Tortilla Lasagna Recipe

So I know tortilla lasagna isn’t exactly a summer recipe, but with all the rain we’ve been having on the East coast, it felt right to bake something.  Plus, I’m not averse to turning on the oven in the summertime, with the advent of air conditioning and all.  As my Seasonal Recipes page grows and I categorize recipes by season, I’ll catalog this one under winter recipes.

If you love Mexican food—or even like it only mildly—you will love this recipe.  The ingredients list alone is mouth-watering…imagine all of these flavors combined!  When I first told my husband about this dish, he made a face, even though he likes Mexican food.  Well, I’ve come to find out a few years later, it’s his favorite thing that I make.  And I make some pretty good things.

It’s not my own recipe—it’s a free recipe published by Certified Angus Beef that I picked up at the butcher counter in our local year-round farmer’s market.  I doubt they’ll mind if I post it here.  If they do, they can just e-mail me and I’ll take it down.  (Please don’t sue me, okay?)  But I can offer some tips and suggestions not included in the recipe.  Recipe first, then tips.

Tortilla Lasagna

Serves 8-10

2 pounds ground beef, cooked and drained

1 package taco seasoning

¾ cup water

1 cup chopped green onions

1 ½ cups salsa

12 corn tortillas

5 cans diced green chilies

1 pound grated Monterey Jack cheese  

1 can mild enchilada sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Combined cooked ground beef with taco seasoning, water and green onions.  Stir in salsa.

Spray 9 x 13” pan with nonstick spray. Place a layer of tortillas in the bottom. Top with a third of the green chilies, ground beef, cheese and enchilada sauce.  Repeat layers twice, using the cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes. Remove foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.

Tips:

1. I don’t think this recipe can really serve 10 people, unless many of them are children.  I’d stick with eight.

2. That said, I halve the recipe for my little family of three and bake it in an 8 x 8” pan and still have leftovers for two the next day. 

3.  When I halve the recipe, I use about a pound to a pound and a half of ground beef (the 90/10 beef is great for this—save the fattier stuff for juicy hamburgers) and just half of the taco seasoning packet.

4. Use mild chilies unless you don’t mind some bites that are hotter than others.  Definitely mild chilies and enchilada sauce for kids (obviously!).  I also use mild salsa, even though I prefer medium to hot salsa on tortilla chips.  I can better taste all the great flavors in this dish without the heat to mask them.

5. I don’t usually keep green onions in the house and almost always forget to buy them for this recipe.  You can substitute regular white or yellow onions (cooked separately before added to beef mixture) or just skip them altogether with fine results. 

6.  I usually use cheddar instead of Monterey Jack because it’s what I have in the house.  You can nearly double the amount of cheese in this recipe with excellent results.

7.  To shorten time in the oven, preheat to 375 degrees F and bake for 30 minutes with foil and 5 minutes without it.  I take out Nathan’s portion when I remove the foil so his can start cooling down.  He’s a hungry boy and doesn’t like to wait!

I hope your family enjoys this delicious recipe as much as mine does.  Enjoy!