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Best Mexican Lasagna Recipe

This Mexican Lasagna recipe is rich, satisfying, comforting, flavorful, cheesy, saucy and plain scrumptious! To make this Mexican Lasagna recipe, juicy meat, creamy beans and sweet corn are enveloped in the BEST bold, smoky, quick and easy homemade enchilada sauce then layered between tender lasagna noodles, a creamy salsa verde spiked sour cream/cream cheese filling and both cheddar and Monterrey Jack cheese then baked to bubbling perfection to create a mountain of hot, meaty, cheesy, fiesta in each satisfying bite. This Mexican Lasagna recipe is always a crowd-pleaser, can be prepped in the morning and baked at night, made in mass quantities, and/or frozen for later for the ultimate make-ahead dinner. It also makes terrific leftovers – should you be so lucky.
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 50 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Author [email protected]

Ingredients

Meat Filling

  • 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
  • 1 yellow onion chopped
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder NOT cayenne pepper (see notes)
  • 1 tsp EACH ground cumin, garlic powder, ground coriander, salt
  • 1/2 tsp EACH smoked paprika, dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper will not make it spicy
  • 1/3 cup tomato paste
  • 4-6 garlic cloves minced
  • 3 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
  • 1 14.5 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes, with juices
  • 1 4 oz. can mild chopped green chiles
  • 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • a pinch of cinnamon
  • 1 15 oz. can pinto beans, rinsed and drained may sub black beans
  • 1 1/2 cup frozen sweet corn no need to thaw
  • 1 6 oz. can chopped black olives drained
  • 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Layers

  • 15 regular lasagna noodles NOT no boil
  • 2 cups freshly grated Monterrey Jack cheese
  • 2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese

Creamy Filling

  • 1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
  • 8 oz. Cream Cheese softened
  • 1/2 cup mild salsa verde I like Herdez
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • SOAK NOODLES: Place lasagna noodles in the bottom of a long pan. Pour hot tap water over the noodles until they are submerged. Let them soak while you prep the filling – at least 30 minutes. Agitate the noodles with your hands occasionally to prevent them from sticking together.
  • PREP: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a deep 9X13-inch pan; set aside. Whisk together the flour and all Meat Filling seasonings (through cayenne pepper); set aside.
  • COOK BEEF: Brown beef and onions in a Dutch oven or very large skillet until almost cooked through. Sprinkle in flour/seasonings mixture and cook for two minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the tomato paste and garlic and cook for one minute.
  • FILLING INGREDIENTS: Stir in chicken broth, diced tomatoes, green chiles, cocoa powder, sugar and cinnamon. Bring the sauce to a simmer and continue to simmer, stirring often, until thickened, 10-15 minutes. After the sauce has thickened, stir in beans, corn, olives and apple cider vinegar then remove from heat.
  • CREAMY FILLING: Meanwhile, whisk all of the Creamy Filling ingredients together in a medium bowl, set aside. Combine cheeses in a separate bowl; set aside.
  • ASSEMBLE: Spread 1 cup of meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan (layer will be thin). Place 4 noodles lengthwise and part of a 5th noodle on top to cover. Spread ¾ cup Cream Filling evenly over top followed 1 cup combined cheeses. Repeat layers using two cups meat mixture, 4+ noodles, 3/4 Creamy Filling and 1 cup cheeses two more times for a total of 3 complete layers. To finish, top with remaining meat sauce followed by remaining cheese.
  • BAKE: Cover the pan with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for an additional 20 more minutes or until the cheese is melted and casserole is heated through. Remove pan from oven and let stand 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh tomatoes, olives, avocados, cilantro and sour cream if desired.

Notes

Tips and Tricks

  • How spicy is t? This Mexican Lasagna is not spicy, just flavorful.  Even with the cayenne pepper it should be just fine for little ones.
  • INTERNATIONAL WARNING: American Chili powder is a blend of chilies, cumin, garlic powder, and herbs with a ratio of one-part cayenne to seven parts the other spices.  Chili powders sold in other parts of the world, however, are 100% cayenne pepper and 8X hotter than chili powder! So, please use American-style chili powder to make this recipe or your mouth will be on FIRE!
  • Can I use tortillas? While I created this Mexican Lasagna specifically with lasagna noodles in mind, you can also swap them out for corn tortillas.  Use regular grocery corn tortillas and save your money and quality thick tortillas for when they’re not smothered in sauce.
  • Customize vegetables. You can customize the add-ins with any vegetables you like such as zucchini, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, jalapenos, etc. (see ideas in post).  You will want to swap some of the meat for extra veggies or it will throw off the sauce ratio.
  • Swap beans:   You may substitute the pinto beans with black beans but they don’t offer the same creamy satisfaction.  If you choose black beans, I would add them to the sauce earlier with the diced tomatoes so they have time to simmer and soften a bit.  
  • Swap protein: You can use ground turkey or ground chicken. You can also use shredded rotisserie chicken and stir it in at the end once the sauce has thickened.
  • Pre-measure seasonings. Measure out seasonings before you start cooking.  You will want to add the seasonings all at once with the flour – and since there are quite a few -it is helpful to measure them out first so you don’t have to stop and overcook the beef.
  • Don’t skip cocoa! The sugar, cocoa powder and the cinnamon (simulating Mexican chocolate) really enhance the authentic enchilada sauce recipe so please don’t skip them!
  • Control consistency.  For a thicker meat sauce, simmer the sauce longer to reduce and thicken.  If you want thinner sauce, simply don’t simmer the sauce as long.  If you’re past that point, stir in chicken broth or water a little at a time until you reach desired consistency.
  • Toppings! Top your Mexican Lasagna with all or some of your favorite toppings such as sour cream or Greek yogurt (highly recommend), cilantro, jalapenos, avocados, tomatoes, black olives, etc.

How to Make Ahead

This Mexican Lasagna is the perfect make-ahead meal to either refrigerate and bake the next day or to assemble and freeze.
  • Assemble and refrigerate. You can make and assemble the entire lasagna a day in advance and refrigerate (without baking).  I actually think the lasagna tastes better this way because the flavors have more time to develop and meld.
  • Make sauce in advance. You can make the meaty sauce complete with all the add-ins up to 3 days in advance and refrigerate it or freeze it for up to 3 months.  If you use cold sauce in your lasagna, you will need to bake your lasagna an addition 15 minutes or so.
  • Make creamy filling.  You can whisk all of the creamy filling ingredients together, cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

HOW TO REHEAT

This Mexican Lasagna recipe keeps and reheats well both in the oven and in the microwave:
  • OVEN:  cover the pan with foil and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
  • MICROWAVE:  reheat individual servings in the microwave by transferring to a microwave safe plate and microwaving for 90 seconds.  Continue to microwave at 30 second intervals until heated through.

HOW TO FREEZE UNCOOKED LASAGNA

  • Assemble Mexican Lasagna according to recipe directions in a freezer safe dish.
  • Cover lasagna tightly all around the dish with 2 layers of plastic wrap.
  • Cover the lasagna tightly with one layer of aluminum foil.
  • Label lasagna.
  • Place evenly in the freezer for up to 3 months.
  • When ready to bake, place lasagna in the refrigerator 48 hours ahead of time to thaw completely.
  • Remove plastic wrap and cover tightly with foil.
  • Bake lasagna according to directions, adding an additional 10-15 minutes.

HOW TO FREEZE COOKED LASAGNA

You will only want to freeze cooked lasagna if you are freezing leftovers, otherwise, it is better to freeze before baking. 
  • Bake Mexican Lasagna according to directions in a freezer safe dish.
  • Let cool on the counter for one hour.
  • Cover lasagna with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill completely before freezing (this will prevent an unpleasant texture).
  • Cover lasagna tightly with a second layer of plastic wrap all the way around the dish.
  • Cover the lasagna tightly with one layer of aluminum foil.
  • Label lasagna.
  • Place evenly in the freezer for up to 3 months.
  • When ready to bake, place lasagna in the refrigerator 48 hours ahead of time to thaw completely.
  • Remove plastic wrap and cover lasagna tightly with foil.
  • Bake entire lasagna according to directions, adding an additional 10-15 minutes.

HOW TO FREEZE INDIVIDUAL SERVINGS 

  • Bake Mexican Lasagna according to directions.
  • Let lasagna cool completely then slice into individual servings.
  • Freeze lasagna in freezer safe plastic bags.
  • To reheat, remove servings from the bag to a baking sheet.
  • Bake individual servings at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes.

HOW TO COOK LASAGNA FROM FROZEN

  • Remove plastic wrap from lasagna and cover tightly with foil.
  • Bake lasagna covered at 350 degrees F for 1 ½ hours.
  • Uncover and bake an addition 15-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.