Josh's first comment on tonight's dinner was, "There should be a Mexican restaurant that only serves Mexican food that's an imitation of Italian food." Additional comments were, "This is good," and, "This is really good." The dish was Mexican Lasagna. It was easy and tasty, and I will add it to my cooking repertoire along with Mexican Spaghetti. Recipes follow.
Mexican Lasagna recipe
1 spray olive oil cooking spray
2 lbs. uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast
30 ounces canned black beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups sour cream
2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, or Mexican-style cheese blend
8 ounces chopped green chilies, two 4-oz cans
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon black pepper
12 medium corn tortillas, cut into 2-inch strips
1 cup salsa, mild, medium or hot
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a lasagna pan with cooking spray.
Place chicken in medium saucepan and fill with enough cold water just to cover chicken. Set pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes; drain. When chicken is cool enough to handle, cut into 1-inch pieces.
Transfer chicken to a large bowl and add beans, sour cream, 1 cup of shredded cheese, chilies, cumin, and pepper; mix well and set aside.
Arrange half of tortillas in bottom of prepared lasagna pan, overlapping pieces to cover surface. Top tortillas with half of chicken mixture, layer with remaining tortillas and then top with remaining chicken mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese.
Bake until filling is bubbly and cheese is melted, about 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing into 12 pieces. Serve with salsa on the side.
Mexican Spaghetti recipe
4 ounce spaghetti
8.75 ounce corn, canned
¾ cup salsa
¼ cup sliced black olives
1 tbsp cilantro
¼ cup cheese
Cook spaghetti 10-12 minutes until tender but still firm
Drain well
Return spaghetti to pan
Drain corn and add to spaghetti
Also add salsa, olives, and cilantro
Toss over low heat until spaghetti is coated and mixture is hot
If desired, sprinkle with 1/4 c cheese