Craving a little something different, and as always I was trying to clean out my fridge I decided that I would make a Mexican lasagna. And in true Short Presents fashion I had to make it healthier, because I used a low fat cheese, as well as ground chicken I eliminated a large bulk of the fat.
I also avoided using a bottle sauce which cuts out a lot of the sugar. You’d be SO surprised to learn the amount of sugar in bottled tomato sauces. Clearly not the best option to be eating all the time, but this recipe certainly is a great treat every once in a while especially when you’re craving some comfort food.
Feel free to experiment with various types of wraps you could use spinach or tomato to add a great pop of color, but the basic ones work great too! This photo was taken just as the lasanga came out of the oven, if you leave it sit for about 5 minutes (like you’re supposed to) it’ll firm up and won’t be a floppy as you see here. They say ‘patience is a virtue’, but I think mine goes out the window when I’m hungry enough to eat my own arm off.
This was the first time I made this recipe, but if you’ve made a traditional lasagna before you can totally do this, and bonus you don’t need to cook (or handle) your noodles before hand. It can be whipped up on a dime, so it’s a great mid-week dinner especially if you have hungry kids on your hands.
MEXICAN LASAGNA W/ GROUND CHICKEN
Inspired by this recipe found at the The Food Network
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 package of extra lean ground chicken or turkey
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can of san marzano tomatoes (via Cost-co)
1 cup frozen corn kernels
a pinch of salt (or paprika)
8 (8 inch) flour tortillas
2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar (give or take)
Optional toppings:
2 scallions, finely chopped
Sour Cream
Cilantro
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Just cover the bottom of the pot with water. Add chicken and season with all spices mentioned above, and red onion. Brown the meat, 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, and corn. Heat the mixture through, 2 to 3 minutes then season with salt, to your taste. ( I added paprika and omitted salt).
Coat a shallow baking dish with about 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil. Cut the tortillas in half or quarters to make them easy to layer with. Build lasagna in layers of meat, then tortillas, then cheese. Repeat: meat, tortilla, cheese again. Bake lasagna 12 to 15 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly. Top with the scallions, sour cream and serve.
Happy Tuesday! Hope you enjoy this recipe.
xx Short Presents
