I originally posted this Mexican Lasagna recipe five years ago here on my blog. It was a favorite recipe for us then and it still is a favorite recipe now. My mom first started making this recipe when I was in high-school. She learned the recipe in my favorite cooking magazine Taste of Home Magazine. I love this recipe because it has all of the flavors of Mexican food (cheese, corn tortillas, seasoned ground beef) and yet has tons of fresh veggies on top. And – it is pretty!
There are many variations of this recipe that you can make. You can pick and choose which toppings you prefer. And for the filling, you can either use cottage cheese or ricotta as well as shredded cheddar cheese and/or shredded Monterey Jack cheese.
This is a very easy recipe to make. The hardest work will be browning the ground beef and adding seasoning to it. 🙂
At the very bottom of your Mexican Lasagna you will place six corn tortillas. You will want to use corn versus flour because corn will be easier to cut once your lasagna is baked. I also think the corn tortillas add a great flavor to the dish. On top of the corn tortillas you will layer your seasoned ground beef and tomato mixture.
You will top the ground beef mixture with another six corn tortillas (you will only need 12 for this entire recipe).
At the very top of this dish you will spread the cheese mixture. Then bake for 30 minutes.
Once the Mexican Lasagna is baked, it’s time to add the toppings. I usually use chopped lettuce but for a variation I decided to use arugula. It was so good.
After placing the arugula, I added shredded cheddar cheese (my hubby would be happy if I covered the entire lasagna with just cheese) and then chopped fresh tomatoes. If you like black olives, they would be an awesome addition as would chopped green onions. Below is my finished product. Looks good right? If you try this Mexican Lasagna recipe, let me know your thoughts!
Mexican Lasagna
Ingredients
1.5 lb Ground Beef
1 T Chili Powder
1/4 t Garlic Powder
1/4 t Red Pepper
1 t Salt
1 t Pepper
1 16 oz can Tomatoes
10-12 Small Soft Corn Tortillas (I’ve tried flour and they do not bake as nicely)
2 c small curd cottage cheese, drained
1 c Monterey Jack Grated Cheese
1 Egg
Topping Ingredients
1/2 c Cheddar Cheese Grated
2 c Lettuce
Diced Fresh Tomatoes
Black Olives
Directions
1) Preheat oven at 350 degrees
2) Brown Ground Beef, season with chili powder, red pepper, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add tomatoes. Heat through.
3) In a bowl, combine cottage cheese with Monterey Jack cheese and egg.
4) Spray lasagna dish with Pam
5) Layer bottom of dish with 6 corn tortillas. Cover tortillas with ground beef mixture.
6) Layer with remaining 6 corn tortillas. Cover with cottage cheese mixture.
7) Bake for 30 mins.
8) Remove from oven. Cover lasagna with lettuce, cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, black olives and whatever additional toppings you would like.
Enjoy!
Thanks for coming to Addicted to Saving! Here’s a little bit about me so you can know who’s behind all these posts!
My name is Liza and I began my money-saving journey in the Spring of 2009 as a way to stretch a limited household income. I had lost my job and my hubby was self-employed. I launched Addicted to Saving in November of 2009 and it has grown by leaps and bounds. Since then, my hubby and I have struggled with the ups and downs of two failed adoptions and are now LOVING being parents to our little man Asher who we brought home from Ethiopia in August of 2013. I feel incredibly blessed to be able to help you save money. My goal is that you will have FUN and become empowered to save more and more money each week..
Are the corn tortillas soft or hard shell? Thanks!
Hi seh! Soft – Will update my post to clarify.
I imagine you could use hard tortillas too, since it’s all baked together, they’ll soften as they absorb moisture from the other ingredients.
That’s what I have done. It worked good.
This looks so delicious but I would like to know what could I substitute in place of the cottage cheese, ricotta maybe?? Thanks
Patricia, ricotta would be my choice as well. I don’t particularly care for the lumpy texture of cottage cheese, but that’s my personal preference! I think ricotta would be delicious ~ or maybe a soft queso blanco, if you happen to live in an area with a Hispanic population and your grocery carries it. 🙂
There is not much of a hispanic population near where I live and if you can even find authentic mexican cheese it’s upwards of $10/lb!
Made this tonight using tortilla chips, they worked very well! Also sauteed onion and garlic with the beef and added some frozen corn. Very yummy!