Beef & Chorizo Mexican Lasagna

By the time this week is over with, I’m pretty sure I’ll be sick of Mexican inspired dishes! In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I felt compelled to make a dish despite the other Mexican inspired dishes I made yesterday for the pre-celebration and the other Mexican inspired dishes planned for Saturday for a dinner event I’m hosting. But alas, here is a pretty simple Mexican lasagna of sorts.

I love lasagnas for the simple fact that they are nothing but a layered casserole where anything goes! With a starch, cheese, a sauce and some protein all nicely layered and baked up until bubbly, lasagnas are quite a comfort food. Tonight, it’s done with some Mexican flair…

12 corn tortillas
1/2 lb ground beef (85/15)
1/2 soft Mexican chorizo
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
salt & pepper to taste
2 cups refried pinto beans
1 tub ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 cup Mexican cheese blend
2 cups diced tomatoes, pico de gallo or your preferred salsa
sliced green onions (for garnish)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a saute pan over medium high heat, crumble in your ground beef and chorizo; brown. Add the minced garlic and diced onion. Stir and cook until softened. Add the taco seasoning, and salt & pepper to taste. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

In a small bowl, combine the ricotta cheese and egg until incorporated. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Set aside.

In a 9×13 inch baking pan, lightly butter the bottom of the pan. Place 6 corn tortillas on the bottom of the pan, overlapping as needed.

Top the corn tortillas with 1/2 of the refried beans.
Top the beans with 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture.
Top the ricotta layer with 1/2 of the beef and chorizo mixture.
Top the beef and chorizo layer with 1/2 of the shredded Mexican cheese.
Top the shredded cheese layer with 1/2 of the diced tomatoes, pico de gallo or your preferred salsa.

Repeat the process again with the corn tortillas, adding a little more cheese on top for good measure; bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until cheese is melted.

Garnish with sliced green onions and serve up with sour cream and guacamole.