It is hard to imagine a life in the United States without Mexican food and things like Taco Tuesday, but the popularity of Mexican food is a relatively new concept in the American diet. Of course, what we consider Mexican food (tortillas, beans, tomatoes, and specialty spices) has been available on the North American continent since the time of the Aztecs.
But for most of the United States’ history, Mexican food was confined to the Southwestern regions of the States, like Texas, Arizona, and California. While mainstream Americans who were well-traveled knew of Mexican food or Tex-Mex cuisine, most of Eastern and Midwestern America was less familiar with this style of food. While one could find recipes for Mexican foods, like tortillas, one could not purchase them premade until the mid-twentieth century.
My Zesty Taco Lasagna Recipe
Equipment
- 9 inch Square Pan
- Large skillet
- Sharp knife
Ingredients
- 1 package White Flour Tortillas any size
- 1 pound Ground Beef
- 8 ounces Shredded Cheese
- 1 cup Sour Cream
- 16 ounces Refried Beans from a can
- 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Thawed Frozen Corn or Drained Canned Corn
- 1 can Chopped Chili Green Peppers from a small can
- 1 can Diced Tomatoes well-drained
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Spray a nine-inch square pan with cooking spray.
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef, chopping it with a spatula until no more pink remains.
- Drain the fat from the meat.
- Stir in the can of refried beans, the corn, the cumin, the chili powder, and the salt into the ground beef, mixing it well.
- At the bottom of the prepared pan, spread 2 tablespoons of sour cream and ¼ cup of the tomatoes.
![Sour cream and tomatoes prepared at the bottom of the pan.]()
- Slice the flour tortillas into 3 or 4-inch strips with a sharp knife.
![The tortillas are sliced into even strips.]()
- Create a layer of tortilla strips over the top of the sour cream/tomato mixture.
![A layer of tortillas are placed on the pan.]()
- Spread half of the ground beef mixture over the top of the tortilla strips.
- Top with one-third of the cheese, one half of the remaining sour cream, half of the remaining tomatoes, and half of the green chilies.
- Add another layer of tortilla strips over the top of the first layer.
- Add the remaining ground beef-vegetable mixture spreading to cover the layer.
- Top with the rest of the tomatoes, the rest of the sour cream, one-third of the cheese, and the remaining green chili peppers.
- Cover this layer with more tortilla strips and top the whole thing with the rest of the shredded cheese.
![]()
- If you are planning on baking the Taco Lasagna right away, place it in the oven and bake it for about half an hour.
- Remove the pan from the oven when the cheese is lightly browned and the filling is bubbling.
- Let it cool for about fifteen minutes before you slice it into squares and serve it.
![]()
- If you want to cook the lasagna another day, cover the baking pan with aluminum foil and store it in the refrigerator for up to three days before you bake the dish according to the above baking instructions.
Notes
April Freeman enjoys creating all kinds of recipes for her friends and family from her country kitchen in Middle Tennessee. She and her family raise beef cattle, chickens, and all sorts of fruits and veggies on their farm, and she specializes in featuring farm-fresh foods in the recipes that she creates and serves. April says that her slogan is “Are you hungry?” and she feels that one way of showing love and connecting with others is to serve delicious favorite foods to others. Her favorite thing to cook is pies of all kinds.
