Week 17: Recipe #5--Mexican Lasagna

This recipe is from Rachael Ray and the Food Network website.  Even though I have 2 lasagna recipes on the menu during the same week, this really is completely different, so I thought I'd give it a try.  It was REALLY good.  I served it with watermelon.  You could also use sour cream and hot sauce as a garnish for the lasagna, although I don't think it needed it.  The recipe says it makes 4 servings, but I'd say 6-8.  We had my sister, her husband, and my niece over, and we still have leftovers.  Lunch tomorrow!

Photo from Rachael Ray

You'll Need:

• 3 Tblsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 lbs. ground chicken breast
• 2 Tblsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained
• 1 c. medium heat taco sauce or 1 can (14 oz.) stewed or fire-roasted tomatoes (I forgot to buy this and so I just used what I had in the fridge and made my own concoction....I used about 1/2 cup of Trader Joe's red enchilada sauce, almost 1/4 cup of Tapatio sauce, and the rest was water)
• 1 c. frozen corn kernels
• salt
• 8 (8-in.) spinach flour tortillas (I couldn't find these, so I just used regular flour)
• 2 1/2 c. shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese (I used pepper jack)
• 2 scallions, finely chopped

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (or twice around the pan).  Add chicken and season with chili powder, cumin, and red onion.  Brown the meat, 5 minutes.  Add taco sauce or tomatoes.  Add black beans and corn.  Heat the mixture through, 2 to 3 minutes then season with salt, to taste.
3. Coat a shallow baking dish with remaining olive oil, about 1 tablespoon.  Cut the tortillas in half or quarters to make them easy to layer with.  Build lasagna in layers of meat and beans, then tortillas, then cheese.  Repeat:  meat, tortilla, cheese.  Bake lasagna 12 to 15 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly.  Top with scallions and serve.

Recipe and link:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/mexican-lasagna-recipe/index.html