Mexican Lasagna

Last night I had an April knottie, Jessica aka Jessibeth, come over to my house for dinner. The last time we had met, we had ate at one of my favorite Cuban restuarants, Felixes. I was going to cook a cuban meal for her, but I had found a great recipe for Mexican Lasagna from a food blog I frequent, The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I couldn't resist cooking up something new, and I was expertimenting with baking bread and had made PB cookies for dessert, too. My fave double date couple, who Eric and I always spend our time with Adrian & Monica, came over as well.

I didn't take a picture of the Mexican Lasagna, I think we were too busy eating it and drinking the Italian wine that Jess had brought over. Quattro Mani - Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - great table red wine from Italy, we all enjoyed it the wine. I know my husband did, his cheeks were a nice rosy red for awhile!

Mexican Lasagna adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ingredients:

2 cups unprepared rice

4 cups chicken broth

2-4 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

2 onions chopped

9 cloves garlic, 3 pressed, 6 minced

1 can black beans -undrained *I had leftover black beans from my last dinner party, so I did not use a can*

Taco Seasoning or Chili Powder, Paprika & Cumin*I used New Mexico Chile Powder, Sweet Paprika & cumin*

1 1/4 lb ground sirloin *I substituted ground turkey*

12 small flour tortillas

2 cups shredded Mexican cheese *I used half cheddar & monterey jack cheese*

8 oz enchilada sauce *I used the 24 oz can&

1 can corn, drained

1 (16 oz) jar salsa verde *I omitted this*

Sour cream & cilantro, for garnish

Directions:

*I used my own recipe for spanish rice here.* Cook 2 cups of rice with 4 cups of water or chicken broth. Add 1 tablespoon of tumeric, it gives a great yellow color to the rice. Also add 3 whole pressed garlic cloves. Cook on low for about 20 minutes with the lid on. In a large skillet, drizzle 1 tablespoon of EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes, onion, and garlic to the pan and saute until onion is tender. Add in chili powder mix (approx. 1 1/2 tbl), paprika, and cumin (approx. 3/4 tbl of each) to taste. Stir to combine. Add the black beans and stir to combine. Transfer to a large bowl and add cooked rice. *I skipped this step on accident, and kept the beans & rice separate.*

In the now empty skillet, brown the ground turkey. Mix with chili powder (1 1/2 tbl), paprika and cumin (3/4 tbl of each) and salt to taste, as well as 2 oz of water to create the taco turkey.

To assemble the lasagna, pour half of the enchilada suace in an even layer over the bottom of the casserole dish. Layer evenly with flour tortillas to cover. Spread the rice mixture evenly over the tortillas. Sprinkle with a layer of shredded cheese. Add another layer of flour tortillas. Pour a thin layer of enchilada sauce over the tortillas. Spread taco turkey evenly over the enchilada sauce. Layer one can of corn over the beef. Top with the bean mixture in an even layer. Spread the remaining enchilada sauce over the rice, and sprinkle a layer of shredded cheese to finish. *I always add extra cheese to everything, YUM.*

Bake at 375 degrees for 25-35 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and begins to brown a bit. Allow to sit 10 minutes before serving. Top individual servings with sour cream & fresh cilantro, for garnish.

Emjoy, and thanks for coming over for dinner Jess!! We had a great time with you. Can't wait to see you again! ;-)