small servings

These individual lasagna servings are a fun and less-mess way to serve lasagna at a casual party.  They are delicious straight from the oven or even at room temperature.

Individual Lasagna Cups

1 pound sweet Italian sausage
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1  1/2 cups marinara sauce, divided
1 package lasagna noodles, cooked
8-ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
5-ounces ricotta cheese
1/2 cup basil chiffonade, for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 12 muffin cups with Pam.

Brown the sausage, drain, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 cup of the marinara sauce and stir to combine.

Use a round cookie cutter to cut out the largest possible pieces from the noodles and fit two of them gently into the muffin cups, offsetting them to cover the bottom and sides of each muffin cup. Reserve the noodle scraps for later layers.

Place approximately 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture into each muffin cup. Place about 2 teaspoons of the ricotta cheese on top of the meat mixture. Continue layering with a sprinkle of Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.

Repeat the layers, using as many more pasta circles and scraps as needed and ending with a scant tablespoon of the remaining marinara sauce and a final sprinkle of the Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.

Spray a sheet of foil with a pan and cover muffin tins with foil, Pam side down.  Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 3 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

To remove, use a knife to loosen the edges and then gently slide each lasagna muffin from the tin.

Garnish with basil and serve.

Makes 12