Cooktop Cove: How to make Mexican lasagna casserole
By Kate Elliott
Classic dishes are classic for a reason, and that often means they shouldn't be messed with. However, as you can see in the recipe that follows, this concept doesn't apply to lasagna. With a few twists and turns, it is now possible to eat lasagna more than just one night a week and never get tired of it.
In this Mexican spin, lasagna noodles are swapped out for large tortillas. Stuffed between them is a mixture of ground beef, corn, and plump black beans. Then, instead of traditional tomato sauce, store-bought salsa con queso sauce is used to provide a rich and cheesy goodness, as well as something for those tortillas to swim in. This is one lasagna that is truly bueno!
Mexican Lasagna Casserole
6
10 minutes
35 minutes
45 minutes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound lean ground beef
1 red bell pepper, small dice
1 onion, small dice
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 24-gram packet taco seasoning
1 15-ounce jar salsa con queso
6 large tortillas, cut in half
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9" x 13" casserole dish.
Heat olive oil in a large frying pan set over medium heat. When hot, add ground beef, breaking it up as you do, and cook for about 5 minutes, until nearly all of the pink has been cooked out of the beef.
Add the red bell pepper and the onion to the frying pan. Stir, and cook for another 3 minutes until vegetables have softened.
Add the corn and black beans to the pan. Stir and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add the taco seasoning to the pan, stir, and cook for another minute or so.
Spread a thin layer of the salsa con queso into the bottom of the casserole dish.
Lay four of the tortilla halves over the sauce.
Add half of the ground beef onto the tortillas.
Top with just under half of the salsa con queso sauce.
Repeat the lasagna layers, starting with four more tortilla halves, then ground beef, then salsa con queso, reserving some of the sauce for the top of the dish.
Top with remaining four tortilla halves and spread remaining salsa con queso over top. Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese.
Place the lasagna into the oven and cook for about 30 minutes, until the entire dish is hot and bubbling throughout and the cheese on top has melted and is just beginning to brown.
Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
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