I have been cooking and baking, but not doing much writing. I would love to say I will share all of the recipes that I have been making with you this week…I doubt I will. I can say that I will share a recipe with you that I made for the person who gave me this recipe. I can also say I will try like heck to share some stories of more food adventures in the Denver area.
The recipe I am sharing came from the wife of my oldest brother. She made it for a family get together many, many years ago. I really enjoyed it, and got the recipe. I have made it for my family many times over the years. I got the recipe back out a few weeks ago when I heard that my sister-in-law’s grandmother had passed. I wanted to take her dinner for after the funeral, and pulled this out of the recipe file. I made a double recipe and kept one at home for our dinner. The little girls liked it, and didn’t remember having it before. My Sister-In-Law was glad she did not have to make dinner, and said it had been quite some time since she had made the dish: Mexican Lasagna.
Mexican Lasagna
- 1 ½ pounds ground beef
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 -16 ounce can tomatoes, chopped
- 10-12 corn tortillas
- 2 cups small curd cottage cheese, drained
- 1 cup grated pepper jack cheese
- 1 egg
- ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
- 2 cups lettuce, shredded
- ½ cup tomatoes, chopped
- 3 green onions, chopped
- ¼ cup black olives, sliced or chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef and drain. Add all spices and canned tomatoes and heat through. Cover bottom and sides of a 9 X 13 baking dish with tortillas. Pour beef mixture over tortillas. Place layer of tortillas over mix. Put aside. Combine cottage cheese, jack cheese, and egg. Pour over tortillas. Bake for 30 minutes in preheated oven. Remove from oven and cool for about 10 minutes. Top with rows of shredded cheddar, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and olives.
This casserole has good flavor, and looks pretty. It can be made ahead of time and refrigerated pre-assembled before baking. I generally serve it with rice.
I am glad that my sister-in-law shared this recipe with me all of those years ago, and that I was able to make it for her in a time of sadness.
