Mexican Lasagna

Thanksgiving is just days away!  I'm super psyched!  I can't wait to spend time with the family and eat lots of food.  Lots.  But there will be leftovers ('cause I always make too much).  One of my favorite things about this holiday is the leftover turkey.  I like to get creative in how I use it up.  I make turkey gumbo, turkey pasta and this turkey Mexican lasagna.  It's a great way to completely transform your leftovers into a delicious new dish.

MEXICAN LASAGNA

2 TBS oil
1/2 an onion, chopped
1/2 a bell pepper, chopped
2 cups leftover turkey, shredded or chopped
4 green onions, chopped
1 can black beans
1 can refried beans
1 cup chunky salsa
1 cup salsa verde (or green enchilada sauce)
1 package taco seasoning mix
2 cups shredded colby jack cheese (or cheddar)
18 corn tortilla
1 cup chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix shredded turkey with taco seasoning

Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium high heat.  Saute the onion and bell pepper in the oil until slightly softened, about 5-7 minutes.

Spread a very thin layer of chunky salsa on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.

Dip 6 corn tortillas in chicken broth and layer them in the baking dish.

Top with half of the refried beans.

Then top with half the black beans.

Then half the chunky salsa.

Then half the salsa verde.

Spread it out to completely.

Next, add half the seasoned turkey.

Then, half the sauteed onion and bell pepper.

Sprinkle on half the shredded cheese.

Repeat all the layers except the cheese (save the cheese for the end).

Add one final layer of tortillas (dipped in chicken broth).

 

Then add the other half of the cheese.

Finally, sprinkle on the chopped green onions.

Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake 5 minutes more.

Let sit 10 minutes before cutting and serving with a dollop of sour cream and more salsa.

This is awesome!  Everyone loved it!  I was stuffed but kept eating it.  Really delicious!  It's a great way to use leftover turkey (or chicken).  Give this a try, you won't regret it and Happy Thanksgiving!

Mexican Lasagna

My Adventurous Daughter and I love to eat at this burrito place.  You get to pick and choose the ingredients you want in your burrito.  I usually choose chicken, black beans, tomatoes, green onions and cheese.  There is something magical about that combination of flavors.  So, when I ran across this recipe for Mexican Lasagna, I adapted it to include these flavors and it worked!  Delicious!  You can use ground beef or ground turkey, but I had some leftover grilled chicken so that's what I used.  Use what you have on hand.  Who wants to go do extra grocery shopping?  Cooking should be easy and stress-free!

MEXICAN LASAGNA

12 corn tortillas (soft taco size)
1 lb ground beef or turkey (or 2 cups diced cooked chicken)
1/2 pkg taco seasoning
2 cups shredded cheese (Cheddar or Jack, I used Colby Jack)
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (10 oz) can Rotel tomatoes
1 (10.5 oz) can cream of chicken soup
3 or 4 green onions, chopped

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 8x11 baking dish.

Brown the ground beef and drain the grease.  Add the taco seasoning and mix well.  If using leftover cooked chicken, dice it up then warm it in a skillet.  Add the taco seasoning and mix well.


Layer the greased dish with 6 corn tortillas.

Spread the seasoned meat on top of the tortillas.

Spread the rinsed and drained beans on top of the meat.

Sprinkle on the green onions.

Top with HALF of the cheese.

Layer the final 6 tortillas on top of the cheese.

In a medium bowl, mix the soup and tomatoes.

Pour this mixture over the tortillas.

Spread to cover the tortillas completely.

Top with remaining cheese.

I put the baking dish on a sheet pan just in case it bubbled over (I really hate cleaning the oven).

Bake for 35 minutes.

See how the layers on the side kind of look like lasagna?

Let this sit and cool for 15 minutes before you cut into it.  Seriously.  It's gonna smell fantastic and you're not gonna want to wait but trust me, wait.  Let it set up.  Otherwise you'll just have a big gloppy mess on your hands.  It's worth the wait.  It's cheesy and creamy and has that great corn flavor from the tortillas.  Just delicious!

Feel free to garnish it with a little chopped cilantro if you like (I didn't have any on hand or I would have) or even a few more chopped green onions.  You can serve it with sour cream and salsa on the side.  Whatever you like.  This makes 12 servings, six if you've got big eaters.  It would be very easy to double the recipe and make two.  You could let one cool down completely, then wrap it up in foil and freeze it for later.  It's always nice to have something in the freezer when you don't feel like cooking.  Especially something this tasty!  Enjoy!