Taco Lasagna

Don't you just love tacos?!! Now, add in layers of comforting pasta, along with veggie goodness, and you've got something really amazing. Taco meets Lasagna - It's the best of both worlds!! 

We had a crowd over for tacos the other night and as it turns out, I made WAY too much! Enter this recipe... I didn't want to have tacos twice in the same week, so I decided to mix it up a bit. And you know me... I'm all about adding in those extra veggie points. Taco Lasagna is the bomb y'all! This recipe is sure to please your entire family! It's tacos made even better! (Who would have thought that was even possible?!)   

 Printable Recipe 

For the Meat:

• 2 lbs Ground Beef
• 2 Jalapenos, diced
• 1 small Onion, diced
• Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 packets Taco Seasoning
• Water (as indicated on seasoning packets)

For the Vegetable Mix:

• 1 (15oz) can Whole Kernel Corn, drained
• 1 (15oz) can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup diced Green Bell Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Salt
• 1/2 tsp Cumin
• 1/4 tsp Chili Powder
• 1/4 tsp Onion Powder

For Construction:

• 9 Lasagna Noodles
• 3 cups Salsa, divided
• 6 slices Pepper Jack Cheese (sandwich size)
• 2 cups shredded Mexican Cheese Blend

For Garnish:

• Diced Tomatoes
• Sliced Black Olives
• Lettuce
• Sour Cream
• Cilantro

To Prepare:

Begin by making the meat. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet with the onion and jalapeno. Add a generous splash of Worcestershire sauce while the meat is still pink. Once browned, drain any excess fat and return the meat to the pan. Stir in the taco seasoning and recommended amount of water. Finish cooking until the water is absorbed and remove from heat. Sit aside until ready to assemble.

Mix all ingredients for the vegetable layers in a medium bowl, and set to the side.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and add in the lasagna noodles. Boil until desired tenderness, about 10 minutes. Drain and separate the noodles.

Assembly:

Spread 1 cup of salsa to the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. (If it is thick salsa, you may want to add a little water to get a good coverage on the bottom of the pan.) This layer will prevent your lasagna from sticking to the bottom.

Lay 3 lasagna noodles side by side on top of the salsa. Spread 1/2 of the meat mixture on top of that, then 1/2 of the vegetable mix. Lay the pepper jack cheese slices on top. 

Cover the pepper jack layer with another cup of the salsa, and then with 3 more noodles. Spread the last of the meat mixture, then the rest of the veggies. Now add the final 3 noodles, and spread the last cup of salsa on top. (Make sure the noodles are entirely covered. Any piece that is showing will get hard when baking.) Top with the shredded cheese.

Bake in the preheated 350 degree oven until the cheese is melted, and the sides are bubbling.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing into 12 servings.

Once plated, garnish with diced tomatoes, black olives, lettuce, sour cream and cilantro.

Enjoy!