Mexican Lasagna

If you have leftover taco fillings this recipe is a great way to enjoy them! I use ground turkey for my homemade tacos instead of ground beef to make them healthier, after adding the taco seasoning you can't tell the difference. The only difference will be the amount of saturated fat you will be consuming. My new favorite taco is the lentil tacos that I posted earlier, not just because they are low in fat and calories because they taste good. I intentionally prepared extra helpings because they made great lentil salad the next day.

I adapted Alton Brown's Enchilada Lasagna Recipe and substituted chicken with my leftover ground turkey. If you like both lasagna and spicy, you will like this combination! oh and it is so easy to make!

Ingredients
For sauce:
2 dried chipotle chiles, stems and seeds removed, diced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons toasted cumin seeds, freshly ground
2 cups chicken broth
3 cups tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
 
For filling:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 pound ground turkey
1 1/2 cups diced onion
Pinch kosher salt
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
3 cups shredded queso fresco or Monterey Jack (reduced fat)
Nonstick cooking spray

Directions

1. Combine the chiles, garlic, chili powder, cumin, chicken broth, tomato sauce, salt and pepper in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until the chiles are soft. Set aside until ready to use.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

3. Heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the ground turkey or until cooked through, approximately 7 to 9 minutes. Remove the meat from the pan and place in a medium bowl. Add the onions to the same pan along with a pinch of salt, decrease the heat to medium-low and sweat for 4 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and oregano and cook until the onions are tender, 2 to 3 minutes more. Add the meat back to the pan and remove from the heat.

4. Spray a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with non-stick spray. Place 1/2 cup of the sauce into the bottom of the dish. Dip 4 tortillas into the remaining sauce and lay them into the bottom of the dish. Cut 1 of the tortillas in half to evenly cover the bottom of the dish. Top this with half of the meat mixture and 1 cup of the cheese. Starting with 4 more tortillas, repeat the layers, ending with the last 4 tortillas on top. Pour remaining sauce over the dish and top with remaining 1 cup of cheese.

5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven on the middle rack for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese on top is bubbly.