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These adorable and delicious Lasagna Cups are perfect for busy weeknights and family dinners. Made with ground beef, veggies, and cheesy goodness, they’re a fun twist on a classic! If you’re looking for a good classic lasagna recipe, check this one out. It’s a reader favorite!
Why You’ll Love This Lasagna Cups Recipe
I have to tell you guys, I had a lot of fun with this recipe! Who doesn’t love a pasta cup filled with a delicious meat sauce and ooey gooey cheese? I think I could say that EVERYONE falls under this category. Oh mama are these good.
If you like lasagna, then you will love these Lasagna Rollups. Basically, this is just the super cute version of plain ol’ lasagna baked in muffin cups instead. All the same stuff you would typically see in the making of a regular lasagna recipe, just with a little more prep work and less baking time. More or less, this is a method you can adopt while still using the lasagna recipe that everyone is used to. Feel free to add in or omit anything you’d like. Make this your own. That’s the beauty of cooking!
Ingredients Needed For Lasagna Cups
This may be a long list but oh it is worth it! Gather up these ingredients to make Lasagna Cups:
- Lasagna Pasta Sheets – this recipe won’t work with the pre-cooked or no-boil options. You’re just going to have to cook these babies al dente.
For the Red Sauce
- Olive Oil, Onion + Garlic cloves – these three are the base of any great recipe. So much simple flavor.
- Ground Beef – I used lean ground beef, but you could also sub this out for ground turkey if you’re trying to eat healthier.
- Red Bell Pepper + Zucchini – two veggies that I sneak into this meal (don’t tell my kids!). You could also try sneaking in mushrooms or riced cauliflower.
- Tomato Paste, Tomato Sauce + Diced Tomatoes – tomatoes galore! This is a red sauce after all. And if you don’t like chunks of tomatoes try using petite diced tomatoes instead.
- Basil, Oregano + Bay Leaf – three seasonings that take this to the next level.
- Sugar – this cuts the acidity from the tomatoes. Don’t be tempted to skip this. Don’t worry this doesn’t end up sweet.
- Salt + Pepper – and don’t forget to season as you go!
For the Cheese Filling
- Philadelphia Cream Cheese Spread, Milk + Italian Seasoning – these three are the perfect substitute for the ‘Philadelphia Italian Herb & Cheese Cooking Cream’ I originally used for this recipe that is now discontinued!
- Parmesan, Mozzarella + Ricotta Cheese – three kinds of cheese for the max about of ooey-gooey meltiness.
- Black Pepper – season to taste.
- Egg – this is used as a binder for the rest of the ingredients.
Variations
- Different Meat: Substitute ground turkey or Sweet Italian sausage for ground beef.
- Vegetarian: Use mushrooms instead of meat.
- Spicy: Add red pepper flakes to the sauce.
- Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free lasagna noodles.
- Different Cheeses: Swap mozzarella with sharp cheddar or use cottage cheese.
How to Make Lasagna Cups
These easy Lasagna Cups are a perfect appetizer addition or main dish to your family dinner or fun party food for any gathering. They’re an easy way to enjoy lasagna without the fuss, and the whole family will love them! For full recipe details, including ingredient measurements, see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here are my step by step details for making these mini lasagna cups.
Step 1: Make the Marinara Sauce
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté ground beef, onions, peppers, zucchini and garlic until vegetables are tender and meat is fully cooked, about 12 minutes.
Stir in tomato paste, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, basil, oregano, sugar, salt and black pepper and bring to a simmer.
Add bay leaf, reduce heat to low and cook at least 30 minutes, uncovered. The longer it cooks, the better it will taste! This sauce will be very thick.
Step 2: Make the Cheese Filling
Stir all ingredients (cream cheese, egg, milk, Italian seasoning, parmesan cheese, half of the mozzarella, ricotta and black pepper) together. Set aside. Save the other half of the mozzarella for later.
Step 3: Cook the Pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook lasagna sheets 2 minutes less than package directions and drain. Place lasagna on greased baking sheet until you are ready for assembly.
Step 4: Assemble
Preheat oven to 350° F. Line 12 muffin tins with squares of parchment paper. If they don’t stay in on their own, that’s ok–the pasta will help with that. You could also make larger lasagna cups by using a jumbo muffin tin.
Line the edges of the muffin tins with 1 pasta sheet per cup. (Pasta sheet will overlap about 2 inches.) Spoon about 1/2 tablespoon of sauce into the bottom of each cup.
Next, cut 9 pasta sheets into quarters and press one of these pieces of pasta into the bottom, on top of the sauce. Top pasta sheet with a generous tablespoon of sauce and then a generous tablespoon of cheese filling. Repeat this pasta-sauce-cheese layering one more time being sure to press out any air bubbles.
Step 5: Bake
Top these lasagna cups off with a third piece of pasta, more sauce, and the remaining mozzarella cheese. Cover with a gentle aluminum foil tent (to prevent edges from getting too crispy). Bake for 25-30 minutes or until everything is hot and bubbly. You may want to remove the tin foil tent for the last 5 minutes to ensure you melt the cheese on top. Serve hot!
Storage + Make Ahead Directions
Store leftovers cooled to room temperature in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, heat in the oven until warmed through.
To Freeze: Assemble and freeze in an airtight, freezer safe container before baking. Thaw and bake as directed.
To Make Ahead: Assemble up to a day in advance and refrigerate until ready to bake.
What to Serve With Lasagna Cups
Make your meal a full Italian feast with some of my most loved and favorite salad and side dish recipes!
- Homemade Garlic Bread
- The Best Caprese Salad
- That Good Salad
- Hasselback Cheesy Garlic Bread
- Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Rolls
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Simple Bruschetta Recipe
- See a full list of side dishes for lasagna
More Lasagna Recipes to Try!
- Skillet Lasagna
- Cheesy Lasagna Dip
- Slow Cooker Lasagna
- White Spinach & Artichoke Lasagna
- Baked Rigatoni Pasta
- Classic Baked Ziti
- Chicken Lasagna
- Lasagna Soup
These Lasagna Cups will be a huge hit and make for the ultimate comfort food, combining the rich flavors of traditional lasagna with the fun, convenient mini form. The printable recipe card is down below. Have a great day, friends! 🙂
If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.
Lasagna Cups Recipe
Ingredients
for the sauce-
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 large onion
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 red bell pepper diced
- 1 small zucchini diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 6 ounces tomato paste 1 can
- 8 ounces tomato sauce +1/2 can water to wash out can
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes 1 can
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
for the cheese filling-
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese grated & divided
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 egg
- 21 lasagne pasta sheets
Equipment
- 2 jumbo muffin tins for a total of 12 "muffins"
Instructions
for the sauce-
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and saute ground beef, onions, peppers, zucchini and garlic until vegetables are tender and meat is fully cooked, about 12 minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, basil, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.
- Add bay leaf, reduce heat to low and cook at least 30 minutes, uncovered. The longer it cooks, the better it will taste! This sauce will be very thick.
for the cheese filling-
- In a medium bowl, stir all ingredients together, excluding half of the grated mozzarella cheese. Set aside.
for the pasta-
- Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta sheets 2 minutes less than package directions.
- Drain and place pasta on greased baking sheet until you are ready for assembly.
for assembly-
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line 12 jumbo muffin tins with squares of parchment paper that cover the entire inside of each tin. If they don't stay in on their own, that's ok – the pasta will help with that.
- Line the edges of the muffin tins with 1 pasta sheet per cup. Pasta sheet will overlap about 2 inches.
- Spoon about half a tablespoon of sauce into the bottom of each cup.
- Next, cut 9 pasta sheets into quarters and press one of these pieces of pasta into the bottom of each tin, on top of the sauce.
- Top pasta sheet with a generous tablespoon of sauce and then a generous tablespoon of cheese filling.
- Repeat this pasta-sauce-cheese layering one more time, pressing down to remove any air bubbles.
- Top these lasagna cups off with the third piece of pasta, more sauce and the remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Cover with a gentle aluminum foil tent (to prevent edges from getting too crispy). Bake for 25-30 minutes or until everything is hot and bubbly. Serve hot.
[…] everything on Pinterest always look so amazing? I decided to have a go at these lasagna cups from Lauren’s Latest soon after I repinned the pin. There was the struggle when making them of having muffin tins too […]
This is sort of like the Lasagna Frittas at Olive Garden although it is deep fried.
I can’t get over how cute these are! I love the idea of individual serving lasagna. I will definitely be trying these in the future!
Quick question: When you originally “line the edges of the muffin tins with 1 pasta sheet per cup,” should the pasta cover the bottom of the tins or will it just be the edges and you will see the parchment paper on the bottom?
I am wondering the same thing…
Recipe says to cut noodles in squares to cover bottom, then another before the las top layer.
can’t you use a small cookie cutter
awesome idea! dinner time tonight for sure!!
I am going to make these for Christmas Eve. Yummy.
I LOVE this! I found this on pinterest! I’m going to try and make these soon 🙂
Those look amazing, my whole family will LOVE this!!! Thank you!
CANNOT Wait to cook these tonight! We have little get-togethers at friends’ houses regularly and I was looking for something different to make! SO EXCITED!
[…] bite of the moment: lasagna cups. absolutely genius… and may just prevent me from eating the whole pan of […]
I’m also wondering if they can be made ahead and then stuck in the oven the next day. Also wondering about another person’s question on the foil – has any one tried that and seen it work to keep the noodles soft? Thanks!
Yes, these can totally be made in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Then add about 15-20 minutes of extra cooking time. I haven’t tried the tented foil trick to keep the top noodle soft because I kind of liked them crunchy. Give it a whirl and let me know!! Thanks for your comment!
[…] Recipes that look amazing & I’m wanting to try! » pumpkin pancakes /// almond wheat crackers /// orange chicken style tofu /// lasagna cups […]
[…] Don’t these look fun to make? A twist on boring, old lasagna. The wise ones right now are thinking, “that looks like work, why not just make a lasagna.” Where were you when I needed you wise ones? So I proceed, as I read the directions on how to cut parchment paper squares, layer these bad boys by cutting little squares of the noodle, etc. After reading the directions 5 times and finally feeling ready to head to the kitchen, I was feeling pretty good. Here is the website if you are interested. https://laurenslatest.com/lasagna-cups/ […]
This recipe looks great! Do you think they could be made the night before, then popped in the oven right before dinner?
[…] fine folks at Lauren’s Latest gave us this quick and tasty idea to jazz up another perennial favorite. Check out their […]
Great idea! I can’t wait to make them. Thanks
I tried this and they are amazing! It took longer than I expected, but it would be a great thing to make with a group of friends or at a party. I’m going to try freezing them since it’s only my husband and I – we can’t eat all 12 in one night!! Thanks for sharing the recipe! It is wonderful!
Amber,
Did you ever try to freeze these? I do a lot of OAMC and would love to freeze these. Just wondering if it worked before I give it a whirl myself.
Thank you.
If you want to freeze things like this, only half cook them then freeze. My hubby is a chef and that’s what they do in restaurants. Pull it from the freezer and cook in the oven or microwave.
Wow! These look absolutely awesome! I have to add to my must-make list. Thanks for sharing!
[…] Meat Lasagna adapted from Kraft and Lauren’s Latest […]
Love these…your sauce recipe sounds amazing and I’ve been dying to try the cooking creams. I’ve made something similar to this but used wonton wrappers…
Delicious and a great presentation!
Thanks!
These are so cute! I love the presentation, can’t wait to make them 🙂
These were amazing! I cheated and used Spaghetti Sauce in a jar but this will become a dinner staple at our house. Thank you!
[…] Lasagna Cups […]
Will definitely have to try this! This is a great idea for ladies luncheons, baby showers, weddings, etc!
[…] Lasagna cups look yummie. […]
I made these tonight for my boyfriend and I for dinner. I made a few edits in the recipe (like using a full lb of beef and mushrooms instead of other veggies) and it wa really good. My boyfriend suggested to enclose it in foil next time to keep the cup soft and edible at the top. Anyone ever tried that?
WE LOVED IT!! THANKS!!
Funny, I just posted the same idea! lol
[…] this week I had lovely ladies over for dinner and I was very anxious to try out this recipe by Lauren at Lauren’s Latest. I’ve had it saved in my favorites under recipe’s […]
Does the Lasanga Noodle get hard on the top from baking? They look so delicious and easy.
The lasagna noodles do get hard on top from being exposed to the direct heat of the oven…its my only problem with this recipe!
Why can’t we put tin foil loosely over them as they bake? It’s worth a try!
you can combine a few tablespoons of evoo (olive oil) and a couple of tablespoons of the gravy (we Sicilians call “tomato sauce” – gravy 🙂 ) in a small bowl, take a brush and brush the tops (exposed) of the macaroni – you don’t have to soak the macaroni in it – a super light brushing will help. cover for 15 min with foil, then take it off the top to let the cheese get brown & bubbly 🙂
veryyyyyyyy veryyyyyyy good.
thanks
(i am iranian)
These look fabulous! Glad to have found you!
[…] July 30: my take on Mini Lasagnas. I made a vegetarian lasagna filling as I normally would and then made little […]
[…] across a delicious picture of lasagna cups. Intrigued, I clicked on the picture and was taken to Lauren’s Latest, where I found the recipe. Needless to say, I will be trying this out in the near to distant […]
These also work great with wonton wrappers layered in the muffin tin instead of real noodles 🙂 No parchment need.
Ooooh, I will try that!
These are really cute, and would be great for a party setting, when you don’t want to be dishing out messy servings from a casserole dish. I wonder…could you just use cupcake liners instead of parchment paper?
That’s a great idea! I’m going to try this for dinner tomorrow 🙂
I was thinking the same thing. I guess if we spray them first so they don’t stick or try to get “foil” cups?
Spraying is good. I tried it and placed two sheets of won ton wraps instead of lasgna sheets and it worked well.
those look so yummy. I will have to try them one night this week .
I just found your website and I cant wait to try these. Such a fun idea!!
[…] Lasagna Cups – Lauren's Latest […]
Wow these are so cute and look delicious! My boyfriend would LOVE these! 🙂 So glad I found your blog and happy to be your newest follower!
[…] Lasagna Cups by Lauren’s Latest […]
Give them to me, Lauren! They look so good!!
This is a super cool idea. I love it!
Yes, they did scream and I did succumb. They were all I hoped they would be! I love the little crunch at the top of the exposed noodle!
Truly one of Lauren’s Latest unique ideas! Lauren you’re getting better all the time.
Actually, I’ve seen lasagna cup recipes before. But Lauren is amazing, agreed.
Oh I love them!
And a perfect personal portion! 🙂
Wow. Those look so yummy! Thanks so much for sharing!
what a fun idea! I love it!!
Fabulous!
LOVE this idea!
Tried these with wonton wraps. two sheets per muffin tin. Came out very well.
Are the wonton wraps lighter than the pasta? My boyfriend has digestive problems and noodles can be too heavy for him.
How cute! We love lasagna!! I love the addition of the parchment paper squares. I will have to remember to do that the next time I make lasagna pinwheels in order to make clean-up a cinch! Do you think these would freeze well? I am looking for meals that can be made ahead and can be reheated in the microwave. We have teenagers who are always starving after track/tennis/football/etc. and end up eating a full meal as a “snack.” So anything that can be made ahed and stored in the freezer is a win-win situation as far as I’m concerned! (trust me we have NO leftovers no matter how much I make!!)
Peggy, I think these would freeze and reheat no problem! Just make sure you cook them all first completely and then freeze them. I’ve frozen lasagna and spaghetti sauce before and they reheated just fine in the microwave!
No need to cook it before freezing as I do it all the time when I make stuffed cannelloni with a marina sauce topping it off with shredded mozzarella. Cook at pre baked 325F oven frozen until knife goes into pasta easily, about 25-30 minutes
I can see the benefit to cooking these before freezing. Takes less time to prepare later.
Happy to have found your blog!
OH MY GOSH they look so delicious! Not a very good time for me to be looking at them while I’m fasting (and starving) for blood work today. Thanks for sharing Lauren!