Taco Lasagna

Layers of seasoned beef and black beans, salsa, cheddar cheese and corn tortillas are baked together in a yummy casserole and topped with lettuce, tomatoes and jalapeño slices. Hello Taco Tuesday!

May 14, 2024

If Taco Tuesday is a dinner theme at your house, how about trying a different spin and make taco lasagna? All your favorite taco fillings are layered like lasagna in a casserole dish and baked until bubbly. Topped with crisp lettuce, diced tomato, and thinly sliced jalapeño, this easy weeknight dinner is going to get rave reviews.

Let me walk you through the assembly process. I’ll also show you where I made some healthy tweaks.

Layer #1 – Seasoned ground beef and black beans

The first (or bottom) layer consists of ground beef sirloin, black beans, diced onion, and minced jalapeños flavored with a taco seasoning packet. To keep the sodium in check, I used McCormick’s 30% less sodium taco seasoning packet. Adding black beans to this layer gave the casserole a healthy fiber boost, along with some extra protein.

Layer #2 – Salsa

Next up is the salsa. Use whatever brand you prefer. I really like the flavor of Garden Fresh Gourmet Salsa. Look for it in the refrigerated section of the produce aisle.

Layer #3 – Shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

Now comes the cheese. I prefer buying a small block of cheese and grating it myself instead of purchasing bagged, shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is often tossed in potato starch to keep the shreds from sticking together. The added starch can have a drying effect on the cheese that yields a somewhat grainy, dry texture when melted. I also like using “extra sharp” cheddar. Extra sharp cheese is aged longer, resulting in a bolder, more intense flavor. This flavor boost allows you to use less cheese, and adding less cheese to this taco casserole helps to lower calories, saturated fat, and sodium.

Layer#4 – Corn tortillas

Corn tortillas, cut into thick strips, take the place of lasagna noodles in this Mexican-inspired dish. In this recipe, I think the flavor and texture of corn tortillas is far superior to flour tortillas. A nutritional benefit to using corn tortillas is they tend to have a lot less sodium than flour tortillas. Some flour tortillas can have close to 300 milligrams of sodium per tortilla, while soft corn tortillas have about 5 milligrams.

Once you’ve assembled this first layering sequence, repeat the process again. Top the final tortilla layer with the remaining beef and bean mixture, salsa, and cheese. Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Before slicing, give this delicious casserole a 15-minute resting period. When ready to serve, top the casserole with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and jalapeño slices. Of course, the topping ideas are endless – diced avocado, cilantro leaves, sour cream, guacamole, or sliced black olives are just a few things that come to mind.

To your health,

Darlene

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TACO LASAGNA

Yield: 6 servings

Serving Size: 1 piece

Prep: 20 minutes

Ready: 1 hour and 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Vegetable oil cooking spray
8 ounces ground beef sirloin
1/2 cup diced onion
2 tablespoons minced jalapeño pepper
1 (1 ounce) 30% less sodium taco seasoning packet (such as McCormick)
3/4 cup water
1 can (15 ounce) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups salsa
4 ounces (about 2 cups) finely grated extra sharp cheddar cheese
4 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into 3 thick strips
2 cups thinly sliced lettuce
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1/4 cup thinly sliced jalapeño pepper

DIRECTIONS

Coat a 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook beef until crumbly and no longer pink; about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and discard excess fat from cooked beef. Add onion and jalapeño to skillet with cooked beef and continue to cook until vegetables soften; about 3 minutes. To beef mixture, add taco seasoning packet and water and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and continue cooking 2 to 3 minutes, allowing sauce to thicken. Turn off heat, add beans and gently stir to combine.
To assemble lasagna, spread a third of beef and black bean mixture in bottom of prepared baking dish. Top with 1/2 cup salsa, 1/2 cup cheese, and 6 tortilla strips. Repeat process with a third of beef and black bean mixture, 1/2 cup salsa, 1/2 cup cheese, and remaining 6 tortilla strips. Top tortilla strips with remaining beef and black bean mixture, 1/2 cup salsa, and remaining cheese.
Cover baking dish with foil and place in a preheated 350-degree F oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow lasagna to sit for 15 minutes before slicing. To serve, top with lettuce, diced tomato, and jalapeño slices.

Nutrition Information per Serving

275 Calories, 11 g Total fat, 5 g Saturated fat, 0 g Trans fat, 44 mg Cholesterol, 696 mg Sodium, 27 g Total carbohydrate, 6 g Dietary fiber, 9 g Total sugars, 0 g Added sugars, 17 g Protein, 0 mcg (0%) Vitamin D, 257 mg (20%) Calcium, 2 mg (10%) Iron, 424 mg (10%) Potassium