Mexican Lasagna Recipe - An Easy Twist!

I love lasagna. What is there not to love about pasta and creamy, cheesy goodness?

Of course, I really don't care for how long it takes to put together a good lasagna. Yeah, I know I am a from-scratch martyr, but it just tastes so good.

This lasagna has a more Mexican food vibe with black beans, corn, green chilies and tomatoes. The upside is it is not only a tasty twist, but it cuts down on prep time significantly. Yippee! Just let the can opener do most of the work.

This was my first time trying no-boil noodles. Okay, they did save me time, but I would prefer to roll them out myself. Have you tried these? No boiling or prep needed at all. Just place them in the dish and bake as normal. Since I am pregnant I have been trying to find ways to simplify our nightly meals.

Despite what I would like, sometimes I don't have time to do it all. Luckily this meal doesn't sacrifice on the flavor.

Mexican Lasagna 

You Will Need:

• 1 box of no-boil lasagna noodles
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 can Rotel 
• 1 can corn
• 1 can black beans
• 2 c. Monterey Jack Cheese and Colby Jack, shredded
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1 (15 oz.) container of ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 2 green onions, sliced
• Handful of black olives, sliced

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a 9x12 baking dish, spread a little tomato sauce to just cover the bottom so the noodles are wet and won't stick.

Start with your first layer of no-boil noodles in the pan. One box has enough noodles to cover a 9x12 pan, but just enough so don't overlap unless you need to.

Combine the Rotel, black beans, corn, cumin, and salt in a bowl. Mix them together. This will be the filling for the lasagna.

In another bowl, mix up the ricotta cheese, egg, garlic powder and oregano. Give it a good mix until well incorporated. This will be the ricotta layer.

On your noodles spread half the ricotta mixture, then top with 1/2 the filling and sprinkle on 1/3 cup of grated cheese.

Repeat the layering process with more noodles, the remaining ricotta and remaining filling. Top with a bit more cheese and add your final layer of noodles. I spread just a little tomato sauce on top so the top layer of noodles would be soft then topped with the remaining cheese, green onions and olives.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes, covered with aluminum foil, until the cheese is melted and the lasagna is heated through.

Enjoy!