Mexican Lasagna – Comfort Food with a Spicy Twist!

Favorite comfort with a South-of-the-Border twist, Mexican Lasagna has the ooey gooey texture we love with a spicy bite and warming earthy flavors. Can be made regular or gluten-free!

Lasagna is a universal comfort food.

Layers of soft rippling pasta, creamy ricotta cheese, ground beef in a savory tomato sauce.

This recipe for Mexican Lasagna is that AND a whole lot more.

Spicy chorizo sausage, black beans, fire roasted tomatoes and green chilies.

That’s just the start of this cheesy delight.

It’s all the things you love about Mexican food AND lasagna rolled up into one comfort food favorite.

Mexican Lasagna Ingredients

You’ll recognize some classic lasagna recipe ingredients on this list.

In addition, some flavor-packed Mexican food ingredients make this Mexican Lasagna truly special!

• Lasagna Noodles – gluten-free or regular
• Vegetable Oil
• Yellow Onion
• Roasted Green Chilies or Hatch Chilies
• Lean (95% fat free) Ground Beef
• Mexican Chorizo Sausage (loose)
• canned Black Beans
• canned Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce
• Medium-heat Salsa
• ground Cumin
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Kosher Salt
• ground Black Pepper
• Ricotta Cheese
• Mexican Cheese blend
• Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• Hot water

Ingredient Notes

Lasagna Noodles

This lasagna recipe can be made with regular or gluten-free lasagna noodles!

Meat

This Mexican Lasagna has a blend of both ground beef and ground chorizo.

The combination give a big flavor and some spiciness to the lasagna.

For this recipe loose or Mexican Chorizo sausage should be used, not Spanish Chorizo which is a hard, aged solid sausage.

Mexican Cheese Blend

This is a prepared cheese blend available in the dairy section of the grocery store with other bagged, grated cheeses.

It’s a time saver to use.

If you want to prepare your own blend, finely grate equal parts of mild cheddar, Monterey jack and Colby cheeses.

Green Chilies or Hatch Chilies

Freshly roasted chopped green chilies can be used for this recipe OR canned fire roasted green chilies.

I recommend using mild green chilies unless you love spicy heat!

If you do, either combine mild and hot green chilies, or use hot green chilies.

If you want to roast your own chile peppers here are instructions for roasting peppers.

I recommend using Anaheim chile peppers for this recipe.

What are Hatch Green Chilies?

Hatch Green Chilies are grown in the Hatch Valley in New Mexico.

They are closest to an Anaheim chile and slightly less spicy than a jalapeno chile pepper.

They are seasonal and harvested between August and September.

In the southwest and Colorado the smell of freshly roasting Hatch Chilies fills the air at farmer’s markets everywhere.

They have a wonderful earthy, smoky flavor when roasted and are my personal favorite for this recipe.

You can find canned roasted Hatch Chilies at the grocery store in the ethnic food section. 

They are also available to order from places like the The Hatch Chile Store.

I have multiple packs of roasted diced chilies in my freezer all year long.

PRO Time Saving Trick: Don’t Pre-Boil the Lasagna Noodles!

Lasagna can be time consuming to put together. This is especially true since the lasagna noodles usually need to be pre-boiled before assembling the casserole.

The noodles are slippery and difficult to manage.

I have a trick I’ve used for years that allows no pre-boiling of the lasagna noodles! 

It works perfectly every time and the lasagna turns out perfectly.

How to Bake Lasagna without Boiling the Noodles First

• Assemble the Mexican Lasagna as directed in the recipe card below with uncooked noodles.
• Gently pour 1/3 cup boiling water around the edge of the assembled lasagna (between the lasagna and the pan).
• I recommend using a liquid measuring cup to direct the water to the right location.
• Double seal the lasagna and bake as instructed.

That’s it! The noodles will be soft and well cooked when the Mexican lasagna is baked. This works for any lasagna recipe.

How to Make Mexican Lasagna – Step-by-Step

For detailed instructions refer to the printable recipe card at the end of the blog post.

STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

STEP 2: In a large skillet, heat the oil and saute the onions.

STEP 3: Add the green chilies and saute for two minutes.

STEP 4: Add the meat and brown until no pink is showing. Break meat up while cooking with a spatula.

STEP 5: Add black beans, stir together.

STEP 6: Add the tomato sauce, salsa and spices. Stir to combine.

STEP 7: Assemble the lasagna as described in the recipe card below.

STEP 8: Cover with a double layer of foil and bake for 50 minutes.

STEP 9: Remove the foil, add more cheese on top and bake 10 additional minutes uncovered.

Add a few sliced of pickled jalapenos on top when serving if desired!

How to Store Lasagna Leftovers

Refrigerator

Once the Mexican lasagna has fully cooled, seal the top with plastic wrap.

Plastic wrap will help the lasagna not dry out in the refrigerator.

Allowing the lasagna to fully cool before chilling will prevent condensation from developing and making the lasagna soggy.

Store for 3 to 5 days.

How to Freeze Lasagna

The best way to freeze lasagna is in individual serving sizes.

Chances are this is how you’ll eat it. It also saves freezer space.

Its also easier to prepare to freeze for best results when thawing and reheating.

• Allow the lasagna to fully cool. It can also be chilled in the refrigerator to make slicing easier.
• Cut the lasagna into individual portions.
• Double wrap with plastic wrap (I recommend Press N Seal for best results). 
• Place the portions in the freezer in a single layer to freeze.
• Once frozen they can be placed together in a freezer plastic bag for additional protection.

Alternatively each portion can be placed in a freezer-safe airtight container.

Freeze up to 3 months.

How to Reheat Leftover Lasagna

The best way to reheat lasagna is to microwave it in single portion servings.

Reheating in the oven is possible too but takes almost as long as originally cooking the lasagna.

It risks drying it out too.

For frozen lasagna thaw in the microwave (on Defrost cycle) or in the refrigerator.

Then heat in the microwave. 

Make it a Meal!

• Mexican Cobb Salad
• Mexican Fiesta Cauliflower Rice
• Homemade Corn Tortilla Chips and Pico de Gallo
• Churro Fried Ice Cream recipe
• The BEST Guacamole recipe
• Fresh-style Pineapple Cilantro Margarita

More Mexican Inspired Recipes You’ll Love!

• Easy Mexican Chicken Casserole
• Spicy Shredded Pork Breakfast Tostadas
• Mexican Cheese Ball Recipe
• Posole – a Shortcut Slow Cooker Mexican Stew Recipe
• Mexican Green Chile Steak Soup (Cadillo)
• Slow Cooker Carnitas & Carnitas Tacos

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Mexican Lasagna

Perhaps the best loved comfort food is taken up a notch with a no-boil noodle trick making it all the easier to prepare. In addition changing the flavors to feature spicy Mexican seasonings brings an welcome surprise to any dinner table or football party!

5 from 17 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings: 12 servings (or more depending on size cut)

Calories: 555kcal

Author: Toni Dash

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Ingredients

• ▢ 1 package Lasagna Noodles (regular or gluten-free)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
• ▢ ½ large Yellow Onion , peeled and chopped
• ▢ 1/2 cup canned or freshly chopped Roasted Green Chilies , skinned/seeded chopped (Hatch Chilies recommended)
• ▢ ½ pound Lean (95% fat free) Ground Beef
• ▢ ¾ pound fresh ground Chorizo Sausage Mexican Chorizo not Spanish Chorizo
• ▢ 1 15-ounce can Black Beans , drained and rinsed
• ▢ 1 25.5-ounce jar Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce
• ▢ 1 cup Medium-heat Salsa
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground Cumin
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground Black Pepper
• ▢ 1 15-ounce container Ricotta Cheese
• ▢ 2 ½ cups Mexican Cheese blend
• ▢ 1 ¼ cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• ▢ 1/3 cup hot water

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In a large skillet heat the oil over high heat and add onions. Stir while cooking until onions are translucent.
• Add the chopped green or Hatch Chilies; sauté two minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium-high and add the ground beef and chorizo sausage. Using a spatula break up meat into smaller pieces while sautéing. Cook until no red or raw pieces of meat are left.
• Add the black beans; stir to combine.
• Pour in the tomato sauce, salsa, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir to fully combine and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

Assembling the Mexican Lasagna

• Spoon one third of the sauce mixture into the bottom of 13 x 9 x 3 inch baking pan. Spread to evenly cover the bottom of the baking dish.
• On top of the sauce, place four uncooked lasagna noodles (there will be space between them). Note: I place three noodles lengthwise and break the fourth to fit horizontally in the spot between the end of the other noodles and edge of the baking dish.
• Spread half of the ricotta cheese on the noodles (will be thin coverage). Sprinkle evenly with 1 ¼ cups Mexican Cheese blend.
• Spread another 1/3 of the sauce on top of the cheese and repeat Steps 2 and 3 above.
• Place last four noodles on top of layered lasagna and cover with the remaining one third of the sauce.
• Gently pour the 1/3 cup hot water around the inside edges of the baking dish (between the noodles and inside edge of the baking dish).

Cooking the Lasagna

• Cover tightly with two pieces of heavy duty foil. Bake for 50 minutes.
• Remove the lasagna from oven and remove the foil. Cover with 1 ¼ cups cheddar cheese and place back in the oven to cook uncovered an additional 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

*Chilies can vary incredibly with regard to how hot they are. Some Hatch chilies can be very mild while others will cause smoke to come from your ears! Always taste a bit of the chile to determine the heat level to adjust the recipe accordingly. Wash hands thoroughly when working with chilies, do not touch eyes or any mucus membranes; wear vinyl gloves if available.

If Hatch chilies are not available, substitute home roasted Anaheim chilies or canned green chilies.

Mexican Cheese Blend: purchased from the dairy department with other packaged grated cheeses, or home grated combination of cheddar, Monterey Jack and Colby cheeses.

Nutrition

Calories: 555kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 1356mg | Potassium: 716mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 844IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 354mg | Iron: 3mg

Did you make this recipe?Mention @boulderlocavore or tag #boulderlocavore!

Originally published: September 7, 2014