Make Ahead Mexican Lasagna Food

MEXICAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• SOAK NOODLES: Place lasagna noodles in the bottom of a long pan. Pour hot tap water over the noodles until they are submerged. Let them soak while you prep the filling - at least 30 minutes. Agitate the noodles with your hands occasionally to prevent them from sticking together.
• PREP: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a deep 9X13-inch pan; set aside. Whisk together the flour and all Meat Filling seasonings (through cayenne pepper); set aside.
• COOK BEEF: Brown beef and onions in a Dutch oven or very large skillet until almost cooked through. Sprinkle in flour/seasonings mixture and cook for two minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the tomato paste and garlic and cook for one minute.
• FILLING INGREDIENTS: Stir in chicken broth, diced tomatoes, green chiles, cocoa powder, sugar and cinnamon. Bring the sauce to a simmer and continue to simmer, stirring often, until thickened, 10-15 minutes. After the sauce has thickened, stir in beans, corn, olives and apple cider vinegar then remove from heat.
• CREAMY FILLING: Meanwhile, whisk all of the Creamy Filling ingredients together in a medium bowl, set aside. Combine cheeses in a separate bowl; set aside.
• ASSEMBLE: Spread 1 cup of meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan (layer will be thin). Place 4 noodles lengthwise and part of a 5th noodle on top to cover. Spread ¾ cup Cream Filling evenly over top followed 1 cup combined cheeses. Repeat layers using two cups meat mixture, 4+ noodles, 3/4 Creamy Filling and 1 cup cheeses two more times for a total of 3 complete layers. To finish, top with remaining meat sauce followed by remaining cheese.
• BAKE: Cover the pan with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for an additional 20 more minutes or until the cheese is melted and casserole is heated through. Remove pan from oven and let stand 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh tomatoes, olives, avocados, cilantro and sour cream if desired.

MAKE-AHEAD MEXICAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, cook garlic, onion, ground beef, chili powder and cumin for 10 minutes until beef is browned and completely cooked.
• Drain if necessary.
• Stir in beans; set aside.
• Combine sour cream and flour until smooth; set aside. Combine tomato sauce and salsa; set aside.
• Place 1 1/2 tortillas in the bottom of lightly oiled 8 cup rectangular baking dish, overlapping slightly.
• Top with half each meat mixture, sour cream mixture and tomato sauce mixture.
• Repeat layers. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hour.
• Bake in 350F oven for 30 minutes until bubbly. Top with cheese, olives, chips and jalapenos; bake for 5 minutes.

THE BEST MAKE-AHEAD LASAGNA

Steps:

• FOR THE SAUCE: Heat the oil in a Dutch oven (or large pot) over medium heat until shimmering.
• Add the onions and cook until softened but not browned, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Stir in the meat, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and cook, breaking the meat into small pieces until the meat loses its raw color but has not browned, about 4 minutes.
• Stir in the cream, bring to a simmer, and cook until the liquid evaporates and only the fat remains, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the tomato puree and drained diced tomatoes (and a splash of your favorite red wine if you feel so inclined).
• Bring to a simmer and cook until the flavors are blended, about 3 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
• FOR THE RICOTTA FILLING: Stir all the ingredients together until combined; set aside.
• TO ASSEMBLE THE LASAGNA: Spread 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch baking dish (avoiding large chunks of meat).
• Place 3 noodles in a single layer.
• Spread each noodle with 1/3 cup of the ricotta mixture.
• Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzerella.
• Spoon 1 cup of sauce evenly over the cheeses.
• Repeat layering twice more.
• Place the remaining 3 noodles on top, cover with the remaining sauce, and sprinkle with 1 cup mozzerella and the Parmesan.
• TO STORE: Wrap the dish tightly with plastic wrap and then foil and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze up to 1 month. (If frozen, the casserole must be thawed completely in the refrigerator, about 24 hours).
• TO SERVE: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and pre-heat to 400 degrees. Unwrap the dish and cover tightly with aluminium foil that has been sprayed with vegetable oil spray (or use nonstick foil). Place a rimmed baking sheet under the dish to catch any overspill. Bake until the sauce bubbles lightly around the edges, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until hot throughout and the cheese is browned in spots, 25 to 30 minutes longer. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
• TO SERVE RIGHT AWAY: Follow instructions above, reducing covered baking time to 15 minutes.

MEXICAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in beans, chilies, taco seasoning and hot salsa., In a greased 13x9-in. baking dish, layer a third of the noodles and meat mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese. Repeat layers twice. , Combine mild salsa and water; pour over top. Cover and bake 1 hour or until heated through. , Top with sour cream, olives, onions, tomatoes if desired and remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes. Let stand 10-15 minutes before cutting.

MAKE-AHEAD MEXICAN LASAGNA FOR TWO

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Brown meat with peppers in large skillet; drain. Return meat mixture to skillet. Add VELVEETA, seasonings and water; stir. Cook 2 to 3 min. or until VELVEETA is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring frequently. Stir in beans and tomatoes; cook 3 min., stirring occasionally.
• Line two 9x5-inch loaf pans with Reynolds Wrap® Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil, letting foil extend 6 inches over each side of pan. Spread 1/2 cup meat mixture onto bottom of each prepared pan; top with 2 tortilla halves and 1 cup of the remaining meat mixture. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Fold ends of foil over lasagna to cover lasagna. (If freezing for later use, use foil handles to remove lasagna from pan. Bring up foil sides. Double fold top and ends to seal packet. Freeze up to 3 months.)
• Bake lasagna 15 to 20 min. or until heated through. Let stand 5 min. before serving.