Mini Italian Egg Rolls

This was my absolute favorite Super Bowl appetizer. There are several incredible bonuses to this appetizer. The biggest: this is something that can be made the day before and then cooked in an instant. Another, they can be cooked, frozen, and reheated in the oven (I'm also experimenting by freezing some uncooked eggrolls and try cooking them in a day or two). And it makes a BUNCH! The package of wonton wrappers I bought had 60 wrappers and the recipe below almost filled every one (I had a few bites of sausage mixture left to snack on). Oh, and they are absolutely delicious!!!!!!

MINI ITALIAN EGG ROLLS

1 package wonton wrappers (6)

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1/2 medium green pepper, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 lb hot Italian sausage

1 (10 oz) package frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed

1/4 cup Parmesan

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

1/4 tsp garlic powder

oil for frying

Brown onion and green pepper wtih sausage, add minced garlic. Cool completely (this is important or you will get big clumps of melted cheese in the mixture instead of shredded pieces). Add spinach, Parmesan, mozzarella, and garlic powder.

Heat 3" of oil in wok, fry pan, or Fry Daddy (this is what I used.....I could easily fry 10 egg rolls at a time with plenty of room). Oil should be 350 degrees.

Spoon filling into the center of the wonton wrapper. Fold up the bottom and then the sides as to make an envelope. Roll envelope-shape into a cylinder. "Glue" top flap with a small amount of water. Fry mini egg rolls until skins get golden brown. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

(To make ahead, fill the wrappers with the sausage mixture and seal each egg roll. Lay on a flat plate. If you need to make layers of uncooked egg rolls, place a sheet of plastic wrap or waxed paper between each layer. Cover tightly with several layers of plastic wrap.)

5 MINUTE MARINARA

1 Tbsp EVOO

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (crushed in mortar with pestle to release flavor)

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 32-oz can crushed tomatoes

S&P

1 tsp dried Italian seasoning

Add olive oil to a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper. When the pepper snaps and the garlic sizzles, add the tomato paste, cook for a minute, then stir in the crushed tomatoes. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Cook for five minutes.

UPDATE: OK, so I froze the uneaten cooked egg rolls, and then froze 10 of the uncooked egg rolls. I thawed the uncooked egg rolls in the frig and then cooked them in the Fry Daddy for about 5 minutes. As good as the original batch. And I put the frozen cooked egg rolls in a 375 oven for 12 minutes......maybe a bit too high of a temp and a few minutes too long because they got a bit dark, so next time I'll try 350 and check them at 10 minutes. But they were still crisp and delicious. So if you're going to make a batch as big as mine and want to do so ahead of time, DO IT!!!!! What a fantastic recipe, all the way around!!!!