Pizza Cups with Pesto-Ricotta Cream

Adorable little wonton cups, filled with a blend of ricotta and pesto and then topped with marinara and mozzarella. After a quick bake, the wontons are golden and crispy and the cheeses are melted and gooey. It's quite a fun bite.

My inspiration for these cups was clearly "pizza", but I also wanted the flavors of a calzone or stromboli - that creamy filling that typically contains ricotta and egg. I started with that concept (ricotta), skipped the egg (not needed), and added basil pesto. One simple step and mild-flavored ricotta became next level.

So, that means there are several layers going on in each little cup. First the ricotta-pesto layer. Then sauce. Then mozzarella. It's all creamy goodness - enveloped in a crisp wonton.

Want to prep ahead? Great idea - especially if you plan to serve these to a crowd (they make a great party appetizer). I actually made these for a cross country meet and, since we hit the road at the crack of dawn, I prepped them the day before. To make ahead: assemble the cups as directed below, then loosely wrap the pans with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Pull the pans from the fridge about 15 minutes before baking (I pulled mine out while the oven was preheating). Remove the plastic wrap and bake as directed.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can reheat leftover cups on a baking sheet, in a 300-degree oven, for about 10 minutes.

Pizza Cups with Pesto-Ricotta Cream

1 cup ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon basil pesto
1 package wonton wrappers (52 wrappers)
1 cup marinara or pizza sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Dried oregano
Cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine the ricotta cheese and pesto. Mix well and set aside.
Press the wontons into the bottom and sides of 52 mini muffin cups. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the ricotta mixture into each cup. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the marinara sauce over the ricotta mixture. Top the sauce with about 1 teaspoon of the mozzarella. Sprinkle a little oregano over top. Spray the wontons with the cooking spray.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the wontons are golden and the cheese melts.

Makes 52 pizza cups