My Original Mexican Lasagna
In highlighting this lasagna dish, it's common to see recipe creators list ingredients ranging from beans to beef, chiles, salsa, jalapeños, and Mexican blend cheese. But with my original Mexican lasagna, I drew inspiration from the layered chilaquiles I sampled during my junior year abroad in Mérida, Mexico. In this culinary center, I was introduced to the chile dulce, never fathoming that a pepper could be sweet. So, in this dish, the primary flavor profile is sweetness, as I pair chile dulces with Pomì tomatoes and sautéed carrots, all of which serve as sweeteners. But I balance out the sweetness with the herbal hints of peppery oregano and nutty olive oil as well as the sour tang of Mexican key lime juice. And then, the mealy texture of corn tortillas offsets the creamy consistency of Monterey Jack cheese and thinned out sour cream. So, enjoy this one-of-a-kind Mexican lasagna with its unique set of flavors!
Ingredients
- 1 large white onion
- 5-6 T. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 x 1 lb. bag sweet peppers, like del Cabo Medley
- 2 cups chopped Pomì tomatoes (from a carton box) or cherry tomatoes
- 3 large carrots
- 4 cups My Original Mexican Lasagna Sauce, see recipe under Central American cuisine
- 1 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 12 corn tortillas, I use Tortilla Factory’s Hand Made Style Yellow Corn & Wheat Tortillas
- 1 t. dried Mexican oregano
- Juice of 2 Mexican key limes or any lime
- 1 ½ cups Monterey Jack cheese
- Sour cream to garnish, thinned with a little whole milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 350 °F.
- Step 2 To begin, make one batch of My Original Mexican Lasagna Sauce (under Central American cuisine) if you haven’t already.
- Step 3 After this, slice the raw chicken breast into thin strips or any bite-size you desire. Pat dry with a paper towel to ensure a nice sear, and season with salt, pepper, and oregano. Then, heat 2 T. oil in a 10-12” nonstick skillet over medium-high heat on the stovetop. When hot, cook the chicken for about 10 minutes or until an inserted meat thermometer reads 165°F. Drain the juices and reserve the chicken in a medium mixing bowl.
- Step 4 Next, cut the tops off the sweet peppers and dice the carrots and onions by hand or by using a food processor. Then, heat 3-4 T. oil in a Dutch oven or any skillet or pot that will hold the veggies. When hot, add the peppers, carrots, and onions and sauté for 10 minutes or until the chiles are tender and lightly charred (see photo) and the onion turns translucent. Set aside in a mixing bowl. Note: my Dutch oven takes more oil than a nonstick skillet would.
- Step 5 Now, layer the lasagna. First, spread 1 cup of sauce on the bottom of a 9 ½ x 13 ½-inch casserole pan. Then, arrange a layer of 6 tortillas on top of the sauce (you may have to slice some of the tortillas in strips to fill in the gaps). Next, cover the tortillas with the carrots, peppers, and chicken, and spread 1 ½ cups of sauce over the meat and veggies. Then, assemble a layer of 6 tortillas, cut to fit, on top of the sauce, and spread the final 1 ½ cups of sauce on top. Cap off with a sprinkle of Monterey Jack cheese.
- Step 6 Bake for 35 minutes or so until the cheese melts and the lasagna is heated through. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, thinned a little with whole milk. Note: although olive oil and Pomì tomatoes are not typically used in traditional Mexican cooking, I use them here for their flavor profile.
My Original Mexican Lasagna drew its inspiration from the traditional Mexican dish of chilaquiles. Here, a red sauce of tomato, onion, and chiles dulces (sweet peppers) is layered between corn tortillas, oregano chicken, carrots, peppers, and more tomato. Cap it off with a sprinkle of Monterey jack cheese and a dollop of sour cream for a tasty lasagna!