Mexican Tortilla Lasagna
If you love meaty, cheesy dishes with south-of-the-border flavor, then you’re going to love this Mexican Tortilla Lasagna. It’s such a tasty twist on the Italian classic, but instead of pasta, this recipe uses tortillas! It’s meaty, flavorful, and bakes up into an amazing casserole that’s even better the next day.
I love lasagna. There’s something so hearty and comforting about it. I love that it’s full of flavor, and who doesn’t love all those layers? This Mexican Tortilla Lasagna is similar in that it’s a layered dish, but with big, bold spices and tortillas in place of pasta, it is different and delicious!
Mexican Tortilla Lasagna
Don’t be afraid of the big list of ingredients. Many of them are spices that you’re likely to have on hand. I suggest flour tortillas in this Mexican lasagna with tortillas. They’re widely available, and they are so easy to work with.
Ground turkey is the protein in this easy Mexican tortilla lasagna recipe, but you could easily use beef or any other ground meat instead.
Easy to assemble and perfect for a larger family or small group, this hearty lasagna is deliciously different! Bake it in a 9×13 baking dish, and before long, you’ll be feasting on a seriously good casserole!
Why I love this recipe
- It’s meaty, cheesy, saucy, and oh-so-good!
- You prep the meat and assemble the lasagna ahead of time, and then cook it when ready.
- You can control the spice level if you want to make it spicier.
Gather these ingredients
- Olive oil
- Ground turkey – Opt for lean ground turkey.
- Sweet onion – Like Vidalia or Spanish onion.
- Smoked paprika
- Cumin
- Chile powder
- Oregano
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes – A 14.5-ounce can.
- Canned black beans – A 15-ounce can; drained and rinsed.
- Corn – Frozen or canned (and drained) corn kernels.
- Diced green chilies – A 4-ounce can.
- Red enchilada sauce – A 10-ounce can.
- Flour tortillas – You’ll need about 12 large tortillas (8 inch).
- Mexican blend cheese – Shredded.
- Jack cheese – Shredded.
- Canned sliced olives – A 6-ounce can; drained. You can use green or black olives.
- Fresh cilantro – Chopped.
How to make Mexican Tortilla Lasagna
Making this amazing dish is really quite simple. Here’s how!
- Preheat your oven to 425-F and grab a 9×13 baking dish.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat it over medium-high heat, then add the ground turkey, onions, paprika, cumin, chile powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook the turkey until it is no longer pink.
- Add the tomatoes, beans, and corn to the turkey and stir. Simmer it on low while you work on the rest of the recipe.
- Pour about ⅓ of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the 9×13 baking dish and spread it out evenly.
- Layer the tortillas on the bottom of the pan, slightly overlapping them until the pan is covered. You’ll need about 4 tortillas for this.
- Spoon half the hot meat mixture over the top of the tortillas and spread it out evenly.
- Layer 4 more tortillas over the top of the meat mixture.
- Top the tortillas with about half the remaining sauce and spread it over the tortillas.
- Sprinkle half of each of the cheeses over the top of the saucy tortillas, then top the cheese with the remaining meat.
- Add the final layer of tortillas and the rest of the sauce. Spread the sauce evenly over the tortillas.
- Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top of the tortillas, and then sprinkle the olives over the cheese.
- Bake at 425-F until heated through, and the cheese has melted.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro, and serve!
Tips & substitutions
- You can use corn tortillas in place of the flour tortillas. Depending on their size, you may need a few extras.
- Swap the ground turkey with ground beef, pork, or even sausage. Chorizo would be fabulous in this recipe.
- Like it spicy? Add a chopped jalapeno when you add the onion, or add a teaspoon of chipotle powder to the meat. Swap the Jack cheese for Pepper Jack for an extra bit of kick.
- Make the meat mixture ahead of time, then just assemble and bake.
- Cut the tortillas to fit (with a bit of overlap) if you’re using burrito-sized tortillas.
Serving suggestions
There are carbs and protein in this dish, so you don’t need to add anything else to your meal other than a salad or veggie side dish. This Watermelon Basil Salad with Feta is light and refreshing, or pair your lasagna with this Cucumber & Chickpea Salad. You could just put out some veggies and dip, that’d be tasty too!
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. The flour tortillas might get a little soggy, but they’ll still be fine to eat. You can also freeze the leftovers. Package any leftover Mexican Tortilla Lasagna in airtight containers or plastic bags and freeze for up to a month. Simply thaw and reheat to enjoy your leftovers.
Check out these awesome lasagna recipes while you’re here
Get the Recipe:
Mexican Tortilla Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ small sweet onion, grated or finely chopped
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chile powder
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 ½ cups frozen sweet corn, or can, drained
- 1 4 oz can diced green chiles
- 1 10 oz can red enchilada sauce
- 12 8” large flour tortillas
- 8 ounces shredded Mexican cheese
- 4 ounces Jack cheese, shredded
- 1 6 oz can sliced olives, drained
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Equipment
- 1 9x13 baking dish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Drizzle olive oil into a large skillet, over medium high heat.
- Add ground turkey, onion, paprika, cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper to the skillet, and brown the ground turkey for about 5-6 minutes.
- To the meat mixture, add the tomatoes, beans, and corn and stir. Simmer on low while you prepare the baking pan.
- Pour about 1/3 of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of a 9×13 baking pan and spread evenly.
- Lay tortillas on the bottom of the pan, slightly overlapping until the pan is covered (about 4 tortillas).
- Spoon half of the meat mixture over top of the tortillas, spreading it out.
- Layer tortillas on top of the meat mixture.
- Pour about 1/3 of the enchilada sauce over the tortillas and spread evenly.
- Sprinkle 1/2 of each of the cheeses on top.
- Scatter the chopped cilantro over the cheese.
- Add the remaining meat mixture, spreading it out.
- Next, layer tortillas on top of the meat mixture.
- Spoon remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas.
- Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of tortillas.
- Garnish top with olives.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted and lasagna is warmed through.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with cilantro.
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I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
