Although it may seem like an odd presentation, the mexican lasagna that my sister made turned out not at all strange and quite a bit yummy. It’s basically a recipe for chili, but layers with soft tortillas and cheese in (what I believe to be..) a perfect ratio. She warns me that her amounts might be a bit off, but the overall idea has been captured here. Happily, it shouldn’t take as much time as a normal lasagna as there are no noodles to cook.
Ingredients:
- 1 med. onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped finely or crushed
- 1 tbsp olive or other cooking oil
- 1-2 carrots, peeled and sliced into pennies
- 1-2 stalks of celery, diced
- 1/2 green pepper, diced
- 1/2 red (or orange, or yellow) pepper, diced
- 1 large can crushed tomatoes
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can red kidney beans
- 1 cup couscous
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp cumin
- salt & pepper, to taste
- any other chili spices you like
- hot sauce, to taste
- cold water, as needed
- flat tortillas, white or whole wheat as desired, ripped into strips
- shredded cheese, including cheddar, mozzarella, or any other as desired
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350F. In a large saucepan, heat oil and fry vegetables until slightly softened. Add crushed tomatoes, stir. Drain liquid from beans and add to saucepan. Add spices as desired. Add couscous, and let simmer for 10 minutes. If more liquid appears to be needed to avoid burning, add some water. Final mixture should be fairly thick, not too runny.
Spread layer of chili on bottom of lasagna pan, then layer with cheese, tortilla strips, cheese, chili, cheese, tortilla strips, etc. until pan is filled. Make sure it is topped with chili mixture then a thick layer of cheese for optimal baking. Bake in oven until cheese is entirely melted and slightly browned on top. It should not take more than 20-30 minutes in the oven, nothing needs cooking within it except the cheese. Serve hot with cornbread or garlic bread, as desired. Serves 6-8.
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My version is a slightly more (ridiculously more, let’s be honest) cheese-infested take on my boss’ recipe at camp that we started having made by our camp chef for everybody. It got mixed reviews - basically either people absolutely love it or they think it’s gross, there didn’t seem to be much middle ground. I think that the version at camp would have been better received with more cheese, hence why I added more to my version. As a good option if you don’t like to do too much grating, you can get pre-grated stuff at the supermarket in various combinations; just mozza, “lasagna mix”, “herbed lasagna mix”, “tex-mex spiced mix” etc etc. Whatever you choose, it’ll be great.
I have a friend who showed me how to do this in a spring-form pan to fit the tortillas better than a square dish; she cuts it into wedges instead of squares. Perhaps a bit tedious for camp, but good for at home with a smaller group of eaters! I love this kind of recipe because it can be varied endlessly and can be individually portioned and frozen well for a quick meal when cooking isn’t a priority. The last time I did it I made a Mediterranean version with feta, fontina cheese, spinach, roasted red peppers and tomatoes with pesto mixed with a basic bechemel, to mellow out the pesto’s flavour.