This Mexican Lasagna Has Layers of Flavor!

When I was young, my mother would make this now and then, and usually on Cinco de Mayo or another occasion such as a birthday. Now that I’ve grown up, I use the same recipe she used to use, and my kids all enjoy it all the same. Next time you feel like eating some Mexican food, give this recipe a try. It’s simple, delish, and a belt buster for sure!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 pounds of ground beef
• 1 can of chopped green chilies mild (If you enjoy heat, feel free to use the hot ones instead.)
• Half an envelope of taco seasoning 
• 1 can of mild rotel (Same as the green chilies, if you want spicy – opt for the hot can.)
• 4 -6 soft flour tortillas homemade or your favorite packaged ones. 
• 4 cups of Mexican style cheese
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 large white onion
• 1 block of Philadelphia cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 2 tablespoons of steak seasoning fiesta brand (If you don’t have this brand, you can sub in salt.)
• 2 teaspoons of black pepper
• 2 teaspoons of accent flavor enhancer 
• 1 tablespoon of Paprika
• 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon of onion powder
• 1 tablespoon of ground comino

OPTIONAL:

• Black olives
• Red and yellow bell peppers for more color
• Jalapenos to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Take your butter and cream cheese out so that it can warm up to room temperature.
2. Make sure you start in a large enough skillet to hold the majority of the ingredients. Begin by dicing all your peppers and onions, and placing them into the pan.
3. Heat the onions and peppers on medium high to high heat, adding the butter once the pan gets hot enough to melt it.
4. As you sauté your peppers and onions, preheat the oven to 350 (F).
5. Once the peppers and onions are caramelized, add your meat into the mix along with all of the seasonings.
6. As your meat gets close to being fully cooked, add in your can of rotel and black olives if you choose to use them.
7. As the meat continues to cook with the rotel, ladle out any grease or water build up, but don’t completely drain it since this juice now carries tons of flavor!
8. Finish cooking until the moisture in the skillet is mostly cooked down and reabsorbed back into the meat. It’s okay if you have some liquid left over at the bottom.
9. Now, grab your tortillas, and spoon a good dollop of cream cheese into the center. 
10. Next, spread the dollop with the underside of the spoon outwards covering the entire surface of the tortilla. You’ll continue this for a total of 4 – 6 tortillas, depending on how tall you want to stack your lasagna, and place them to the side as you finish.
11. Once you’ve completed your cream cheese spread, you’ll scoop a tiny bit of the meat mixture onto the baking sheet so that the tortillas don’t stick to the pan.
12. All that’s left is assembly! Place two tortillas side by side with the cream cheese side facing upwards on the baking sheet. Place them in such a way that they’re overlapping some, but not all the way – creating a large canvas to work with for the lasagna.
13. Once your tortillas are placed, add your meat mixture on top of them (don’t be greedy!) Followed by enough cheese to cover most of the meat.
14. Repeat the process starting over from the tortillas, and building up to the cheese layer. On the final layer, use the rest of your cheese. It should completely cover the meat.
15. Place in the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is ooey gooey.
16. Finally, cut and serve while hot!

SIDE NOTE:

I’d recommend using high lean beef such as 90/10 so that you have less scooping to do, and whatever liquid is in the pan is from the veggies cooking. Honestly, I find that I don’t even need to ladle the meat when using such a high ratio that’s lean. If you want to add olives, you’d add them towards the end on top of the lasagna before placing in the oven, and if you want to make a bigger one, you can simply double the ingredients, and stack it taller! Feel free to top or garnish it with cilantro, salsa, avocado, or sour cream – make it your own, and enjoy!