Cheesy Mexican Lasagna

A dish of Mexican lasagna with a serving removed. Feature image.

This easy Mexican lasagna recipe layers seasoned beef, refried beans, tortillas, and plenty of melted cheese into a bubbling Tex-Mex casserole your family will inhale with unsettling speed. It’s freezer-friendly, weeknight-easy, and wildly good.

Course Casserole

Cuisine Tex-Mex

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 394kcal

Author Marye Audet-White

Equipment

13x9-inch pan

Ingredients

1-½ pounds lean ground beef
1 ounce taco seasoning
1 teaspoon cumin
20 ounces tomatoes with chiles I used Ro*Tel
2 cups refried beans
2 cups Mexican blend cheese shredded - divided use
2 cups pepper jack cheese shredded - divided use
¾ cup cilantro chopped
16 ounces cream cheese room temperature
12 corn tortillas
1-½ cups salsa divided use
½ cup black olives sliced

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F.
Spray a 13x9-inch pan with non-stick spray.
Cook the ground beef, stirring to crumble.
Add the taco seasoning, tomatoes and chiles plus their liquid, and ¼ cup of water.
Simmer until the liquid has almost evaporated. Stir in cumin and set aside.
Whip the cream cheese and 1 cup of the salsa together until smooth. Set aside.
Mix the two shredded cheeses together. Set aside.
Pour ½ cup of salsa in the bottom of the pan.
Cut 8 tortillas in half.
Arrange 2 halves with the straight side toward the long side of the pan. Repeat on the other side.
Arrange 1 half with the straight side toward the short side of the pan. Repeat at the other end with the other half.
Place two whole corn tortillas down the center.
Sprinkle with ¼ cup black olives
Sprinkle with ¼ cups chopped cilantro.
Spread with half the refried beans, half the ground beef, half the cream cheese, and ⅓ of the shredded cheese.
Top with corn tortillas as before.
Repeat layers of toppings as before., ending with corn tortillas.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until heated through. Center will be 165℉ on an instant read thermometer.
Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Storage: Store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Tips:

Corn tortillas work best in this recipe but you can use flour tortillas. They do end up softer.
Let the Mexican lasagna sit on the counter for 10-15 minutes before serving it to cut neat slices. If you cut into it while too hot, the slices won't hold together as well.
The cream cheese and salsa will be MUCH easier to mix together if you let it come to room temperature or warm slightly in the microwave before whipping.

Nutrition