Mexican Lasagna

I never thought of the word “lasagna” in Mexican cuisine but, the word fits this recipe perfectly!

Technically, we all know lasagna is a wide flat type of pasta used in the Italian lasagna we all like ~ the baked casserole composed of layers.  

However; in this delicious south-of-the-border dish, flour tortillas replace the traditional pasta.  Unfortunately, I don’t know what magazine I clipped and then adapted this recipe from.

The tortilla shells are stacked between layers of enchilada sauce, Spanish rice, corn and creamy pungent cheese.  

There is a plethora of ways to make this; instead of ground beef, try ground turkey or chicken; refried beans instead of the corn, and add the seasonings that you like.  That’s the beauty of this Mexican lasagna ~ whatever your taste buds crave will most likely work!

Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients:

2 pounds lean ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 cans (10-ounces each) enchilada sauce

1 (11-ounce) can shoepeg corn, drained

1 tablespoon Hot Mexican-Style Chili Powder

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 package (8.8-ounce) ready-to-serve Spanish rice

10 flour tortillas, warmed and quartered

4 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

Toppings, if desired:  shredded lettuce, salsa, sour cream, taco sauce

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, brown beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is cooked through; drain well.

Stir in enchilada sauce.

Add corn and combine.

Blend in chili powders, oregano and cayenne pepper.

Heat rice according to package directions.

Into a greased 13-inch x 9-inch baking dish, spread about 1 cup of meat mixture, enough to sparsely cover bottom of dish.

Place into dish, enough quartered tortilla shells to cover meat mixture.

Layer a third of the rice.

Layer a third of the meat mixture.

Layer a third of the cheese.

Repeat layers.

Top with the remaining tortillas, rice and meat mixture (dish will be full).

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer, until cheese is melted.

Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with your choice of toppings.

8-10 servings

As you can envisage, it is a filling dish for a hungry family and friends too.

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog @My Kind of Cooking for great tips, recipes. 

Family Chili Feud: 2 Versions

How do you like your chili ~
very hot or milder, 

with pork or a little Jim Beam, 
with pasta or without? 

 Whichever way, 

I’ve got a recipe for you!

Our tastes run a little mild compared to our older son's. We like chili that’s tangy and spicy.  Bubba likes HOT SPICY chili.   Spicy and hot certainly sounds more interesting than sweet and mild and his is incredibly hot!  It has great ingredients and a delicious taste but, we eat his chili and our lips go numb and our tongues feel like they are on fire.

I would not dream of cooking chili without chili beans, or of not eating it in a bowl with spaghetti, cheese and onions covering it.  He can’t imagine why anyone would ruin a good bowl of chili with beans and spaghetti!

I worked on my recipe for a long time and it is a very distant cousin to the chili recipes I made years ago.  It was when I discovered that adding dark chocolate to chili is the secret for making a tasty, savory chili.  It makes a big difference in that there is a depth to it and it smoothes out the flavors of the spices, plus it gives it a beautiful deep red color.  This is the way I always prepare it now. It makes a lot for a crowd or will freeze well for later meals. 

My son has worked on his for several years also; it is perfected and a recipe he can always rely on.  It has the perfect combination of meat and that is what really adds to the great flavor.  Be sure to let his tasty chili simmer for 1-2 hours.

So, here they are, you decide which is better!

Chili, My Way
Printable recipe

Ingredients:

4 lbs. ground beef

2 ½ to 3-46 oz. bottles tomato juice

1 large onion, chopped

2 or 3 T. brown sugar

1 t. salt

¾ c. chili powder

2 t. Hot Mexican-Style Chili Powder, optional

1 T. garlic powder

2 t. cinnamon

1 T. paprika

2 T. Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa

3 16 oz. cans chili beans

spaghetti, cooked

cheddar cheese, grated

green onion, chopped

Method:

Brown meat and chopped onion, drain well, set aside. 
Pour tomato juice into large pan, bring to a boil.  
Add dry ingredients, one at a time, stirring well after each addition.
Add meat mixture.
Simmer on low heat for at least a half hour, stirring occasionally,  do not boil. 
Place cooked spaghetti in bottom of soup bowl, pour chili on top.  
Cover with grated cheddar cheese and green onion and enjoy.

There should be a warning with the following!

 

Chili, Bubba's Way
Printable recipe  

Ingredients:  

2lbs ground beef                     
2lbs ground pork
2lbs steak
6+ large jalapenos
1 jar hot salsa
2 large white onions
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans tomato paste
Mesa flour
Jim Beam
Chili powder
Ground chipotle pepper
Crushed red pepper
Cayenne pepper
Hot sauce (Scorned Woman or The Hottest F***ing Sauce preferred.  If not available, Dave's Insanity Sauce works but use a little more)
Spicy marinade of choice
Garlic hot sauce if available (Dave's Roasted Garlic has a really good taste).

Method:

Put a roll of TP in the freezer.
Marinate steak in bowl with spicy marinade of choice overnight, and then cook (preferably on grill) and slice up into small bite size pieces.
Chop up the onion.
Slice the jalapeños.
Brown the ground meat one pound at a time, adding in onions, jalepenos, spices, and hot sauce.  
Heavy on chili powder and ground chipotle.  
No more than six drops of Scorned Woman per pound of meat. 
Cayenne and red pepper also, if desired.
Empty 1/2 - 3/4 cup of Jim Beam, salsa, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste into a large pot on medium heat.
Fill tomato paste cans with water and empty in pot.
Put meat in pot.
Add hot sauce (6 - 12 drops), chili powder, more chipotle, cayenne, and red pepper to taste.
Stir, stir, stir for 1 - 2 hours on medium heat- try not to let it boil.
Add half a handful of mesa flour towards the end to thicken.  Go easy on it, too much and it will turn into concrete.  
If a large portion is going to be refrigerated immediately, go very easy on mesa flour.
Makes a little over a crock-pot of butt-burning chili.

Hope you give them both a try!