For this year’s New Year’s Eve party, I wanted to make appetizers and finger foods for everyone’s dietary preferences. This one satisfies everyone but the gluten-free. It was one I had completely forgotten about until I asked my son what food he’d like to have for the party. He remembered these when I suggested a filled mushroom as a possibility. “What were those things you made that one time? The ones in the wonton wrappers?” Oh! The Filled Wonton Thingies! I knew where to look for the recipe….I think. Success! I found the stapled sheets that contained the recipes from a wine tasting we had attended at a local winery and there they were, Tazza Toscana. Crunchymeltyflavor-y bites of pure yum. I made them vegan from a non-vegan recipe; easily adjusted to go vegan or not. These disappeared quickly; devoured by vegans and non-vegans alike!
They’re amazingly easy to put together.
- 1 lb sausage, breakfast or Italian, cooked and crumbled. I used Gimme Lean Sausage-style.
- 1 1/2 cup grated cheddar. I used Daiya. (Be careful with non-dairy cheese. Not all of them are vegan.)
- 1 1/2 cup grated montery jack. I used Daiya pepper jack.
- 1 cup ranch dressing
- 1 bunch green onions, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 package of wonton wrappers
Preheat oven to 375 F.
First, press wonton wrappers into 24 openings of mini muffin pans. I discovered that the pestle from my small wooden mortar and pestle worked perfectly for this job. Try to keep the wrapper as “open” as possible.
Bake the wraps for 5 minutes and remove to cooling racks.
Brown the sausage, breaking it up as you go. I use a potato masher at the end to get a good crumbled texture.
Add cheeses, onions, pepper and ranch dressing to the cooked sausage and stir to combine.
Divide the filling evenly between the 24 wrappers. I had to “rob” some of the more generously filled ones to get enough for my 24.
Bake the filled wrappers for 10 minutes and transfer to a serving platter. They are best served warm, right from the oven.
Stand back. Tazza Toscano are irresistible and will be immediately pounced upon by your party guests! So yummy. So easy. I really should make these more often!