Mexican Lasagne

When you need to bring a dish, Mexican lasagne is a great choice.  There are, of course, many versions of this favorite.  I have two—this one, which I am about to share, and another that is made with salsa and pasta noodles instead of meat sauce and tortillas.  (I’ll post that one another time…).  Like all good casserole recipes, this one is good because it’s best if you make it without baking the day before, and then just bake it right before you eat it.  My book club pronounced this yummy just two days ago and you can see from the ingredients that it is square-on in the “what’s not to like” category of recipes.

Mexican Lasagne

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Preparation Time:  30 minutes
Cook Time:  30 minutes in the oven, 10 minutes to stand
Total Time:  1 hour and 10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground chuck
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
3 cups tomato puree
1 teaspoon sugar
½ cup sliced black olives
1 4 ounce can chopped green chiles
12 corn tortillas
Cooking spray (I use Pam Organic Olive Oil)
2 cups small-curd cottage cheese
1 egg
1 ½ cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Topping:

½ cup green onions, white and green parts, chopped
½ cup sour cream

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a skillet, brown the chuck and pour off excess fat, leaving only a tablespoon or so.  Add the onion to the beef and cook until the onion is translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes.   Add the minced garlic and cook for anot

her minute.  Add the chili powder and stir to coat the meat mixture well, and then stir in the tomato puree, the sugar, black olives and green chiles.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes to blend the flavors.

Meanwhile, place the tortillas in one layer on baking sheets (you can probably get 6 to a sheet) and spray both sides with the cooking spray.  Place in the oven and cook for 5 minutes and then turn them over.  Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until they are just crisp.  Remove from the oven, cool, and then break into pieces.

Mix the cottage cheese and egg together in a small bowl and set aside.

In a 9 x 13 baking dish (or any similar capacity dish), spread 1/3 of the meat mixture.  Layer ¾ cup of the Monterey Jack Cheese, 1 cup of the cottage cheese mixture and ½ of the tortilla pieces.  Repeat this process, ending with meat sauce on top.  Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over and bake for 30 minutes, until the top is brown and bubbly.  Remove from the oven and let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.  Top each serving with sour cream and green onions or pass these separately.