ground beef and onions with ground cumin, chili powder, red pepper, salt, and pepper.

 

add diced tomatoes. I drained mine a little first.

 

In another bowl mix egg, and shredded pepper jack cheese.

 

Drain the cottage cheese and then combine into the egg and cheese mixture.

 

Carefully place the tortillas in muffin cups. 

Spoon in a layer of beef mixture. Pull off a few of the doubled over pieces of tortilla and layer it on top of the beef mixture.

 

Spoon on cheese mixture and Bake at 350° for 30 minutes

 

Chop some tomatoes and lettuce even if you decide the lettuce will not fit on top of the muffin sized little Mexican Lasgnas two minutes later.

 

even if you decide the lettuce will not fit on top of the muffin sized little Mexican Lasgnas two minutes later.

 

Eat one then rearrange the plate so it doesn’t look like anyone took any.

 

Mini Mexican Lasagna

Adapted from Addicted to saving

Ingredients

• 3/4 lb. Cooked Ground Beef with onions
• 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 t Chili Powder
• 1/4 t Red Pepper
• 1/2 t Salt
• 1/2 t Pepper
• 1 16 oz can Tomatoes drained
• Small Soft Corn Tortillas
• 1 c small curd cottage cheese, drained
• 1/2 c Monterey Jack Grated Cheese
• 1 Egg

Topping Ingredients

• 1/2 c Cheddar Cheese Grated
• 1 c Lettuce
• Diced Fresh Tomatoes
• Black Olives

Directions
Preheat oven at 350 degrees
  Add tomatoes to Ground Beef, season with chili powder, red pepper, garlic powder, salt and pepper. 
In a bowl, combine cottage cheese with Monterey Jack cheese and egg.
Layer bottom of dish with 6 corn tortillas. Cover tortillas with ground beef mixture.
Layer with remaining 6 corn tortillas. Cover with cottage cheese mixture.
Bake for 30 mins. Remove from oven; sprinkle rows of cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and olives diagonally across center

 

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Lasagna is good made fresh or made ahead. I like it fresh better but it’s nice to have one already made in the freezer for those days you have too much going on and just want dinner to be ready.

 

 

 

In a bowl beat eggs and toss in parmesan.

 

add ricotta and cottage cheese and then realize the pretty blue bowl is too small to mix anything in.

 

Get a bigger bowl. Now mix cheeses together. Ignore my quantities, we’re making a double batch, one for dinner and one for the freezer.

 

Chop up some Munster because it was a deal recently and some mozzarella.

 

add half the cheese.

 

Mince some parsley and mix that in too.

 

In a baking dish start with a layer of tomato sauce

 

Then layer in the noodles alternating whole wheat and white, This is important if you believe in noodle integration. Or just like a mix of whole wheat and white noodles.

 

Blop in some tomato sauce, it doesn’t have to be perfect layer.

 

a layer of meatballs

 

and a layer of cheese mixture.

 

Use a scissor to trip the noodles to fit your pan. Repeat layers until the pan is as full as you like. 3 or 4 layers of noodles looked good to me.

 

Top with remaining cheese.

Place right in the freezer for a day you don’t have time to cook.

Or bake right away at 350 for 30 minutes. At this point If it looks like it’s drying out Cover with foil and bake additional 10 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting

 

 

Whole wheat and white lasagna

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb cooked mini meat balls
• 3 cups  spaghetti sauce
• 8 oz  ricotta
• 8 oz  cottage cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella or Munster cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 5 pieces whole wheat lasagna, uncooked
• 5 pieces white lasagna, cooked andante

Heat oven to 350°F.    In a bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, one-half mozzarella  and Munster cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley, salt and pepper. Spoon a thin layer of sauce on bottom of a baking dish. Arrange 3 pasta pieces lengthwise over sauce; cover with a layer of sauce. Place a layer of a few mini meat balls. Spread a layer of cheese filling over meatballs. Repeat layers of lasagna, sauce, meatballs and cheese filling. Top with layer of lasagna and remaining sauce; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Cover with foil. Bake about 35 minutes. Remove foil; bake additional 10 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

 

 

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I can’t believe I never thought of pesto lasagna before, this was great. My friend somehow knew I had a lot of basil and sent me a Pesto lasagna recipe which I altered here and there a little or actually a lot.

 

I picked as much kale as I could without killing the plants and will just have to wait on making kale chips.

 

I don’t like too much dirt on my kale so it got a quick shower in the sink first.

 

 

While the kale and noodles were cooking I started chopping garlic.

 

Yes, arranging noodles is something I minored in.

 

Drain the cottage cheese so it looks just like ricotta, well maybe not but it’s close enough when there is no ricotta. 

 

In a medium bowl add cooked kale, sauteed onions, minced garlic, chopped fresh basil,  salt and pepper,

 

Cottage cheese, parmesan and pesto.

 

Mix it all together. Look at that color of green, No shortage of vitamin K here!

 

Layer noodles  in pan top with kale mixture and a layer of mozzarella and repeat until pan is full.

 

Then realize the noodles might stick and add a few table spoons of the cheese whey under the noodles.

 

 

Bake about 30 minutes in a pre heated oven at 350 

 

 

or until it’s all bubbly. 

 

Garnish with red bell pepper slices and basil. 

 

 

Pesto Kale Lasagna

Ingredients

• 9 lasagna noodles cooked al dente
• 3/4 cup sautéed chopped onions
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 2 cups cooked drained kale
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 12 oz. drained cottage cheese
• 3/4 cup pesto
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 8 oz mozzarella
• red bell pepper slices for garnish

 

Cook noodles al dente, cook kale, chop basil and garlic, sauté onions, drain cottage cheese and find a pan about 8x8”.

In a medium bowl mix cooked kale,chopped basil, sauteed onions, minced garlic, cottage cheese parmesan and pesto.

Layer noodles in pan top with kale mixture and a layer of mozzarella and repeat until pan is full. Top with red bell pepper slices.

Bake about 30 minutes in a pre heated oven at 350.