Tex-Mex “Lasagna”

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the green chiles and cook until heated through. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

3. Turn heat up to medium-high and, using the same pan, brown the ground beef. Once completely browned, drain and return to pan. Add in the taco seasoning packets and the water. Cook until all meat is coated in the sauce and thickened, as if you are making tacos. Turn off heat and set aside.

4. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the black beans, salsa and sour cream. Set aside. Shred your cheese if not pre-shredded and set aside.

5. Using a 13 x 9 cake pan or casserole dish, begin the assembly process (I made 3 layers). On the bottom, place a couple tablespoons of the onion and chile mixture. Next layer will be 6 corn tortillas (it’s okay if they overlap), ground beef, onion and chile mixture, black bean and salsa mixture, then top with cheese. Repeat layering process 2 more times, but on the last layer, don’t use the cheese on the bean and salsa mixture. Instead, use the last 6 tortillas and then cover those with the rest of the cheese.

6. Cover the “lasagna” with foil and bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes. Then increase oven temperature to 400ºF, remove the foil, and bake for 15 more minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes before slicing.

This made 12 generous portions.