Mexican Meal With an Italian Twist

Julie Grabenkort and her husband Rob have lived in Duluth for the past 23 years and raised their two daughters here. With it’s wonderful emphasis on patriotism and love of country, they love being a part of the community.

With her busy job as a Gwinnett County school nurse, you can imagine that Grabenkort likes to have meals that are relatively quick to prepare. One of these, which has always been a family favorite, is Mexican lasagna.

Their two daughters Beth and Bonnie, who are now grown and living away from home, both enjoy cooking and like to try new and different types of recipes. Grabenkort'd say that with influences on good nutrition and great availability of fresh fruits and vegetables the girls have cooking styles somewhat different than those they were exposed to growing up. Consequently, Grabenkort has changed some of her old cooking habits. She says her daughters have “influenced my cooking as much as I have theirs.”

Even with cooking style changes, Mexican lasagna is a dish that all three of them like to serve. Grabenkort says “it makes a lot and is good when you’re serving a group.” Why not try the Mexican dish with an Italian twist at your house?

Mexican Lasagna

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

ingredients:
1 package corn tortillas
*1 pound ground beef
1 cup salsa
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 (16 ounce) carton cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 teaspoon oregano
1½ cups shredded cheddar and Monterrey jack cheese, mixed garnish -- optional, but I’d opt for it.
sour cream
green onions, chopped

Prep:

*Brown meat and drain. Stir in salsa, tomato sauce and taco seasoning. Simmer, stirring frequently for 5 minutes. 

In separate bowl combine cottage cheese, eggs and oregano. 

Line bottom of lightly greased 9x13-inch baking dish with half of the tortillas, overlapping edges. Top with half the meat mixture. Spoon cottage cheese mixture over meat. Arrange remaining tortillas over cheese mixture. Spread remaining meat mixture over all. Top with shredded cheese. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. 

Garnish with dollop of sour cream and chopped green onions. 

Serve with salsa and chips and a green salad.

*Big Idea from Carol: I like to buy ground chuck/beef in large quantities (5 lbs. or more) and brown that all at once. I place it in a colander after browning and briefly rinse it with hot water to remove much of the fat. This may take away a tiny bit of flavor, but I think it’s a good trade for all of the fat you get rid of. 

After the meat is cool, package it in small freezer bags in 1-2 lb. quantities. (So, if you’ve browned 5 lbs, divide it into 5 fairly equal piles. Guesstimation is a key to great cooking.) Then, when making a recipe such as this or any other recipe calling for browned ground beef, you have it already cooked and ready to go.