Mexican Lasagna

A spicier spin on lasagna, when I first made this dish for my family, it was such a huge hit, my mom constantly asked me to make it again. While I’m not a huge fan of this recipe anymore, I did make it once or twice when I still ate red meat and it was fantastic. For those who are like me and don’t eat red meat, 1 lb. of chicken can be substituted for the beef. Actually, if I recall correctly, the recipe I based this one off of was made with chicken, so while it may not be traditional, it’s still delicious.

1-1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 small onion, diced

3/4 cup water

1 - 1.5-oz. packet taco seasoning mix

1 cup salsa

1 - 10-oz. can enchilada sauce

1 - 16-oz. can refried beans

1/3 cup taco sauce

1 - 12-oz. carton cottage cheese

2 eggs

1/4 cup minced cilantro

9 uncooked lasagna noodles

1 - 8-oz. bag shredded Mexican or taco cheese

Preheat oven to 375°. In a large skillet, cook beef with onion until no longer pink. Drain excess grease. Add the water, taco seasoning and salsa. Stir until well blended. Add enchilada sauce to the beef mixture and simmer about 15 minutes or until thickened. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine refried beans and taco sauce. In another small bowl, mix together, cottage cheese, eggs and cilantro. Spread 1/3 of the beef mixture into the bottom of a greased 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Layer with three lasagna noodles, 1/2 of the refried bean mixture, 1/2 of the cottage cheese mixture and 1/3 of a bag of shredded cheese. Repeat the layers once more. Top with remaining noodles, beef mixture and cheese. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting.