Julie Clark
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Mexican Lasagna with Noodles
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10 layers of deliciousness. This recipe for Mexican lasagna with noodles is full of pasta, beef, beans and salsa. Comfort food at its best!
Lasagna is one of those classic recipes that is fun to make in a different flavor twist. Sure, there’s traditional lasagna with Italian flavors, but you can also make a chicken bacon ranch lasagna or our taco lasagna recipe.
And when Mexican night rolls around, it’s fun to make this layered Mexican Lasagna with Noodles. Mexican food and pasta go together well in recipes such as taco stuffed shells, taco soup and taco pasta salad, so it was only natural to make a lasagna with Mexican flavors. And the perfect finisher for Mexican night? Homemade tres leches cake. Yum!
Mexican Lasagna Ingredients
This Mexican lasagna recipe is a layered casserole with all of your favorite Mexican flavors (instead of Italian flavors).
- Lasagna noodles. Precook the lasagna noodles until they are al dente. Although our easy lasagna recipe uses no cook noodles, I’ve not tested this recipe without cooking the noodles.
- Ground beef. Use 85% or leaner ground beef. Or swap the beef for ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Refried beans and green chiles. These get added into the beef mixture to make the filling.
- Taco seasoning. If you buy bulk taco seasoning, one packet equals 3 tablespoons.
- Salsa and water. This combination is what lasagna will cook in, similar to spaghetti sauce in traditional lasagna.
- Cheddar cheese. Buy a block of cheddar cheese and shred it at home for the creamiest texture. Want an extra kick of spice? Try pepper jack cheese.
- Sour cream. This gives a creamy layer to the lasagna, and you’ll add it with just 5-10 minutes left of baking.
- Olives, diced tomatoes, green onions. Just as you add toppings to tacos, add fresh toppings to Mexican lasagna, too.
✨ See the recipe card for the full recipe and ingredients. ✨
How to Make Mexican Lasagna with Noodles
- Prepare. Preheat oven to 350º Fahrenheit. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray.
- Boil. Heat a pan of water to boiling and add the lasagna noodles. Cook for about 5-7 minutes until the noodles are softened, but still al dente. They will continue to cook in the casserole.
- Brown. In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain off any fat. Stir in beans, chiles, taco seasoning and ⅔ cup of the salsa.
- Assemble. Cover the bottom of the greased baking pan with a layer of lasagna noodles. Cover with ⅓ of the meat mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese. Repeat layers twice (noodles, meat, cheese, noodles, meat, cheese). Combine the remaining salsa and water. Pour over the top of the casserole.
- Bake. Cover and bake 1 hour or until heated through. Baking time can vary based on the type of pan you use or how warm the ingredients are.
- Top. Top with sour cream, remaining 1 cup of cheese, olives, onions, tomatoes if desired. Bake, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Make Ahead Instructions
Lasagna can be time consuming to make and create lots of dishes. If you’re making this recipe for company, it is nice to get the mess out of the way the day before.
Assemble the lasagna, but don’t bake it. Cover it with aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Then bake as directed in the recipe.
Freezer Instructions
If you want to make this a freezer meal, I recommend freezing this casserole before baking. Make the lasagna, then cover it with plastic wrap and a covering of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 2 months.
When you are ready to bake it, remove from the freezer and defrost it overnight in the fridge. Take the casserole dish out from the refrigerator one hour before baking to help it come to room temperature. Then bake as directed in the recipe.
What to Serve with Mexican Lasagna
Here are a few of our favorite side dishes to serve with this Mexican lasagna with noodles:
- fried plantains
- black beans in the instant pot
- corn and black bean salsa
- mexican layered salad
- mexican tortilla rollups
- green salad
- homemade guacamole
And serve our chocolate tres leches cake for dessert!
You may also love our roast beef enchiladas or easy lasagna soup!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I substitute flour tortillas for lasagna noodles?
Yes, but we prefer this mexican lasagna with noodles. We have a taco lasagna that you might like that uses flour or corn tortillas. See the recipe for taco lasagna.
I don’t like refried beans. Do I have to use them in this recipe?
You can skip the refried beans if you’d like, but I don’t care for them and don’t notice them in this recipe. You can leave them out if you’d like, or use black beans instead.
Can I use chicken instead of beef?
Yes! You can use any ground meat that you’d like. You can also use pre-shredded cooked chicken, roast beef or pork. Any meat works great in this recipe.
Can I use picante sauce instead of salsa?
Yes. You can use either in this recipe.
I don’t like sour cream. What else can I use?
Sour cream really adds a cool, calm flavor to this Mexican lasagna. There isn’t a great substitute for the sour cream that we’ve found. Some may try unflavored Greek yogurt or even a queso sauce if they’d like, but we prefer sour cream.
Mexican Lasagna with Noodles
10 layers of deliciousness. This Mexican lasagna with noodles is full of pasta, beef, beans and salsa. Comfort food at its best!
Servings 15
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 12 ounces uncooked lasagna noodles
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 16 ounces refried beans (1 can)
- 4 ounces chopped green chiles (1 small can)
- 1 envelope taco seasoning 1 ounce
- 24 ounces mild salsa (divided – ⅔ cup goes in with the meat)
- 4 cups cheddar cheese (divided) or colby jack cheese
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2-2 cups sour cream
Toppings:
- 1 can sliced ripe black olives drained (2-¼ ounces)
- 3 green onions chopped
- 1 medium diced tomato
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºFahrenheit. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray.
- Heat a pan of water to boiling and add the lasagna noodles. Cook for about 5-7 minutes until the noodles are softened, but still al dente. They will continue to cook in the casserole. 12 ounces uncooked lasagna noodles
- In a large skillet, cook beef over medium high heat until no longer pink. Drain off any fat. Stir in beans, chilies, taco seasoning and ⅔ cup of the salsa. 2 pounds lean ground beef, 16 ounces refried beans, 4 ounces chopped green chiles, 1 envelope taco seasoning, 24 ounces mild salsa
- Cover the bottom of the greased baking dish with a layer of lasagna noodles. Cover with ⅓ of the beef mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese. Repeat layers twice (noodles, meat, cheese, noodles, meat, cheese). 4 cups cheddar cheese
- Combine the remaining salsa and water. Pour over the top of the casserole. 1 cup water
- Cover with foil and bake 1 hour or until heated through and the noodles are cooked.
- Top with sour cream and remaining 1 cup of cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 5-10 additional minutes or until the cheese is melted. Top with olives, onions, tomatoes if desired. 1 1/2-2 cups sour cream, 1 can sliced ripe black olives, 3 green onions, 1 medium diced tomato
- Garnish with cilantro if desired. Let stand 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving for clean slices.
Video
Notes
- We find this doesn’t need additional salt and pepper because of all the canned ingredients, but feel free to add as needed.
- Other variations: add corn kernels, diced red bell pepper or pinto beans. Monterey Jack is an excellent cheese option, too.
- If you don’t have taco seasoning, you could use a tablespoon of chili powder, a teaspoon of cumin and 2 minced garlic cloves. You can also make our homemade taco seasoning.
- Store any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 472kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 804mg | Potassium: 438mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 814IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 316mg | Iron: 2mg
Hi, Julie…this is awesome..I’ve made it quite a few times…I make it just like the recipe says..and it turns out wonderful! I love that it makes a lot for leftovers and then I freeze some servings. Will check out your other recipes…thank you so much for posting! We love it!
This smells great baking. Putting the sour cream on near the end, we had to just spoon it on in little clumps because it doe not just smooth out on the surface when putting it on the hot ingredients.
Just so you all know.
Thank you for this excelllent recipe💗
Can you use oven ready lasagna?
Where are you finding $1 Tacos????
I found for our family this was an awful lot of salsa so I halved it. I also used gluten free no bake lasagna noodles for a gluten free version. And 1/2 the water. Covered it with alluminum foil. Then baked for just 30 minutes. It looks delish!
Loved it!! Will definitely make it again.
I made a lasagna dish instead of noodles I used sweet potatoes it turned out great my husband does not like sweet potatoes and he liked it same ingredients sauce,hamburger meat seasoning and baked for 40-45 minutes in an 350 oven
I’m only 1 person and your recipes r great. I cut them in half unless family is coming. Seems 2 work out o.k.
I make this all the time, but I use flour tortillas torn up instead of noodles. It takes the same amount of time and goes over better in my family
Does this freeze well?
Love the thought of making this!