Recipe Time

At the Bogie household, we eat Mexican-type food a couple times a week. Sometimes though, I get tired of making the same old tacos, burritos and enchiladas so make time to make a hearty Taco Lasagna. It is a bit time consuming (to those of us that don't like to cook anyway), but makes at least 8 large servings and provides us with lots of leftovers for lunch and another supper.

2 pounds ground beef
2 pkgs taco seasoning (my personal favorite is made by McCormick)
4 cloves pressed garlic (optional)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 1 1/2 Cups water
1 TBSP cornmeal
2 pkgs corn tortillas (10-12 per package)
1 - 24 oz jar salsa
1 Cup sliced onions (optional)
16 oz sour cream mixed with 1 TBSP chili powder
3 Cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
3 Cups shredded Chedder cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Cook the ground beef until brown, drain well
Add taco seasoning, garlic, cayenne pepper and water to the cooked ground beef
Simmer uncoverd for 10 minutes (stirring occasionally), then set aside

Sprinkle the cornmeal in the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking pan. Place 6 corn tortillas in the bottom of the pan. Overlap and extend the edges up slightly.

Layer ingredients on top of the corn tortillas in the following order:
1 Cup salsa
1/2 of meat mixture
1/2 Cup onions
1 Cup sour cream mixture
1 Cup of Monterey Jack cheese
1 Cup of Cheddar cheese

Repeat the layering, starting again with 6 tortillas (there will be tortillas, salsa and cheese left over).

Once all the meat and sour cream mixtures are used up, top the layers with 6 corn tortillas then the remaining salsa.

Bake 40 minutes. Remove and sprinkle the remaining cheeses on top. Bake for 10 more minutes.

Let stand for 10 minutes before serving

Don't get too concerned about what types of cheeses are used. Onions and/or garlic can be left out if you wish (I usually leave out the garlic and sometimes forget to put in onions - it tastes fine without them). I also tend to go a little over board on cheese (using more than the 6 cups asked for).

This definitely isn't a low-cal or low-fat dish, but it can be made using "light" sour cream and cheeses. Another tip is to put the cooked ground beef in a colander, then rinse it with hot water to remove the remaining fat.

Best served with refried beans with cheese and salsa added.