Mexican Lasagna
Mexican lasagna is a flavor packed casserole featuring layers of flour tortillas, chopped chicken, salsa, cheese and veggies. This casserole is full of comforting bold flavor all baked to bubbly perfection and begging to be topped with all your favorites.
We eat a lot of tacos, burritos, and enchiladas in this house.
And Mexican lasagna is a cheesy mashup of taco night and classic lasagna full of those classic taco night flavors.
It’s perfect for giving taco night little shake up, especially when everyone’s getting tired of the same routine dinners over and over again.
With tortillas, seasoned meat, salsa, and lots of cheese, every slice is warm, filling, and packed with flavor that even picky eaters usually go for.
It’s also great for busy nights or meal prepping for the week because everything bakes together in one dish, making both dinner and cleanup a whole lot easier.
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Chicken– I use rotisserie chicken to keep it easy but you could use leftover chicken breast, roast chicken, or even make a batch of our flavorful Instant Pot Salsa Chicken to use in this.
- Sour cream– Go for full fat for best flavor.
- Canned veggies– A can of drained and rinsed black beans and a can of drained corn.
- Salsa– We prefer mild salsa verde, but use any kind of salsa you like.
- Poblano pepper– Seeded and diced
- Spices– Fresh cilantro, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper
- Cheese– Shredded Mexican blend cheese. If you can’t find this or don’t have it, use shredded cheddar or even shredded Monterey Jack instead.
- Flour tortillas– Soft taco sized tortillas, cut in half. You could use corn tortillas if that’s what you have and like.
How to Make
To make this Mexican lasagna spread 1/2 cup of salsa verde evenly out over the bottom of the 9×13 dish that’s been sprayed with nonstick spray and set the dish aside.
Make the filling by stirring the chicken, sour cream, beans, corn, pepper, cilantro, remaining salsa verde, and spices together in a large mixing bowl.
Next, spread 1/4 of the sliced tortillas in an even layer over the salsa verde covered dish.
Then, spread 1/3 of the chicken mixture into an even layer overtop the tortillas.
Top the chicken layer with a 1/3 of the shredded cheese.
Next, spread another 1/4 of the tortillas over this mixture to form an even layer.
Repeat this pattern two more times.
Spread the rest of the cheese evenly out over top of the last layer.
Bake the lasagna at 350° for 30 minutes.
Let the cooked lasagna rest for 5 minutes.
Top with your desired toppings, and then serve.
Enjoy!
Topping ideas
You don’t need to top this with anything but it’s always fun to layer on your favorites.
Some of our favorite topping ideas include:
- sliced black olives
- diced tomatoes
- pickled jalapenos
- diced red onion
- more fresh cilantro
- taco sauce
- sour cream
- guacamole
- pico de gallo
Storing Leftovers
The leftovers save really well.
If you have any left, let it cool and then transfer it to an airtight container before refrigerating.
It should last in the fridge about 4 days.
And it does make a really excellent lunch since individual portions heat nicely in the microwave.
Save yourself some work and portion it out into individual microwave safe airtight containers and you have a grab and go lunch ready for the rest of the week.
Can I freeze Mexican Lasagna?
Yes!
If you want to freeze it, assemble everything in a freezer and oven safe dish but don’t bake it.
Then cover it tightly with plastic wrap and then wrap in foil.
You can freeze it like this for up to 6 months.
To heat, let it thaw in the fridge, remove the plastic wrap and bake as directed or until the lasagna is warm all the way through and the cheese has melted.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes!
To make it earlier in the day, cook the beef and assemble the lasagna as directed above.
Then cover it tightly with foil and put in the fridge until you are ready to eat.
Bake it as instructed above when you are ready to make dinner.
Tips and tricks
- Don’t like chicken? Feel free to substitute an equal amount of cooked ground beef taco meat.
- Vegetarian? Omit the chicken and sub extra corn and beans.
- If you like things spicier, use a medium or even a hot salsa instead.
- Don’t bake it a smaller dish unless you cut down the amount of ingredients. You would need to cut the recipe in half for an 8×8″ dish.
- Make sure not to skip the resting time. The casserole needs the time to give the cheese and filling a chance to firm up slightly.
Other Mexican Casseroles
This Mexican Lasagna is a favorite way to get all the taco flavors you love in an easy, cheesy casserole. Make it and enjoy!
Looking for other Mexican style casseroles to enjoy?
Try these:
- Walking Taco Casserole
- Cheesy Mexican Chicken Spaghetti
- Sheet Pan 7 Layer Cornbread Casserole
- Chicken Tamale Casserole
- Cheesy Beef Taquito Casserole
If you’ve tried this MEXICAN LASAGNA, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Mexican Lasagna
Ingredients
- 3 cups chopped rotisserie chicken
- 1 16 oz container sour cream
- 1 15 oz can black beans drained & rinsed
- 1 15 oz can corn kernels drained
- 1 1/2 cup mild salsa verde
- 1 poblano pepper seeded & diced
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves washed & roughly chopped
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- salt & pepper to taste
- 3 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
- 7 soft taco size flour tortillas cut in half
Instructions
- Lightly spray a 9x13" baking dish with non stick spray. Spread 1/2 cup of salsa verde evenly out over the bottom of the dish. Set aside.1 1/2 cup mild salsa verde
- To a large mixing bowl add the chicken, sour cream, beans, corn, pepper, cilantro, remaining salsa verde, and spices. Stir together until the mixture's evenly combined.3 cups chopped rotisserie chicken, 1 16 oz container sour cream, 1 15 oz can black beans, 1 15 oz can corn kernels, 1 poblano pepper, 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, salt & pepper
- Spread 1/4 of the sliced tortilla in an even layer over the salsa verde covered dish. Add 1/3 of the chicken mixture to the dish, and using a spatula carefully spread it out into an even layer overtop the tortillas. Spread 1/3 of the shredded cheese evenly out overtop.7 soft taco size flour tortillas, 3 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
- Spread another 1/4 of the tortillas over this mixture to form an even layer (these are like your noodles in a traditional lasagna). The layer doesn't have to be perfect, but spread them evenly to cover the best you can. Add another 1/3 of the chicken mixture, carefully spreading it out into an even layer over the tortillas. Spread another 1/3 of the shredded cheese evenly out over top.
- Add another 1/4 of the cut tortillas to cover, followed by the remainder of the chicken mixture spreading it out into an even layer. Layer the remaining tortillas out evenly over top of this. Spread the rest of the cheese evenly out overtop.
- Bake the lasagna at 350° for 30 minutes.
- Let the cooked lasagna rest for 5 minutes. Top with your desired toppings, and then slice & serve.
Notes
- Don’t like chicken? Feel free to substitute an equal amount of cooked ground beef taco meat.
- Vegetarian? Omit the chicken and sub extra corn and beans.
- If you like things spicier, use a medium or even a hot salsa instead.
- Don't bake it a smaller dish unless you cut down the amount of ingredients. You would need to cut the recipe in half for an 8x8" dish.
- Make sure not to skip the resting time. The casserole needs the time to give the cheese and filling a chance to firm up slightly.
Nutrition
recipe adapted from Together As Family
