Lasagne Cup Cakes

Ingredients:

• 5 ml Olive Oil
• ½ small onion, finely chopped
• 10 ml crushed garlic
• 350g lean beef mince
• 70g tomato paste
• 280 g tomatoes, chopped
• 5 ml sugar
• 125 ml red wine
• 5 ml paprika
• 15 ml rosemary, finely chopped
• 15 sheets of boxed lasagne pasta
• 1 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup cream
• 4 large eggs
• 180g cheddar cheese, grated
• 80g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• Fresh basil leaves, to garnish

Method:

1. Pre heat the oven to 180°C. Grease a muffin tin generously with some cooking spray.
2. Heat the oil in pan until hot. Add the onions and gently sauté it over medium heat for 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add in the garlic and beef mince and brown for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, sugar, wine, paprika and rosemary. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the tomatoes are soft. Season it to taste.
3. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Add in the pasta and cook for 5 minutes. Refresh it under cold water and keep it in there until ready to use. Combine the cream cheese, cream and eggs and whisk until smooth. Lightly season it.
4. Use a round cutter that is about the size of each muffin tin to cut out 36 pasta circles. You should be able to get out 3 circles per pasta sheet. There will be some extra in case some of the pasta tears while preparing it.
5. Start layering the cupcakes by adding a disc of pasta into each muffin tin. Add a bit of meat, then a layer of cheddar cheese and a layer of Parmesan. Reserve 180ml ( ¾ cup) of the creamy egg mixture. Divide the rest of the egg mixture between the 10 cupcakes. Add another layer of pasta, then some meat, cheddar cheese, a layer of pasta again and then the remaining egg mixture. Finish it off with a final bit of Parmesan cheese and bake for 20 minutes until golden.
6. Leave it to cool in the tin for 5-10 minutes. This will ensure that it comes out easily. Garnish with fresh basil and serve with a mixed salad.

Tips:

• A good friend recently told me that she always adds smoked ham to her lasagna. I tried it and loved the bit of smokiness that it added! Simply add an additional layer of smoked ham to the cupcakes for extra flavour.
• Instead of Parmesan you could also use Gruyere, Pecorino or even Boerenkaas cheese. Mozzarella also works although it is much more bland in flavour.

Source: Food24