This recipe is a spin off from the regular Italian Lasagna most of us are used to eating. I enjoy making this recipe because I can adjust it to what I have on hand. For instance, once I had spicy salsa on hand and substituted it for the canned diced tomatoes. Peppers can be very pricy, especially when they are out of season, so I use celery. Sometimes, I choose to substitute chili peppers for a change of pace. My family prefers the taste and texture of the white tortillas over the yellow tortillas for this recipe.
Mexican Lasagna
- 1 T vegetable (or your favorite) oil
- 1 Large onion, chopped
- 1 med chopped green, red, or yellow pepper; or 2 stalks of celery
- 1 LG clove of garlic, minced
- 1 lb ground beef or ground sausage
- 1 t dried oregano leaves
- 1 can (16 oz) tomatoes, chopped, drained (you can buy them chopped)
- 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3/4 t Tabasco sauce (you could use whatever hot pepper sauce you have on hand, or one packet from a restaurant)
- 10 yellow or white corn tortillas 5″ in diameter ( if you have tortillas with a larger diameter, quarter them and use enough to cover bottom of pan and next layer)
- 1 can (16 oz) pinto, black or black beans (I used dried and soaked and cooked them myself)
- 2 cups shredded pepper jack, Monterrey jack, or cheddar cheese
In a large skillet heat oil; cook onion, green pepper, and garlic 3 min or til tender. Add ground beef/sausage and oregano, breaking up meat with fork as it cooks; cook until browned. Drain off fat; remove from heat.
In medium bowl combine tomatoes, tomato sauce, sour cream and Tabasco Sauce; mix well. cut each tortilla in 1/2. Arrange 10 halves in shallow 11×7-inch baking dish (something of similar size will due). Spread 1/2 of meat mixture over tortillas. Top with 1/2 the pinto beans, half the tomato mixture, and 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Bake 30 min at 350 degrees or til heated through. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
I often double this recipe and use an 11×7 and an 8×8 pans. Then, I can freeze the 8×8 pan and have some left overs for lunch the next day. This is one of those recipes that tastes even better the next day.
