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This Mexican Lasagna Recipe transforms the classic Italian lasagna with layers of taco sauce, cheese, refried beans, corn tortillas, and ground beef. It can be prepared ahead of time and is freezer-friendly. You will love this simple recipe!
Mexican lasagna is one of the best lasagna recipes, with many names, including tacos and Mexican casserole; this dish contains multiple layers of delight. These layers contain several mouth-watering ingredients, including corn tortillas, green chilies, salsa, cheese, and ground beef. This dish is also known as a riff on the previously existing Italian lasagna.
Mexican lasagna is a heavy dish, and the fillings in this dish are perfect for large gatherings, including formal potluck dinners and family get-togethers. Not only can you bake and serve it but also freeze it for later serving. You can easily bake it in the oven. It is usually served with Avocado guacamole and sour cream, adding to its savor.
Other lasagna Recipes I’ve made
Italian VS Mexican Lasagna – Which one is better?
If we compare Mexican and Italian lasagna, we can say Mexican lasagna contains tortilla wraps instead of lasagna noodles or sheets. Mexican lasagna contains salsa in place of sauce. Italian lasagna has béchamel while Mexican lasagna has beans.
Ricotta and parmesan are replaced with cheddar and jack in Mexican Lasagna. It is pretty challenging to say which one is better; we can say both have different tastes because the core ingredients are different, giving both dishes separate identities.
You can also use Mexican Lasagna as a leftover and serve it the following day with eggs and coffee. You can keep this in your refrigerator for 5 days. For freezing, bring the baked lasagna to room temperature, cut it into pieces, wrap it in foil, and put it in the freezer. You can keep the lasagna in the freezer for up to 2 months. For reheating, the frozen lasagna, put it in the oven with the foil.
Things to remember before making Mexican Lasagna
Here are the steps to follow when making Mexican Lasagna:
Heat The Oven Properly
Before putting the lasagna dish into the oven for baking, ensure to preheat the oven to prevent undercooking or over-cooking of the dish. The temperature of the oven is 350°F.
Chop The Ingredients Finely
Mexican Lasagna does need finely chopped ingredients to provide a unique texture. Chop onions finely to allow them to cook properly. You won’t want to spoil the taste and texture of the recipe by chopping the onion coarsely.
Prevent Over-Cooking
As we will use meat and cheese in the recipe, overcooking can change the taste and texture of the lasagna. It can turn the overall texture rubbery and challenging due to the presence of meat. Cook it until it gets ready for serving, while you can always reheat it afterward to keep it soft.
For a perfect lasagna check out our favourite lasagna pans
Ingredients For Mexican Lasagna
- ½ cup Olive Oil
- 1 ¼ pound ground beef or turkey
- 1 tbsp cumin (Grounded)
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- salt (as per taste)
- 1 tbsp crushed seeds of coriander
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 can of refried pinto beans
- 1 can sliced green Anaheim chiles
- 12 cans of corn-flavored tortillas
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 can chopped or sliced tomatoes
- 2 medium-sized and finely chopped onions
- 1 red finely chopped bell pepper with seed and stem removed
- 2 cups finely chopped jack cheese
- 2 cups finely chopped cheddar cheese
- Can be served with; avocado, sour cream, cilantro, and iceberg lettuce
How to Make Mexican Lasagna?
Set the flame to medium and add two tablespoons of oil to a frying pan. Add the meat to the frying pan and start mincing it with the spoon as much as possible. Add some spices to the beef, including chili powder, cayenne, salt, cumin, and coriander.
Let the meat turn brown, remove the pan from heat, and the pan will continue to cook in the pan. Ensure the meat is properly cooked and keep stirring at intervals to prevent overcooking.
Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a lasagna pan and set the flame to medium. Add chopped bell pepper and onions, cook the onion until softened, and add garlic. Let it cook for 1 minute, and then add sliced tomatoes, oregano, and green chiles. Let them get softer by sautéing them for 20 minutes.
Take a skillet and add half a cup of olive oil on medium flame; after heating the oil, add the tortilla and cook each side for 5 seconds in the flame. Remove the tortillas; they should be soft but not crisp.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and oil a ceramic baking dish with olive oil. In that baking dish, add 4 tortillas and make a single sleek layer. On the top of that layer, spread half the mixture of the bean and half the beef mixture. This way, make 2 layers and cover the dish with tortillas at the top. Now sprinkle cheese over the tortillas.
Add the casserole to the preheated oven for 35 minutes and let the cheese bubble and melt. Now cool and serve it with cream, sliced lettuce, chopped cilantro, and avocado.
You can also sprinkle vinegar and salt on top.
Mexican Lasagna
Ingredients
- ½ cup Olive Oil
- 1 ¼ pound grounded beef or turkey
- 1 tbsp cumin (Grounded)
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- salt (as per taste)
- 1 tbsp crushed seeds of coriander
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 can refried pinto beans
- 1 can sliced green Anaheim chiles
- 12 corns yellow corn flavored tortillas
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 can chopped or sliced tomatoes
- 2 medium-sized and finely chopped onions
- 1 red finely chopped bell pepper with seed and stem removed
- 2 cups finely chopped jack cheese
- 2 cups finely chopped cheddar cheese
- Can be served with; avocado, sour cream, cilantro, and iceberg lettuce
Instructions
- Set the flame to medium and add two tablespoons of oil to a frying pan. Add the meat to the frying pan and start mincing it with the spoon as much as possible. Add some spices to the beef, including chili powder, cayenne, salt, cumin, and coriander. Let the meat turn brown, remove the pan from heat, and the pan will continue to cook in the pan. Ensure the meat is properly cooked and keep stirring at intervals to prevent overcooking.
- Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a lasagna pan and set the flame to medium. Add chopped bell pepper and onions, cook the onion until softened, and add garlic. Let it cook for 1 minute, and then add sliced tomatoes, oregano, and green chiles. Let them get softer by sautéing them for 20 minutes.
- Take a skillet and add half a cup of olive oil on medium flame; after heating the oil, add the tortilla and cook each side for 5-seconds in the flame. Remove the tortillas; they should be soft but not crisp.
- Preheat the oven to 350-degree F and oil a ceramic baking dish with olive oil. In that baking dish, add 4 tortillas and make a single sleek layer. On the top of that layer, spread half the mixture of the bean and half the beef mixture. This way, make 2 lawyers and cover the dish with tortillas at the top. Now sprinkle cheese over the tortillas.
- Add the casserole to the preheated oven for 35-minutes and let the cheese bubble and melt. Now cool and serve it with cream, sliced lettuce, chopped cilantro, and avocado. You can also sprinkle vinegar and salt on top.
