Mexican Lasagna

This Mexican Lasagna is made with layers of chorizo, corn tortillas, fire roasted tomato sauce and 2 kinds of cheese! It’s easy, cheesy and oh so delicious. 

When you hear the word “lasagna” it probably conjures up images of the Italian comfort food classic. You know, the one made with wide pasta, ragu or béchamel, vegetables and cheese.  It’s a classic for a reason. Mexican lasagna on the other hand, has a bit of a twist. And a delicious one at that.

There are a couple things that make this different than your traditional lasagna. First, instead of your traditional ground beef and tomato sauce, I kick things up a bit with a chorizo and fire roasted tomato sauce. Instead of mozzarella, I use pepper jack and cotija cheese. Finally, instead of pasta noodles, the layers of meaty cheesy goodness are separated by corn tortillas. Like a said, it is quite the delicious twist.

Let’s talk in a little more detail about everything you’ll need to make it:

Mexican Lasagna Ingredients:

• CHORIZO: I love adding chorizo to Mexican dishes whenever I can. Chorizo is a highly seasoned pork sausage. It is usually found either cured or raw. For this recipe, you’ll use raw chorizo. You should be able to find it in your grocery store or you can even make your own Homemade Chorizo.
• OLIVE OIL
• ONION: Yellow or white onion is best for this dish.
• JALAPEÑO: If you want to cut back on the spice, remove the seeds from the jalapeño.
• TOMATO SAUCE
• FIRE ROASTED TOMATOES: This will add a smokiness to the sauce for the lasagna.
• SALT
• CUMIN: Adds warm, earthy flavor.
• GRANULATED GARLIC: You can also use garlic powder. If you only have garlic salt, you can use that but omit the additional salt in the recipe.
• CHILI POWDER: Adds a bit of smoky heat.
• CAYENNE PEPPER: This is optional but adds a bit more heat.
• CORN TORTILLAS: These replace the noodles in the lasagna. I prefer to use corn tortillas, instead of flour, because they hold up better to the sauce and won’t get that “gummy” texture.
• PEPPER JACK CHEESE: This melts beautifully and works great in this dish. It’s not too spicy but if you’re worried you can substitute jack cheese.
• COTIJA CHEESE: Cotija cheese a salty, crumbly Mexican cheese. It doesn’t melt as well as the jack cheese but adds a fabulous salty flavor.
• GREEN ONIONS
• CILANTRO

Step by Step Photos and Instructions:

• STEP #1: Add the chorizo to a large pan. Cook over medium heat until browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Reserve pan drippings.
• STEP #2: Make the sauce by adding olive oil to the reserved pan drippings. Then  cook jalapeños and onions until they start to soften. Add in the fire roasted tomatoes, tomato sauce and seasonings. Simmer 20 minutes.
• STEP #3: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• STEP #4: Make the lasagna. Spread a little of the sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Place 6 tortillas on top of the sauce. Spoon half the sauce over the top. Top with half of pepper jack cheese. Repeat layers. Bake.
• STEP #5: Remove from oven and sprinkle with cotija cheese, green onions and cilantro. Bake for 10 more minutes. Allow to cool slightly, slice and then serve.

Storage and Leftovers:

Keep leftovers stored in the refrigerator and use within a few days. You can cover and reheat in a 350 degree oven until warmed through.

Recipe FAQ:

Note: This post was originally published in 2010. It was updated in 2023 with new step by step photos, nutrition information and a slightly modified recipe.

Mexican Lasagna

Lasagna with a Mexican twist. Chorizo & fire roasted tomato sauce, tortillas and 2 kinds of cheese. Hungry yet?

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 55 mins

Total Time 1 hr 15 mins

Course Main Dishes

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 6 Servings

Calories 542 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Ingredients:

• ▢ 16 ounces chorizo
• ▢ 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ▢ 1/2 medium onion diced
• ▢ 1 jalapeno diced
• ▢ 14.5 ounces fire roasted tomatoes
• ▢ 8 ounces tomato sauce
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
• ▢ 12 corn tortillas
• ▢ 8 ounces pepper jack cheese shredded
• ▢ 1/2 cup crumbled cojita cheese
• ▢ 2 green onions diced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

 

• ▢
  Brown chorizo in a pan over medium heat. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
• ▢
  In the same pan that you cooked the chorizo in reserve the pan drippings and add olive oil. Cook onions and jalapeno until softened, 3- 4 minutes. Stir in fire roasted tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, cumin, chili powder and cayenne pepper (if using). Bring to a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly. Return the chorizo to the sauce.
• ▢
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• ▢
  Spoon a little bit of the sauce onto the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Place 6 tortillas lengthwise in the pan to cover most of the bottom of the pan. Spoon half of the sauce over the top. Top with half of the pepper jack cheese. Place remaining three tortillas on top of the cheese. Then the remaining sauce and the remaining pepper jack cheese. Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes or until edges are bubbly. Remove from oven sprinkle with cojita cheese, green onions and cilantro. Cook for 10 more minutes or until cojita cheese has melted slightly.
• ▢
  Remove from oven and allow too cool several minutes. Slice and serve.

Notes

Nutrition information for estimation purposes only. 

Nutrition

Calories: 542kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 27gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 92mgSodium: 875mgPotassium: 287mgFiber: 5gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1183IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 419mgIron: 3mg

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Keywords: chorizo, cojita cheese, comfort food, cookbook, Food, lasagna, mexican, mexican lasagna, Pam Anderson, pepper jack cheese, Recipe, sunday dinner