Mexican Lasagna recipe for Reggie

[mollygirl]

Here is the recipe. It's really not an enchilada casserole at all. Of course, I wouldn't say it was "authentic" Mexican, either!

6 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 cans tomato sauce with jalapeños
8 - 12 large flour tortillas
1 can ripe olives, sliced (optional)
1 1/2 pounds Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
2-3 large avocados, peeled and sliced
1 pint sour cream

Cook’s note: Many years ago, I used to be able to find a brand of tomato sauce (I think it was Hunt’s) that was seasoned with diced jalapenos. I don’t think it’s made anymore, so I’ve had to improvise to get the tomato sauce. In some groceries, you can find diced tomatoes with jalapenos or sometimes stewed tomatoes with jalapenos. In either case, you have to puree the tomatoes a bit to get a sauce-like consistency. If you can’t find the tomatoes and jalapenos, you can use regular tomato sauce and add either pickled or fresh jalapenos to taste. It’s more work, but this recipe really needs the spicy tomato sauce.

Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce in a 13 x 9" dish.

Put 4 tortillas in the bottom of the dish next. Overlap the tortillas and let them come up the side of the baking dish.

Top with tomato sauce mixture, avocado slices, sour cream, olives and shredded chicken. Sprinkle with cheese.

Repeat the layers one to two times and end by topping the casserole with cheese.

Bake at 325 until hot and bubbling.

[janetms383]

Being a So Cal girl, I was surprised I hadn't had "Mexican Lasagna". Have to agree that I don't think this is an authentic dish, but I was intrigued. I followed your recipe exactly and OH MY! This was delicious!!

Thanks for posting the recipe. So good, I brought leftovers for lunch today.

[ReggieL.]

Thank you for putting "Mexican Lasagna" in quotations.

[danhole]

I have never seen a dish like this with avocados in it! Sounds good! Do they end up creamy and buttery?

[mollygirl]

They do end up creamy especially since there is sour cream in the layers as well. I was surprised that the shape of the slices holds up so well.

[danhole]

You know, this recipe sort of reminds me of a baked mexican 7 layer dip. I wonder what a layer of refried beans would add to the mix, under the avocados. When I make that dip I always add some taco seasoning to the beans to spice it up. Hmmm! Intriguing. Thanks for sharing molly.

Dani

[ReggieL.]

I was thinking about sub'ing beans for the chicken.

[mollygirl]

I know that a lot of Mexican Lasagna recipes include beans. I personally love beans, but in this casserole, I like the like taste and texture of the original recipe.

[danhole]

I wouldn't remove the chicken, just add the beans.

[raygunclan]

with the chicken, i bet some smashed and seasoned black beans would be a good addition.
i have a vat of fresh salsa that i made yesterday (which means that we will be eating mexican all week!) and this looks like the perfect recipe for my 11 year old to make. mollygirl, she will be your biggest fan!

[danhole]

I agree ray! The variations on Mexican lasagna are so vast that it's sort of an anything goes recipe. But Molly's is the first I have seen with avocado, and that really makes it special. I still would put the beans under the avocados and other stuff. But to be fair it probablly should be prepared the first time exactly as she wrote it and then go from there.

[raygunclan]

so what we did...
sliced and fried up some corn tortillas.
bottom layer was smooshed black beans (with cumin, monterrey jack and a small dollop of sour cream).
next layer was sour cream.
next jack cheese.
next 1/2 of tortillas.
ground chicken with taco seasoning and garlic.
guacamole.
2nd 1/2 of tortillas.
rest of jack cheese.
i let my 11 year old make it all. she decided that it would be much better with taco meat in it than shredded chicken. we'll see. it is in the oven now.
oh! and at dinner we will serve it with my homemade salsa.
thanks again molly!

[mollygirl]

I'm glad I provided inspiration but disappointed you didn't try my recipe. :-)

[janetms383]

What you made are Nachos.

[raygunclan]

not really. i did it in an oval dish and it was about 3 inches high. it was more of a casserole. but we liked it and my daughter was proud of it and that is all that matters to us.
thanks for the recipe.

[janetms383]

Let's see.
Fried Corn chips, bean, taco meat cheese, guacamole, salsa.......
sounds like nachos to me.
Oh, it's 3 inches high.... still sounds like nachos to me.

[ReggieL.]

I think you guys missed the entire "Mexican Lasagna" thread. If you'd like to argue the name of the dish or the ingredients, please read and respond there. If not, give some respect for Mollygirl for giving us a recipe.

[raygunclan]

i used her recipe but let my 11 year old make it. if janet is desperate to call it nachos, let it be nachos. i was super excited to have a new idea that i hadn't heard of, but if my child wants to experiment with her cooking, good or bad, i will support her and certainly not tell her that her lasagna, casserole, whatever she wants to call it is nachos, unless, that is what she was shooting for.
i totally think that it would've been better with shredded chicken, more authentic, but i left it up to her to use her creativity with the dish. i don't think that molly feels disrespected because a child didn't follow her recipe to the t. i thanked her multiple times for posting the recipe.

[chef chicklet]

I've had this casserole before. I didn't make it but a friend did. She layered some chilis in there, tossed cilantro and scallions and diced tomatoes over all at the end. I think there was a bit of cheddar added to the top too. This is a really good casserole. Thanks for posting it, I had forgotten about it.

[ReggieL.]

Thanks! I'm going to give it a whirl at some point this week.