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Mexican Lasagna is a cross between lasagna and enchiladas. Layers of tortillas, meat sauce, and cheese, topped with your favorite Mexican toppings!
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Mexican lasagna has been a favorite in our family for years, for generations even! Our mom would make this all the time when we were growing up and we loved it. It is one of those “please everyone” dishes. Mexican lasagna has become one of our kids’ favorite meals, and to this day, it is a “regular” dish in our households now that we have our own little families. This dish is mostly reminiscent of classic layered enchiladas, but we love the Italian twist to it. Give this lasagna recipe a try; I am sure it will become a favorite in your home too!
Ingredients in Mexican Lasagna
- Ground beef – one pound lean ground beef. You can also use a mixture of ground turkey or ground chicken. Make sure to drain excess grease before adding the other ingredients.
- Olive Oil – use a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to brown your meat.
- Onion – one medium yellow onion, finely chopped. For extra flavor you can add a couple of diced garlic cloves too.
- Spaghetti sauce – any of your favorite pasta sauce will work great for this recipe. It gives the whole casserole a unique tomato flavor that pairs perfectly with the Mexican spices.
- Cottage cheese – I like to use full fat small curd cottage cheese for this recipe. You can also use Ricotta cheese.
- Egg – one large egg, or two medium eggs if you need it.
- Mozzarella cheese – shredded. Or try a mozzarella blend with pepper jack cheese or Monterey jack cheese for extra flavor.
- Cheddar cheese – This is different than traditional Italian lasagna, you need a good sharp cheddar to marry the Italian and Mexican flavors together.
- Parmesan cheese – Using fresh, shredded parmesan cheese is best, but you can swap that out for powdered cheese if that’s what you have on hand.
- Flour tortillas – these take the place of lasagna noodles to create the layers.
- Salt and pepper – to taste
Mexican Lasagna Sauce
Most layered enchilada dishes use enchilada sauce instead of spaghetti sauce, but we actually like the Italian flavors in between! We’ve always made it with spaghetti sauce and consider this a “fusion” recipe. It really doesn’t make a huge difference and most people wouldn’t even realize that it is spaghetti sauce and not enchilada sauce. If you are really concerned about it, you can switch out one for the other, but don’t knock it until you give it a try!
Additional Ingredients to Try
- For extra bulk and fiber, you can add a can of black beans or pinto beans to the meat mixture.
- Switch spaghetti sauce for taco sauce or enchilada sauce if you prefer.
- Top with fresh oregano or a dash of homemade taco seasoning.
- Add extra veggies like red bell pepper, green chilies, or corn.
- Want extra spice? Add cayenne pepper and some smoky cumin. A teaspoon cayenne will kick the spice factor up a notch, for sure.
How to Store and Serve Leftovers
Most casseroles, like this Mexican lasagna, will keep in the fridge for up to five days. After the dish has cooled to room temperature, cover it tightly with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container. To reheat, you can pop the entire dish back in the oven on low until heated through, or heat up individual servings in the microwave for about a minute until it’s hot. You can also freeze baked Mexican lasagna in a freezer-safe container for up to two months. Thaw in the refrigerator, then heat as directed above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bake this Mexican lasagna recipe in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes until it’s hot and the cheese is bubbly.
I like to serve Mexican lasagna with all the toppings – shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sliced olives, sour cream, and salsa. If I have ripe avocados, I like to add avocado slices on top as well. Chips and guacamole, a green salad, or fresh fruit also go well with this dish.
This tasty Mexican lasagna is full of beef, sauce, cheese, tortillas, and sometimes seasoned with a sprinkle of chili powder or taco seasoning and green chiles. It’s all baked in a casserole dish and served with olives, guacamole, salsa and sour cream on top.
Read More: 35+ Quick and Easy To Follow Dinner Ideas
What to Serve With Mexican Lasagna
Mexican Lasagna can be served as a one-dish dinner or you can serve it with side dishes. Here are some tasty Mexican-inspired side dishes you can serve along with it:
How to Make Mexican Lasagna
Mexican Lasagna
Video
Equipment
- 9×13 inch pan
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 onion chopped
- 24 ounces spaghetti sauce
- 16 ounces cottage cheese
- 1 egg
- ½ pound Mozzarella cheese shredded
- ½ pound cheddar cheese shredded
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- 10 flour tortillas
Optional toppings
- shredded lettuce
- shredded cheese
- sour cream
- salsa
- sliced olives
Instructions
- Brown beef and onion in a pan or large skillet and drain well. Add spaghetti sauce.
- In large bowl stir to combine beaten egg, and all the cheeses. Save a little of the Mozzarella and cheddar for the topping.
- Spray 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Line the bottom of the dish with flour tortillas. Tear them to fill in all the spaces.
- Add ⅓ of sauce and spread evenly over tortillas.
- Add ⅓ of cheese. Repeat layers of tortillas, sauce, and cheese, two more times ending with the cheese layer.
- Add extra grated cheese on top.
- Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve hot.
- Top servings with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sour cream, salsa, and sliced olives as desired.
Notes
- Shredded chicken
- Ground turkey
- A beef mixture
- A meat mixture of beef and turkey, or turkey and chicken
- Substitute corn tortillas
This was a huge hit! So filling and really easy to make. Thanks!
This Mexican lasagna recipe is the best dinner idea!
These were a huge hit with the whole family!
Made this for dinner last night and this has quickly become a family favorite recipe in our home! Packed with flavor and easy too!
Delicious recipe!
I agree with Taylor Family. This in no way is mexican. Actually this style of Enchiladas is known in New Mexico. Using corn tortillas instead of noodles does not make it Mexican by far! Please omit spaghetti sauce and replace it with enchilada sauce and no cottage cheese. Monterey Jack, cheddar cheese but definitely not cottage. I don’t mean to be so harsh but this recipe makes me cringe. We grew up eating these and they are wonderful when you use actual ingredients that are considered mexican not just the condiments.
We are sorry you are so offended by this recipe. We have always made this recipe this way and we all love it! We have gotten rave reviews from most who have tried it. It is supposed to be a “fusion” recipe.. so not completely a Mexican dish. We have made layered enchiladas before and this is not the same thing. Hopefully you will find some of our other recipes to be less offensive in the future.
Erica, I do apologize for my rudeness. I understand why you labeled this Lasagna and not enchilada. Although I might not try this recipes I do enjoy other ones that you have shared! Sorry for such negative feedback, by all means, we all have the right to cook what we like so please keep sharing!!!
I love Mexican Recipes!
can I leave the cottage cheese out? My hubby hates it. Or will it change it?
I guess I don’t understand what makes this ‘mexican’, other than subbing tortillas for the lasagna noodles. The recipe doesn’t call for any actual mexican seasonings.
We also call it Mexican because of the toppings – sour cream, salsa, avocado, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, etc.
I love this, But I found making the 13 x9 dish is to much for my husband and I, and hubby is diabetic and has to watch his carbs. I use the low carb tortilla’s and a round spring form cheesecake pan and it makes just the right amount for 2.
Hello Dear,
It’s my pleasure to follow U Thanks 4 Ur heart taking amazing recipes which are Yummyy :))
Made this tonight! So easy and so yummy! 6 adults ate it AND went back for seconds AND there were still leftovers! Great recipe!
What do you mean my tortilla shell? Want to make this…it looks delish!
lol.. just “tortilla”. My family calls them “shells” whether they are hard or soft tortillas. We are weird, I know haha
Erica,
Thank you for posting this recipe! I tried your Cafe Rio Pork Salad the other night, and then the Wingers Sticky fingers recipe last night and both were huge hits so I was excited to try another one of your recipes. I wanted to let you know what I did differently to make it a bit more Mexican, in case you're up for something a little different. Instead of Spaghetti sauce, I added a packet of Taco seasoning mix, one can crushed tomatoes, one can tomato paste, and one can diced green chilies to the meat and onion. It added a very authentic mexican flavor and it was DELISH. Thank you!!!
Well, I hope you like it. Let me know what you think.
Karina Taylor
Taylor Family–
Wow! That recipe looks awesome. I have never tried combining red and green enchilada sauce.. I love them both so it would make sense to combine em! Can’t wait to try it!!!! Thanks!!!
-Erica
Hi I stumbled on to your blog because I was googleing cafe rio pork. I love cafe rio. Can’t wait to try your recepie. Anyway, I lingerd longer to see what else you have. You are quite the cook. I wish I liked to cook more. I like cooking if I WANT to cook and I am pretty good cook, but i hate having to do it every single day. Anyway, reason I am commenting to begin with, I have a great variation of this that i make and every time i make it I love every single bite of it I can’t get enough. Here goes:
(sorry i don’t have exact measurements i just kind of throw it all together.)
I call it chicken enchilasagna
-chicken as much or little as you please. i like to use the already done one at Costco 4 bucks and its already cooked for me :). Im telling you…i’m lazy when it comes to cooking. I peel of the skin shredd it up or chop it up and add a packet of taco seasoning.
or the long way marrinate chicken breast in taco seasoing or enchilad seasoning. I like taco. barBQ chicken chop it up.(i like to set some aside for nachos the next day)
-1-2 cans of red enchilada sauce
-1-2 cans of green enchilada sauce
do equal parts and i use enough depending on how much Im making. combine the sauces have it ready to pour.
-1-2 cans of black beens.
-green pepper to your taste. I personaly don’t like strong taste of green pepper in my food so i chop about 1/2 of it.
-onion to taste I like using green
-6-8 yellow corn tortillas.
– shredded chedder cheese. again as little or as much as you want. my husband and boys are cheese fanatics so i load it up. I’ve skimmed on it also and its still great.
So start layering
usually 2 plus the top
– tortillas 2-1/2 about (I’ll cut them in 3rds)
chicken
beans
onions/green peppers
cheese
sauce
and so on
last layer cheese and sauce.
It’s sooo good. I love it, hope you try it and you like it.
Thank you for posting this! This how to make a real enchiladas! My husbands family is from New Mexico and this is how they are made. I grew up eating them this way and we love them! I don’t usually put beans though because I normally make refried beans but I would never put spaghetti sauce????
Thanks for your comment and your interest in the blog!
To answer your question… yeah.. I think it would be fine! If I were you I would soften the corn tortillas first by heating some oil in a pan and cooking them for a while on each side and placing them on paper towels to drain off some of the oil. THEN I would layer them in the pan…mmm.. that actually sounds GOOD! I will have to try that next time!
Hi. I really enjoy reading your blog and getting ideas for really yummy recipes.
I have a question about this recipe. My husband is not a fan of bread and flour tortillas are a little too close to bread for him. Do you think this recipe would work with corn tortillas?