Tex-Mex Lasagna
Mexican food, or at least our Tex-Mex version of it, seems to lend itself very well to layering. Who doesn’t love Quesadillas, Crunch Wrap Supremes, or a good cheesy Taco Dip? So using that logic, I thought why aren’t we eating Mexican Lasagna? I give you the cheesy, peppery, beefy, chorizoey, Tex-Mex Lasagna.
This recipe uses a big skillet, a big baking dish, and a lot of prep, but it’s worth it.
1/4 Red Bell Pepper diced
1/4 Yellow Bell Pepper diced
3/4 Green Bell Pepper diced
1 Jalapeño diced
1 Fresno Pepper diced
1/2 Yellow Onion diced
2 Garlic Cloves diced
4 oz Green Chili
1 Lb Ground Beef
1/4 Lb Chorizo
2/3 Cup Water
15.25 oz Can Black Beans drained and rinsed
14.5 oz Can Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
5.5 oz Fiesta Style Corn drained (1/2 Can)
8 oz Refried Beans (1/2 Can)
4 Cups Cheese shredded
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese shredded
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
Queso Dip
Flour Tortillas
Butter
Hot Sauce
Liquid Smoke
Tex-Mex Seasoning
1 Tbs Chili Powder
1/2 Tsp Ancho Chili Powder
1 Tsp Paprika
3/4 Tsp Cumin
1/2 Tsp Dried Oregano
1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 Tsp Onion Powder
Shakes Cayenne
Shakes Smoked Paprika
First step’s to melt that Butter over just below medium heat in the big skillet. Once it’s bubbling toss in all of the diced Peppers and Onions and sauté until almost soft. Then throw in the Garlic and the Green Chilis and stir for just a few minutes more making sure to coat everything in the Green Chili goodness. Once it’s done place it in a bowl and set aside.
In that same big skillet drop in the Ground Beef and the Chorizo and cook it up and break it apart and stir until almost done.
Now’s a good time to drain the meat of most of that fat before returning it to the heat and adding the Water. Now let it get to bubblin’ before adding the Tex-Mex Seasoning, the Hot Sauce, and the Liquid Smoke, and any other goodies and stirring well. Now bring it down to a low simmer and let it cook for just a few more minutes.
It’s now time for all the cans. Add to the simmering meat the Black Beans, the Tomatoes, and the Corn and stir and simmer for about 10 minutes. Then add the Peppers and Onion mix back in and stir some more until the entire skillet has thickened and is lacking too much juice. When it’s cooked down, it may be a good idea to drain the juices yet again before placing the entire skillet contents into a big bowl.
While the liquid’s being reduced though, turn on the oven to 350°. Also grab another smaller skillet and turn it to medium or more because you’re gonna lightly toast the tortillas before placing them into the baking dish. This helps it not turn too mushy during the baking. Also in the baking dish, make sure to spray some nonstick. Make sure you spray the baking dish with some non-stick before placing the toasted Tortillas down. I like to tear away excess Tortillas so there isn’t too much overlapping and then fill in the blank spaces with the scraps.
Now carefully spread half the Refried Beans over that bottom layer before scooping half the skillet mixture over everything and spreading it evenly. Lastly, sprinkle 1/3 of the shredded Cheese mix before adding some small Sour Cream dollops. Then repeat for the second layer.
Once the second layer is done, top it all with more Tortillas, the last 1/3 of the Cheese, the Parmesan Cheese, and any extra seasonings. Now carefully put the whole delicious baking dish into the oven and cook it for 25 minutes or so covered with foil.
After the 25 minutes, take it out, take off the foil, pour as much Queso Dip as you’d like on the top, turn on the broiler at 500°, and place it back in the oven for 3 minutes.
After it’s good and cool, enjoy this amazing Tex-Mex Lasagna with your choice of Mexican side di… wait, you don’t need to, all the delicious side dishes are already layered in. ¡Buen Provecho!
