Tex Mex Lasagna - this casserole dish turns your traditional lasagna into a Tex Mex dish with the Mexican flavors you love.
While still using pasta, we add in beans, corn, and your favorite spices like cumin, corriander, and chili powder.
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Ingredients you'll need for tex mex lasagna
- ground beef
- taco seasoning (here's the recipe I use)
- roasted green chile
- frozen corn
- enchilada sauce
- pinto beans
- cottage cheese
- pepperjack cheese
- egg
- cumin
- corriander
- chili powder
- salt & pepper
- lasagna noodles
- cheddar cheese
how to make tex mex lasagna
Detailed instructions and measurements are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large, deep skillet add your ground beef and sprinkle with the taco seasoning. Cook, breaking up into pieces until no longer pinked and fully cooked through.
- Add the green chiles, frozen corn, enchilada sauce, and pinto beans to the skillet. Simmer for 10 minutes and remove from the stove.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine the cottage cheese, 1 cup of pepperjack cheese, egg, cumin, coriander, chili powder, pepper, and salt.
- Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick spray and add a thin layer of sauce to the bottom. Assemble your lasagna as follows: thin layer of sauce, 3 lasagna noodles, ½ of your cheese mixture, a layer of sauce, 3 lasagna noodles, the remainder of your cheese mixture, a layer of sauce, 3 lasagna noodles, the remainder of your sauce, and then top with your shredded cheddar and remaining pepper jack.
- Cover your lasagna with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Tips and tricks
Always allow any lasagna to cool at least 10 minutes before serving. By allowing it to properly cool, it won't be runny and separate. It will stay together when you cut and serve.
DO NOT use "oven ready" noodles. I hate them. They result in a rubbery texture. Use just regular lasagna noodles, uncooked.
Use an enchilada sauce you love! Whether that's homemade, canned, whatever. We personally really love Gebhardt brand enchilada sauce. The flavor is spot on.
faqs
Can I use oven-ready lasagna noodles? No. Please don't. I'm begging you.
Can I use canned corn? Absolutely.
Why cottage cheese instead of ricotta cheese? My favorite traditional lasagna uses cottage cheese and we prefer the resulting flavor.
Cottage cheese gives a more salty flavor while ricotta gives a sweeter flavor. I reserve ricotta for stuffed shells, manicotti, etc. But you do you! If you'd prefer ricotta over cottage cheese, feel free to use that.
Can I replace the noodles with tortillas? You can. I purposely wanted this recipe to be a pasta based recipe, but if you'd prefer tortillas, feel free to sub them out. You wont' need as long of cooking time.
alterations for picky eaters
Use their favorite protein/meat - whether that is ground chicken, ground beef, ground turkey, etc. Use the one they love.
Don't let them see the cottage cheese!! When the lasagna is done, there's no trace of cottage cheese texture so if they're someone that freaks out about seeing what's in a recipe, don't let them see that step.
If they're sensitive to spice, omit the green chile, chili powder, and use monterrey jack cheese in place of the pepper jack.
Use their favorite beans. If they don't like pinto, opt for black beans, cannellini beans, whatever they enjoy!
Use a great tasting enchilada sauce. I can't stress enough how much of a difference the right enchilada sauce can make!
alterations to lower calories or ww points in tex mex lasagna
- Use ground turkey, elk, or venison in place of ground beef
- Use extra lean ground beef
- Choose a lower calorie/lower point enchilada sauce
- Use whole wheat lasagna noodles for a zero point option on WW Purple Plan
- Choose a low fat/non fat cottage cheese
- Use reduced fat or fat free versions of cheddar and pepper jack cheeses
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Tex Mex Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- ½ cup chopped roasted green chile
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- 20 oz enchilada sauce
- 15 oz canned pinto beans rinsed and drained
- 2 cups cottage cheese
- 2 cups shredded pepperjack cheese divided
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon corriander
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- salt & pepper to taste
- 9 lasagna noodles do NOT use oven ready
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large, deep skillet add your ground beef and sprinkle with the taco seasoning. Cook, breaking up into pieces until no longer pinked and fully cooked through.
- Add the green chiles, frozen corn, enchilada sauce, and pinto beans to the skillet. Simmer for 10 minutes and remove from the stove.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine the cottage cheese, 1 cup of pepperjack cheese, egg, cumin, coriander, chili powder, pepper, and salt.
- Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick spray and add a thin layer of sauce to the bottom. Assemble your lasagna as follows: thin layer of sauce, 3 lasagna noodles, ½ of your cheese mixture, a layer of sauce, 3 lasagna noodles, the remainder of your cheese mixture, a layer of sauce, 3 lasagna noodles, the remainder of your sauce, and then top with your shredded cheddar and remaining pepper jack.
- Cover your lasagna with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Amy
My kids are absolutely obsessed with this recipe! They ask for it once a week now, so easy to make and kid approved.