Mexican Lasagna

This Mexican lasagna recipe is the perfect comfort food with seasoned ground beef and beans layered with tortillas and lots of melty cheese.

I'm cooking up a big pan of Mexican Lasagna tonight, my friends. Would you care for a slice? I think you're going to love this recipe.

If you're looking for your new favorite comfort food that's filled with lots of gooey cheese and spicy ingredients, this one is for you.

What is Mexican Lasagna?

"Mexican Lasagna" is essentially a mashup recipe of Italian lasagna made with traditional Mexican ingredients.

It isn't necessarily a "lasagna" as you might know it, but more of a Mexican casserole, definitely with an American influence.

Instead of using lasagna noodles, we're using corn tortillas, which makes it quite different in texture. We use Mexican style cheeses, or other melty cheeses available to you.

The ground beef, which you'll often find with Italian lasagna in America, is seasoned with ancho, cumin, and Mexican oregano, and we're also using black beans and corn to really round it out.

If you enjoy the flavors of Mexican food, this will definitely appeal to you.

It's easy to spice up as you'd like, with other peppers and spices, and easy to customize to your own flavor preference.

Get ready for some good eating, my friends!

Let's talk about how to make Mexican lasagna, shall we?

Mexican Lasagna Ingredients

• Olive Oil. For Cooking.
• Vegetables. Onion, jalapenos, garlic. You can use hotter peppers or canned green chiles if you'd like. Use bell peppers for a milder version.
• Ground Beef. You can also use ground turkey, pork, or chicken.
• Seasonings. Use ancho powder (or use an American chili powder blend), Mexican oregano, cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt and black pepper.
• Fire Roasted Tomatoes. You can also use enchilada sauce or your favorite salsa for this recipe, or diced tomatoes.
• Black Beans. You can use pinto beans, or refried beans as a variation.
• Corn. Fresh corn is ideal, but frozen corn or canned corn work just as nicely her.
• Corn Tortillas. Flour tortillas are good as well, though I prefer corn tortillas for this recipe.
• Shredded Cheese. Use a Mexican blend of melty cheese, or use cheddar, Monterey Jack and/or pepper jack.
• For Serving. Spicy chili flakes, fresh chopped cilantro, hot sauce or your favorite taco sauce (plus your favorites, such as sour cream, pico de gallo, guacamole).

How to Make Mexican Lasagna - the Recipe Method

Preheat Your Oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Peppers, Onion, Garlic. Heat the oil in a large pan, then add the onion and jalapeno peppers. Cook them down for 5 minutes to soften.

Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until the garlic becomes fragrant. It smells so good!

Ground Beef. Add the ground beef and break it apart with a wooden spoon. Cook for 7-8 minutes, or until the meat is browned and cooked mostly through.

Seasonings, Tomatoes, Black Beans. Stir in the seasonings, fire roasted tomatoes, black beans and corn. Mix it all together.

Simmer the mixture for 5 minutes to let the flavors develop. You can simmer longer if you'd like. I like to simmer for 20 to 30 minutes to really let the flavors meld - so much better this way.

Layer the Casserole. Spread half of the meat and bean mixture to the bottom of a lightly oiled 9x13 casserole dish.

Top evenly with 6 corn tortillas, then half the shredded cheese.

Spoon the remainder of the meat mixture over the tortillas, then top with the remaining tortillas, then shredded cheese.

Bake the "Lasagna". Bake the casserole for 15 minutes, or until the cheeses are nicely melted. Your baking time can vary depending on the oven and thickness of the casserole, so be sure to bake as long as needed.

Top and Serve. Top with your favorite toppings and serve.

Boom! Done! Your delicious "Mexican Lasagna" is ready to serve. Looks wonderful, doesn't it? I'm ready to dig in! Save a couple pieces for me, please.

Best Toppings for Mexican Lasagna

What are your favorite toppings? I love to keep it simple with some spicy hot sauce, chili flakes and fresh herbs, but it's great with homemade guacamole, a dollop of sour cream to tame the heat, maybe a few spoonsful of pico de gallo.

I'd love to hear some your favorites! How are you serving yours?

Recipe Tips & Notes

• Use Lasagna Noodles. For even more of a twist and make it more like Italian lasagna, use cooked lasagna noodles in place of the corn tortillas. So good this way, too!
• Recipe Variations. You can include other ingredients, such as refried beans in place of black beans, or use a good homemade taco seasoning blend in place of my chosen seasonings. You can also use other grounds meats instead of ground beef, such as ground turkey, pork, or chicken. Or use a combo.
• Extra Cheesy. You can easily use more cheese with this recipe. I use 3 cups, but there is room for more. Add in an extra 1/2 to 1 cup of cheese in the first layer and on the top and you've got yourself a wonderfully cheesy Mexican casserole. Comfort food extraordinaire!

That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy this Mexican lasagna recipe. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you, and if you decided to spice it up!

Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes

• Chicken Enchilada Casserole Verde
• Huevos Rancheros Casserole - So good!
• Chile Relleno Casserole
• Homemade King Ranch Casserole

Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.