Mexican Lasagna combines traditional Italian layers with vibrant Mexican flavors. With layers of flour tortillas, seasoned ground beef, salsa, and a cheese blend, all baked together until melted, bubbly, and lightly browned.
This Mexican Lasagna Recipe is layered perfection
Our layered Mexican Lasagna is so easy to make; it’s built just like the classic Italian casserole but tastes similar to a taco, but it’s served as a heaping slice instead of in a handheld shell.
Just like my Taco Lasagna and Mexican Casserole recipes, this homemade Mexican lasagna casserole has a base of flour tortillas instead of noodles, a southwestern-seasoned meat mixture, salsa that stands in for the standard spaghetti sauce, and a cheddar and Monterey jack cheese blend that’s used instead of ricotta and Parmesan.
I love finding new ways to recreate a regular recipe and present it in a way that feels fun and feeds my entire family – this delicious casserole dish is hearty, warm, and will curb your craving for Mexican-style cuisine.
Why we love Mexican Lasagna
- Quick and easy to make.
- Uses a handful of simple ingredients.
- Mexican flavor formed as a filling comfort food meal.
- Loaded with layers of cheese, meat, beans, and tortillas–it’s a lasagna that tastes like a taco.
- Great make-ahead meal and freezer friendly.
- Perfect for potlucks, game days, and large gatherings to feed a crowd.
Ingredients for Mexican Lasagna with Flour Tortillas
- Lean ground beef
- Yellow onion
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Taco seasoning: Or try our Homemade Taco Seasoning!
- Water
- Mild chopped green chilis
- Seasoned black beans
- Flour tortillas: I used the 8-inch soft taco-sized tortillas.
- Mild chunky salsa
- Sharp cheddar cheese
- Monterey jack cheese
- Fresh cilantro
Recommended Tools
- 9×13 baking dish
- Cooking spray
- Large skillet
How to make Mexican Lasagna with Tortillas
- Brown The Beef: Cook the ground beef, diced yellow onion, salt, and black pepper until no pink remains. Drain any excess fat from the skillet.
- Make The Meat Mixture: Stir the taco seasoning, water, green chilis, and black beans into the browned beef. Turn the heat down and allow the meat mixture to cook for a few minutes until most of the moisture has evaporated. Remove from heat.
- Assemble: Place 2 flour tortillas into the bottom of the baking dish. Spread the meat mixture over the tortillas, top with salsa, and sprinkle with cheddar and Monterey jack cheese.
- Middle Lasagna Layer: Place 4 flour tortillas (2 on top of each other) over the cheese layer, followed by more meat mixture, salsa, and cheese.
- Bake With The Last Layer: Add the top layer of 4 flour tortillas (2 on top of each other), meat mixture, salsa, and cheese. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes or until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and browned.
- Serve: Cool on the counter for 15 minutes before garnishing. Serve and enjoy!
Substitutions and additions for Mexican Lasagna with Flour Tortillas
- Change The Cheese: You can substitute the Monterey jack cheese for pepper jack cheese. You can replace the cheddar and Monterey jack cheese blocks with all Colby jack cheese. Any of these combinations will work nicely with this Mexican lasagna.
- Taco Toppings: Top your Mexican “taco” lasagna with guacamole, diced tomatoes, fresh cilantro, pico de gallo, sour cream, lettuce, sliced black olives, or chopped fresh jalapeños for a spicier kick.
- Make it Meatless: For a vegetarian version of this meal, swap in an equal amount of your favorite plant-based meat alternative, like Beyond Beef or Impossible Burger. It has a similar texture to ground beef and cooks up much the same way. Tempeh is another plant-based option that will work for Mexican Lasagna. Simply break it into crumbles and follow the recipe as written.
- Lower-Fat Lasagna: You can use lean ground turkey, ground chicken, or cooked shredded chicken instead of beef for a lower-fat version of this Mexican Lasagna.
- Lasagna Layers: I use flour tortillas in this recipe; however, if you prefer, you can substitute with corn tortillas, actual lasagna noodles, or even use layers of crushed tortilla chips.
- Swap The Salsa: Chunky salsa is a great shortcut addition to dishes like this one. You can swap it out for 1½ cups mild Rotel tomatoes or any brand of canned tomatoes that have onions and peppers added. Fire-roasted diced tomatoes also work great as well as your favorite taco sauce or enchilada sauce.
Tips for making this Mexican Lasagna Recipe with Tortillas
- I doubled up on the center and top layers of the flour tortillas to give them extra structure, as the flour tortillas tend to get very soft when they absorb the liquids when baked.
- You can swap out the larger flour tortillas for the smaller-sized ones if that is what you have. You need to note that you will need to use more tortillas for each layer if using the smaller ones.
- You can swap the flour tortillas for white or yellow corn. They will add a slightly sturdier texture and a corn flavor to the lasagna. While they may taste slightly different, they will still make a great substitute.
- When using seasoned black beans, I like to get the ones that say “Cuban style.” You can certainly use any brand of seasoned black beans you desire. Drain them but do not rinse off the seasoning before adding them to your meat mixture. If you use a standard can of unseasoned black beans, you will want to drain and rinse those.
- I suggest baking this lasagna in a disposable aluminum pan if you plan to freeze it.
How to store Mexican Lasagna with Tortillas
- To Store: Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: You can freeze this lasagna tightly wrapped, in the freezer, for up to 2 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator before reheating.
- To Reheat: Reheat your lasagna in the oven or microwave until warm.
More Easy Mexican Inspired Recipes
Other Easy Lasagna Recipes
Mexican Lasagna
Serves — 8
Mexican Lasagna is full of taco seasoned beef, beans, cheese, and flour tortillas and ready in under an hour!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ounce packet of taco seasoning
- ½ cup water
- 4 ounce can of mild chopped green chilis
- 15 ounce can seasoned black beans excess liquid drained but NOT rinsed
- 17.5 ounce package (10 count) of flour tortillas (8-inch soft taco sized)
- 16 ounce jar of mild chunky salsa
- 8 ounce block of sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 8 ounces block of Monterey jack cheese shredded
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Optional Garnish
- Sour cream
- Roma tomatoes seeds removed and diced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large skillet on medium-high heat, add the lean ground beef, diced yellow onion, salt, and black pepper. Cook, and brown the ground beef until no pink remains. Drain any excess fat from the skillet.1 pound lean ground beef, 1 cup diced yellow onion, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Add taco seasoning, water, green chilis, and seasoned black beans to the skillet of cooked ground beef. Stir to coat all the beef in the taco seasoning. Turn the heat down to medium and allow the meat mixture to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until most of the moisture has evaporated. Remove from heat.1 ounce packet of taco seasoning, ½ cup water, 4 ounce can of mild chopped green chilis, 15 ounce can seasoned black beans
- Place 2 flour tortillas into the bottom of the sprayed 9×13 baking dish. The tortillas will overlap slightly in the center.17.5 ounce package (10 count) of flour tortillas
- Spread ⅓ of the meat mixture evenly over the flour tortillas. Top with ½ cup salsa spread over the meat mixture. Sprinkle ½ cup of the shredded cheddar cheese and ½ cup of the Monterey jack cheese evenly over the meat and salsa.16 ounce jar of mild chunky salsa, 8 ounce block of sharp cheddar cheese, 8 ounces block of Monterey jack cheese
- Place 4 flour tortillas (2 on top of each other) as the next layer in the baking dish, followed by another ⅓ of the meat mixture, ½ cup salsa, ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese, and ½ cup shredded Monterey jack cheese.
- Add the last layer of 4 flour tortillas (2 on top of each other), the final ⅓ of the meat mixture, ½ cup salsa, and the remaining shredded cheddar and Monterey jack cheese.
- Bake the Mexican lasagna in the center rack of the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and lightly browned.
- Allow the Mexican lasagna to cool on the counter for 15 minutes before garnishing it with chopped cilantro. You can add an optional garnish to individual servings of a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of diced tomatoes.1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, Sour cream, Roma tomatoes
Jenn’s Notes
Storage:
- To Store: Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: You can freeze this lasagna tightly wrapped, in the freezer, for up to 2 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator before reheating.
- To Reheat: Reheat your lasagna in the oven or microwave until warmed through.
- I doubled up on the center and top layers of the flour tortillas to give these layers extra structure, as the flour tortillas tend to get very soft when they absorb the liquids when baked.
- You can swap out the larger flour tortillas for the smaller-sized ones if that is what you have on hand. You just need to note that you will need to use more tortillas for each layer if using the smaller ones.
- You can swap out the flour tortillas altogether for white or yellow corn tortillas. They will add a slightly sturdier texture and a corn flavor to the lasagna. While they may taste slightly different, they will still make a great substitute.
- When using seasoned black beans, I like to get the ones that say “Cuban style.” You can certainly use any brand of seasoned black beans you desire. Drain them but do not rinse off the seasoning before adding them to your meat mixture. If you are using a standard can of unseasoned black beans, you will want to drain and rinse those.
- I suggest baking this lasagna in a disposable aluminum pan if you plan to freeze it.
Nutrition Info
Calories: 593kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 1856mg | Potassium: 701mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1132IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 549mg | Iron: 6mg
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