TACO LASAGNA

yield: 8 SERVINGS

prep time: 25 MINUTES

cook time: 30 MINUTES

total time: 55 MINUTES

Taco lasagna is a toddler-approved spin on tacos with layered Mexican casserole of refried beans, corn salsa, seasoned beef, tortillas, and a ton of melted cheese. Delish!

INGREDIENTS

• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tbsp)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 can (15 oz) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 2 cups frozen corn kernels (not sweet corn – see note below) – or canned corn, drained
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 ½ tbsp ground ancho chile powder or medium chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
• ¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth or stock
• 6 8-inch tortillas (either homemade or store-bought – flour or corn – sometimes sold as “fajita size”
• 4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
• 4 oz monterey jack cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
• 2 scallions, sliced
• Handful of cilantro, chopped
• Sour cream for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. While the oven heats, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat and then add the onions, garlic, and a good pinch of salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to soften, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and their juices, corn, and another smaller pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the corn is no longer frozen. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and set aside.
3. In the same pan over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef, breaking it up into smaller pieces while it cooks. Cook for 5-7 minutes until it’s no longer pink and then drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat. If you used a lean beef and no fat remains, add a drizzle of olive oil to the pan. Stir in the chile powder, cumin, coriander, and oregano and cook for about 1 minute, just until the beef is evenly coated and you can start to smell the spices. Transfer the beef to a medium bowl and set aside.
4. In the same pan over medium heat, drizzle in some olive oil and then add the beans. Cook, stirring them around for a couple of minutes to heat them up. Pour in the chicken broth and simmer the beans in the broth for about 5 minutes. When the beans start to soften, turn the heat down to low and mash the beans in the pan with a fork until they are mostly mashed with just a few whole beans remaining here and there. Stir the mixture together as you go to incorporate the broth into the mashed beans. Remove the beans from the heat.
5. Grease an 11×7-inch baking dish (a 13×9-inch dish will work too but your lasagna will be thinner and you’ll need extra tortilla to cover the additional area of the dish). Place 2 of the tortillas on the bottom of the dish, slightly overlapping in the centers like a venn diagram. Spread half of the black beans in an even layer over the tortillas followed by half of the tomato-corn mixture, and then half of the beef. Sprinkle 1 ½ cups of the cheese over the beef and the place 2 more tortillas over the cheese. Repeat with the remaining ingredients in the next next layer.
6. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the top of the tortillas at the top of the lasagna and coat them evenly with the oil. Alternatively, you could spray them with some cooking spray or oil (spray coconut oil works well here too). Cover the baking dish with foil and place the dish on a baking sheet.
7. Bake for 20 minutes then remove the foil and bake uncovered for another 10-15 minutes, just until the tortillas are lightly browned. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the lasagna and baked for another 5 minutes or so, just until the cheese has melted. Remove from the oven. Allow the lasagna to sit for 5-10 minutes before garnishing with the chopped scallions and cilantro. Divide into 8 pieces and serve with sour cream.

NOTES

I’ve made this recipe with both sweet corn kernels and regular corn kernels and we liked it much better with the regular corn. Believe it or not, the sweet corn did actually give the dish a sweet flavor which we did not love with the rest of the flavors of this taco lasagna.

Also, if you want to spice this lasagna up, I say go for it! You can add some minced jalapeño to the tomato-corn salsa and/or use hot chili seasoning to give this taco lasagna some kick.