Wow it's been a long time!!! It's good to be back :) I have a bunch of recipes that I have made in the past few months, so here we go....
This first recipe is inspired by my best friend who absolutely loves anything mexican or italian. I went to visit her a few months back, and decided to thank her by creating a meal that combined both heritages- a mexican lasagna. There are no exact measurements (there never are with me, anyway!) since it depends on how much you like of each layer and how large or small your pan is. You can customize this dish any way you want, as well, depending on your favorite toppings and if you want them non, low, or full fat. In this dish, we chose a compromise of non/low and full fat ingredients, because some things taste alright fat free/low fat (refried beans, light ground beef) while others are better full fat (sour cream, cheese). We couldn't get enough of this, and it was easy and fun to make. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 large can red enchilada sauce
1 box of combined taco shells (hard and soft, 8 each)
2 cans refried beans
1 8 or 16 oz. tub of sour cream
1 pound ground beef
2 bags shredded mexican cheese
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a large baking dish, spread layers in order listed above, repeating twice. We found it tasted moister if we doubled our use of the sauce, adding first as well as in between the beans and the sour cream (so the order would go sauce, taco shells, beans, sauce, sour cream, beef, cheese). Use soft tacos in the first layer, and hard tacos in the second (break the hard tacos to cover and make a layer, cut the soft tacos to fit). Top with a generous amount of cheese, and if needed (as we did in our photo!) place a baking sheet underneath in case the lasagna bubbles over. If there is still room in the dish, you can add more layers.
3. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until the cheese on top is melted and the bottom layer of beans is heated through. Serve in slices, or mash slightly and dip into it with chips like nachos!
