If you’re a fan of tacos and enchiladas, my Mexican lasagna is right up your alley. Warmly spiced taco meat is punctuated with juicy tomatoes, savory green chilies, black beans, and sautéed onions and garlic. These flavorful components are layered into a casserole dish with corn tortillas and a mountain of cheddar cheese and baked until bubbly.
This taco lasagna is a creative step up from the classic taco night fare! Serve a slice with all our favorite taco toppings for an easy dinner the whole family will love. For more Mexican recipes with a taco twist, try my taco casserole, taco soup, and Mexican pizza next!
Ingredients
Here are the key ingredients you’ll need! You can find the full list in the recipe.
Ground beef — I used 80/20 beef here. You can use a leaner beef if you prefer.
Taco seasoning — feel free to use either a store-bought packet or homemade taco seasoning.
Canned black beans, diced tomatoes, and diced green chilies — this trio of pantry staples adds heft and lots of flavor to the filling. Green chilies are fairly mild, but you can leave them out if you don’t prefer spicy food.
Cheddar cheese — I like to use sharp cheddar for this recipe, but you’re welcome to swap in the melty cheese of your choice, like Colby jack, Monterey jack cheese, or a shredded Mexican cheese blend.
Corn tortillas — if you want to go the extra mile, you can make your own corn tortillas! But this recipe is excellent with a package of your favorite brand of store-bought corn tortillas.
Fresh cilantro — I love the bright, herbaceous flavor of cilantro, but it’s not for everyone. If you don’t like it, try swapping in flat-leaf parsley instead.
Green onions — also known as scallions, these slender alliums add fresh, mild onion flavor and a pretty pop of bright green color as a finishing touch.
Mexican Lasagna Recipe
Equipment
- 9×13-inch casserole dish
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds ground beef (675g)
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped (240g)
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 (1 ounce/28g) envelope taco seasoning
- 1 (15.5 ounce/439g) can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5 ounce/411g) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (4 ounce/113g) can diced green chiles
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese (450g)
- 18 (6-inch) corn tortillas (468g)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 green onions sliced
- Diced tomatoes
- Sour Cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish with olive oil or nonstick spray.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up into small pieces, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until just a few pink spots remain.
- Add the onion and garlic, and cook for about 5 minutes until fragrant and slightly softened. Add the taco seasoning, ¾ cup (180mL) water, black beans, tomatoes, green chiles, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture is steaming and the sauce coats the meat and vegetables. Remove from the heat.
- Place 1 cup of the meat mixture in the bottom of the casserole dish and spread into an even layer. Lay 6 of the tortillas over top in a single layer, overlapping slightly. Spread about one-third of the remaining meat mixture in an even layer and sprinkle all over with one-third of the cheese. Repeat the tortilla, meat, and cheese layers two more times.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for 15 to 20 minutes more until the casserole is bubbling around the edges and the cheese is melty and lightly golden.
- Let rest for 10 minutes, then sprinkle with cilantro and sliced green onions. Serve pieces topped with diced tomatoes and sour cream.
Notes
- Depending on the fat content of the ground beef, you may want to add a drizzle of olive oil to the skillet before cooking. For lean ground beef, chicken, or turkey, I usually start with 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan.
- Grate your own cheese if you have time! Not only is it usually cheaper by weight, but it will also melt way better than the pre-shredded kind. I like to use the large holes on my box grater to make short work of grating a cheese block.
- Note that taco seasonings can vary widely in terms of heat levels and saltiness, so wait to add any extra seasoning until after the meat sauce has simmered and is cooked through.
- If you are making homemade corn tortillas, I recommend pressing them out a little thicker than normal. This will help replicate more of a lasagna noodle consistency.
- Allow the cooked lasagna to rest before slicing. This will ensure cleaner slices that don’t easily fall apart, as everything will have a chance to firm up a bit and set.
Nutrition
How To Make Mexican Lasagna
1. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up into small pieces using a wooden spoon.
2. Add the onion and garlic, and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the taco seasoning, water, black beans, tomatoes, green chiles, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue cooking until the sauce coats the meat and vegetables. Remove from the heat.
3. Spread 1 cup of the beef mixture in the bottom of a greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
4. Place six tortillas in a single layer (overlapping slightly) over the sauce.
5. Spread more of the meat mixture over the layer of tortillas and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Repeat the layers two more times. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375°F for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the casserole is bubbling and the cheese is melted and browned.
6. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing, then serve with cilantro, sliced green onions, diced tomatoes, and sour cream.
Make-Ahead and Freezing Tips
Mexican lasagna is a great dish for meal prep. Simply assemble the casserole through step 5, but don’t bake it. Wrap the baking dish well with several layers of plastic wrap, then refrigerate for up to 2 days before baking, or freeze it for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to serve, allow the casserole to defrost in the fridge overnight if needed. Let the chilled casserole sit at room temp while the oven comes to temperature (or 30 minutes), then bake as directed.
Ingredient Swaps and Variations
- Use a different protein: You can swap the ground beef for ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground pork. You could also try vegetarian “meat” crumbles or use black beans and refried beans mixed with the taco seasoning instead.
- Swap your beans: If you don’t have canned black beans on hand, try using pinto beans or refried beans instead. If you use refried, note that the meat mixture will be a bit stickier, so you may need to use the back of a spoon or offset spatula to help spread it evenly across the tortilla layer. You can also use Instant Pot black beans!
- Add cooked veggies: This is a great recipe for cleaning out the remaining veggies at the bottom of your crisper drawer. Feel free to use anything from traditional taco ingredients like bell peppers and jalapeños to corn, zucchini, or frozen peas.
- Add enchilada sauce: For added flavor and extra sauciness, drizzle the meat filling with ½ cup enchilada sauce per layer.
How To Serve
Mexican lasagna has all the flavors of your favorite Tex-Mex tacos, so feel free to garnish them accordingly. I always recommend a dollop of sour cream, fresh tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro, but don’t feel limited. You can swap or add any other toppings you like, including chopped avocados, guacamole, homemade salsa, pico de gallo, pickled onions, or hot sauce.
Excellent side dishes for this recipe are grilled elote (Mexican street corn) or my easy restaurant-style Mexican rice.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Depending on the fat content of the ground beef, you may want to add a drizzle of olive oil to the skillet before cooking. For lean ground beef, chicken, or turkey, I usually start with 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan.
- Grate your own cheese if you have time! Not only is it usually cheaper by weight, but it will also melt way better than the pre-shredded kind. I like to use the large holes on my box grater to make short work of grating a cheese block.
- Note that taco seasonings can vary widely in terms of heat levels and saltiness, so wait to add any extra seasoning until after the meat sauce has simmered and is cooked through.
- If you are making homemade corn tortillas, I recommend pressing them out a little thicker than normal. This will help replicate more of a lasagna noodle consistency.
- Allow the cooked lasagna to rest before slicing. This will ensure cleaner slices that don’t easily fall apart, as everything will have a chance to firm up a bit and set.
Frequently Asked Questions
Allow any leftovers to cool, then cover the casserole dish or transfer them to an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze leftovers for up to 2 months. To reheat, bake or air fry at 350ºF for 10-20 minutes (depending on the size of the slice) or until heated through. You can also microwave leftovers if you prefer.
While you technically can, I don’t recommend it. Corn tortillas will give the best texture and don’t get soggy the way flour tortillas do. Flour tortillas become gummy with too much moisture, whereas corn tortillas act more like traditional lasagna noodles and retain some bite and texture.
Yes! Just make sure to boil them in salted water first according to package directions. I do think corn tortillas are the simplest and most flavorful way to go for this recipe, but it’s up to you!
If you’ve tried this Mexican Lasagna recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
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