Thursday, April 2, 2009

Mexican Lasagna

A couple of weeks ago I was in the kitchen preparing dinner and watching Rachel Ray on the Food Network. Rachel was making Mexican Lasagna. I was totally captivated. I walked from the kitchen to the family room, sat down and for the next 25 minutes she has my undivided attention. I couldn't wait to make this!


Mexican Lasagna is one of the most complete comfort foods in the Tex Mex category. One of the best attributes is it is filling, but not heavy. In other words you don't retire from the table to the recliner and unbutton your pants. You'll see by the list of ingredients that this lasagna is packed full of flavor.


2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound ground pork
1 pound lean ground beef
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (15-ounce) can hominy
1 large red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, de-seeded and chopped
12 large tomatillos, peeled and quartered
A handful cilantro or parsley leaves
3 avocados
2 limes
2 tablespoons honey
1 package large flour tortillas
1 pound pepper Jack cheese, shredded
Sour cream, to pass at table


Place rack in oven in middle of oven and heat broiler.

Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and ground beef and crumble it up as it browns. While the meat is browning, season it with cumin, coriander and salt and pepper. Once browned evenly, stir in drained hominy and reduce heat to simmer.

While meat is cooking heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium pot, add onions, garlic and peppers, season with salt and pepper and saute until softened 5 to 6 minutes.

Place tomatillos and cilantro or parsley in food processor and process until almost smooth. Pour into onion and garlic mixture and simmer to mellow, 5 to 6 minutes more.

Replace the processor bowl. Pit and scoop the avocado flesh into the processor, add 1 teaspoon of lime zest and lime juice from the 2 limes. Add the honey, puree until smooth and season with a little salt. Stir the avocado mixture into the green sauce and remove from heat.

Char all of the tortillas over an open flame, in dry hot skillet or grill pan.







In a 9 x 13 baking dish, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray layer sauce, tortilla, meat, cheese, tortilla, sauce, meat, cheese. you'll probably only have room for 2 layers.



Place baking dish in the oven and bake for 4 to 5 minutes until bubbly and cheese is brown. Pass sour cream at the table.






Get in touch with your inner Mexican grandmother and make this today!


39 comments:

  1. We are real Mexican freaks around this house, so I'm just going to have to make this recipe! It looks so goooooooood!!!

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  2. OMG!! I saw the same show and thought how delicious, I have to try this. I am sooo glad to hear your opinion on it.. I will be making it, love all the things she tossed in.. It looks fabulous!!

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  3. ooo, that sounds good! I've never had a tex-mex lasagna - will be trying it soon!

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  4. I saw this episode and thought that it looked yummy. I am going to make this lasagna this week. Good to know from someone that it turned out! Thanks!

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  5. Katherine This looks so great my husband keeps asking me to make something with hominy this looks great can't wait to try.

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  6. Katherine, this looks like a recipe that has to be put to work...you are awesome in your ability to come up with scrumpdillicious recipes; I know I can trust you when you say it works. Keep on keepin-on.

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  7. Oooh Katherine how I could go for some of this Mexican Lasagna! I absolutely love the flavors of Mexican foods, but DH not... so it gives the opportunity of having dinner w/my GF's.

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  8. Love the Mexican twist on an Italian classic!

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  9. Oh man...this looks AMAZING!

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  10. Different concept. I'm not one for piling food together - being a strict food segregationalist, but it's pretty!

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  11. hey, this looks a tiny bit like my Trop-Mex shepherd's pie! but bet it tastes soooo much better! Mmm!
    oh, and thank you so much for your lovely comment...it makes me feel so warm and good how you "mommy" me, actually. hee!

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  12. That looks absolutely delicious and I can just see myself making this in the future. My son would LOVE this and so would I!!!

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  13. That looks like a crowd pleaser, for sure!

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  14. Whoa! This looks so amazing, and it's much different than what I was thinking it would be! I fear that I will eat enough that I'll have to retire to the recliner and do the pants thingee! That hominy has me totally captivated, and the addition of honey took me by surprise, too. Great recipe! YUM!

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  15. Hi,
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  16. I've never tried this before but it sounds fantastic! I definitely need to get in touch with my inner mexican grandma as you suggest! (that cracked me up).

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  17. Hi Katherine! This looks delicious! I have made some Mexican Lasagnas before, but this one looks different and so yummy!

    I will be making this soon!

    Thanks so much!

    XOXO
    Jen

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  18. Katherine,

    I love this! I've made Alton Brown's Enchilada Lasanga a million times, but I love this twist!

    Great minds do think alike!

    Let's have a fiesta!

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  19. How can I resist this Katherine? It sounded so good, I am sold on the avocado. Hope I can make this soon.
    Cheers,
    elra

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  20. Congrats on being saucy! How funny that you have this recipe up, I put up a Mexican lasagna on my blog on Monday.....

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  21. This looks awesome. I need to really find a good vegan lasagna...that would be so handy to make on the weekends and freeze!

    NAOmni

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  22. Oh my goodness, think this MIGHT just be on the menue this weekend. Thanks so much for posting.

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  23. Oooh, this looks wonderful! I love all the layers!

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  24. Love Mexican lasagna! I have found that the only thing my flat top ceramic stove is good for is charring tortillas--I just hold it with tongs, slap it right down on the burner on high for 2-3 seconds and then flip it over! I've never put hominy in it; bet it gives it a nice "corny" masa-type flavor:)

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  25. I have never heard of such a thing, but we love Mexican Food so I will have to make it. Every single recipe you make I want to try!!!

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  26. nice! this is the perfect marriage of my love for mexican and my husbands love of lasagna

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  27. Now I know what else to do with my tomatillos

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  28. Rachael Ray makes some of the best stuff and usually so very easy. I am a mexican food fanatic. Using pablano and jalapeno peppers in most things I cook, so I will be making this recipe for sure. Thanks for sharing it and thank you also for leaving a comment on my blog. I just found the whole blog world about 4 months ago and find it fascinating!

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  29. This looks so delicious! I am always looking for new ways to get in those Mexican flavors and ingredients that I love. This is so creative.

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  30. Ok, I give!! I have to quit going to my favorite blogs tonight because for some reason I am starving!! I have one thing to say about your Mexican Lasagna YUMMY YUMMY AND MORE YUMMY!!

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  31. I wish I could eat all these now this second.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog and your kind comment. Feel free to visit again.
    Keep posting.............

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  32. I just love the sound of mexican lasagna! Sounds like great comfort food.

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  33. I need me one Mexican Grandmother to fix this for me and then help me eat it, 'casue I think no one would help me at my house. Not to big on Tex Mex around my place.

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  34. Mexican food are great...

    Lasagna is one of the best food...

    Mexican Lasagna.... must be a perfect dish!!! :)

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  35. Oooooo, I'll have to make this one! We love tex-mex at my house! Just the picture is making me drool.Thanks for the post!

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  36. Mmmm, Mexican lasagna sounds soooo good. I'm going to save this recipe. I currently have a HUGE lasagna sitting in my refrigerator. This thing might last us weeks (of course, I'll freeze it). I don't know how to do a small lasagna. But, alas, once we finish the current one, I'm totally making this Mexican version!

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  37. with ll this cheese, I couldn't resist one second

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Thanks for stopping by, I enjoy reading your comments.

Katherine