Cheesy Beef and Red Sauce Mexican Lasagna Recipe

Baked until golden perfection, this Ground Beef Mexican Lasagna Recipe is sure to please the entire family. Pass over the chips and Homemade Salsa!

I’m a big fan of Mexican food. Growing up in California, we ate it almost on the daily. From Plantain Chilaquiles with Fried Eggs for breakfast to Traditional Enchiladas for dinner… a Mexican fiesta is tasty any time of day. Other favorites include my Avocado Stuffed Flautas, these Copycat Mexican Pizzas, Homemade Spanish Rice, and this Dutch Oven Pozole Verde with Chicken.

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MEXICAN LASAGNA RECIPE INGREDIENTS:

Most of the time I refer to these as lazy enchiladas. There’s no stuffing or rolling required, simply layer like a lasagna and pop that baby in the oven. I like to top mine with cilantro, scallions, and fresh tomatoes… but feel free to get creative! We sometimes add sour cream, avocado slices or guacamole, shredded lettuce, our favorite hot sauce, pickled onions, and/or crumbled queso fresco cheese. The possibilities are endless! Here’s what you’ll need as a base:

FOR THE ENCHILADAS:

Ground Beef
Taco Seasoning
Yellow Onion
Mild Diced Green Chilies
Red Enchilada Sauce
Corn Tortillas
Monterey Jack Cheese
Colby Jack Cheese

SUGGESTED TOPPINGS:

Diced Tomatoes
Cilantro
Scallions

Once in a while I’ll make this recipe with flour tortillas instead of corn. Go ahead and use whatever you’re in the mood for. Heck, I’ve even made a batch before that included both. Per the usual, use what you already have on hand or enjoy most! When I have time, I also make my own enchilada sauce. Stay tuned for a recipe on that coming soon!

TIPS AND VARIATIONS:

MAKE AHEAD / FREEZE: Follow the directions below up until baking (make sure you assemble in a freezer safe casserole dish). Cover and seal. You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours or freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, cover with foil and bake at 350F for 30 – 40 minutes refrigerated or 80 – 90 minutes from frozen. Then remove the foil and turn the oven up to 400F. Continue to bake until a cheesy golden crust forms, about 10 minutes.

SMALLER PORTIONS: I usually use two casserole dishes when making this recipe. One I cook right away and one I freeze.

LEFTOVERS: Any that is not consumed during dinner should be kept in a sealed container, refrigerated, and enjoyed within 2 days. I simply pop mine in the microwave when reheating.

SIMILAR RECIPES YOU’LL ENJOY:

Mexican Street Corn Casserole

Creamy Tomatillo Salsa Verde with Avocado

Hatch Chili Mexican Street Corn Dip

Skillet Chicken Tamale Pie with Cheesy Cornbread

Fiesta Chicken Chopped Salad

One-Pan Mexican Rice Casserole with Ground Beef

Red Rice Skillet with Sausage, Peppers, and Onions

Honey Butter Skillet Corn

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Cheesy Beef and Red Sauce Mexican Lasagna Recipe

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

50 mins

Baked until golden perfection, this Ground Beef Mexican Lasagna Recipe is sure to please the entire family. Pass over the chips and salsa!

Serves: 4

Ingredients

FOR THE MEXICAN LASAGNA:

Cooking Spray, as needed
1 lb. Ground Beef
1 oz. Taco Seasoning
1 Small Yellow Onion, diced
7oz. Can Mild Diced Green Chilies
28 oz. Red Enchilada Sauce
15 (6 inch) Corn Tortillas, cut into 4ths
8 oz. Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
8 oz. Colby Jack Cheese, shredded

SUGGESTED TOPPINGS:

½ cup Diced Tomatoes
3 tbsp. Chopped Cilantro
2 Scallions, sliced

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F and coat a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Break up the ground beef in a large skillet with taco seasoning and yellow onion over medium heat. Cook until the meat is browned and onions have softened. Drain, if necessary.
Add the diced green chilies and continue to cook for 2 minutes to warm the chilies up.
Pour about a half cup of the enchilada sauce into the prepared casserole dish. Spread evenly if necessary.
Layer ⅓ of the cut up tortillas, overlapping slightly to cover the bottom of the casserole dish. Then layer with ½ of the ground beef, ⅓ of the shredded cheeses, and ½ of leftover enchilada sauce. Continue to layer ⅓ tortillas, the rest of the ground beef, and ⅓ shredded cheeses. The last layer will be the remaining tortillas, the rest of the enchilada sauce, then the rest of cheese on top.
Spray one side of the aluminum foil with cooking spray and cover the casserole dish with the sprayed-side-down. This will help the cheese not stick to the foil while baking.
Bake for 30 - 40 minutes, or until casserole is warmed through and the cheese has melted.
Uncover the foil and crank the oven to 400F. Continue to bake for 10 minutes, or until golden.
Allow the casserole to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing. Garnish with suggested toppings or others that I listed within the blog post.

NOTES ON THIS RECIPE:

I prefer to layer mine in three layers, but if you want to break up the ingredients to create more layers, go for it! Just be sure to leave enough room for it to expand a bit in the oven while baking.
If preferred, you can totally make this vegetarian. Instead of the ground beef, a few veggie-friendly options to sauté include sliced bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, or yellow squash. You could also add a layer of refried beans or drained black beans.
I like to serve this with homemade flour tortilla chips. This is totally optional and you can certainly serve with bagged tortilla chips if you’d like. I simply cut the tortillas into triangles and fry them in peanut or vegetable oil for a few minutes on each side. Remove the browned chips with a slotted spoon and place them on a paper towel to cool. Sprinkle with salt while they’re still hot for extra flavor.