Mexican-Style Make-Ahead Beef Lasagna

Dinner’s ready and waiting in the refrigerator with this Make-Ahead Mexican Lasagna recipe. Since tortillas take the place of noodles this is easier to make than traditional lasagna. Quick nutrition tip: make with whole wheat tortilla and lower-fat dairy products, along with the Extra Lean Ground Beef.
Yield 6 Servings Prep. Time 15 min Cooking Time 35 min Total Time 50 min

Ingredients

Here are the following ingredients:

  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 lb (500 g) Extra Lean Ground Beef
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) chili powder
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) ground cumin
  • 1 can (19 oz/540 mL) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup (250 mL) light or regular sour cream
  • 2 tbsp (30 mL) all-purpose flour
  • 1 can (7 oz/213 mL) tomato sauce
  • ½ cup (125 mL) salsa
  • 3 large flour tortillas
  • 1 cup (250 mL) shredded Cheddar cheese
  • ½ cup (125 mL) EACH sliced green olives and crushed tortilla chips
  • ¼ cup (60 mL) sliced pickled jalapeño peppers

Shopping List

Here are the following shopping items to buy:

Method

Follow these cooking methods/directions:

  1. Cook garlic, onion, ground beef, chili powder and cumin over medium heat in large skillet, breaking up beef into small chunks with back of spoon, for about 10 minutes until beef is browned and completely cooked. Drain if necessary. Stir in beans; set aside.

  2. Combine sour cream and flour in a small bowl until smooth; set aside. Combine tomato sauce and salsa in another bowl; set aside.

  3. Place one and a half tortillas in the bottom of lightly oiled 2-qt (2 L) baking dish, overlapping slightly. Top with half EACH, meat mixture, sour cream mixture and tomato sauce mixture. Repeat layers. (Make ahead: Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)

  4. Bake in preheated 350°F oven until bubbly, for 30 minutes if baked right away, or if refrigerated, uncover and bake for 50 minutes. Top with cheese, olives, chips and jalapeños; bake for 5 minutes.