Taco Lasagna
This Taco Lasagna recipe is so easy and is a casserole that freezes well. When Mexican food meets Italian you get layers of pasta, salsa, seasoned taco meat and lots and lots of cheese. It has only 7 ingredients and is a crowd pleasing cheesy Mexican dinner! This recipe is great topped with some homemade guacamole and pico de gallo.
(Originally posted 2014)
TACO LASAGNA
I was talking to my sister on the phone the other day and she said, “Geez. You’re such a Pinterest mom.”
Her comment spawned from the fact that I had Super Glued some quarters on our sidewalk for April Fool’s Day. Umm…pretty sure that wasn’t on Pinterest. And I can’t say it was just for the kids because I enjoyed every second of watching people try to pick them up.
Oh and I put salt in their toothbrushes. Which turns out backfired completely because now they never want to brush their teeth.
I love the ideas that flow on Pinterest but if an idea takes more than 10 minutes…20 max, I’m out. So if you want to call me a Pinterest mom then you’re right. I’m a 10 minute Pinterest mom.
I’ve found that my kids really appreciate the small little things that make the holidays fun and it doesn’t have to be elaborate.
I cannot leave the grocery store without forgetting at least one thing on my list. I’ll even remember after I’ve loaded all of the kids in the car and can’t bring myself to go back in. Simple recipes are the only way to go for me.
I made a huge feast for Cinco De Mayo last year and my family looked at me like I was crazy. So I might stick to something easy like this this year.
This taco lasagna could not be more simple. I was skeptical that with such few ingredients that the flavor would be good but it came together nicely.
WHAT IS TACO LASAGNA?
Unlike other Mexican lasagnas that use tortillas, this one actually uses lasagna noodles making it a true lasagna. I like the one with tortillas too but to me those are called layered enchiladas.
Mix a little ricotta with an egg for your lasagna-ness.
Start by layering 4 lasagna noodles. You can boil the noodles or use the no-boil noodles like I did. There’s a fine line between lazy and efficient and I like dancing on it.
Spread your ricotta mixture over the noodles.
Sprinkle a layer of taco meat on top.
The sauce in this Taco Lasagna is your favorite salsa.
Sprinkle a good helping of cheese on top. Then repeat the layers twice. See! So easy.
Another great thing about this Taco Lasagna is that it freezes great!
HOW TO MAKE TACO LASAGNA
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-
In a large skillet, brown beef until no longer pink. Drain meat and add the taco seasoning. Stir until combined and set aside.
-
In a small bowl, add the egg and ricotta and stir until combined.
-
In a 9×13 baking dish, start by layering 4 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Next, layer 1/3 of the ricotta, 1/3 of the beef mixture, 1/3 of the salsa, and 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat the layers 2 more times.
-
Bake covered for 30-40 minutes or until the casserole has heated through and is bubbly. Let casserole stand 10 minutes before cutting. Top with sour cream, sliced green onions, and diced tomatoes if desired.
OTHER PASTA RECIPES:
- Faux Lasagna
- Unstuffed Shells Casserole
- Easy Taco Bake
- Skillet Baked Ziti
- Peanut Noodles
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Skillet
- Taco Pasta
- Taco Pasta Salad
Taco Lasagna
This Taco Lasagna recipe is so easy and is a casserole that freezes well. When Mexican food meets Italian you get layers of pasta, salsa, seasoned taco meat and lots and lots of cheese.
Ingredients
- 12 oven ready lasagna noodles (see note)
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 (1-oz.) package Old El Paso taco seasoning
- 1 egg
- 1 (15-oz.) carton ricotta cheese
- 4 cups 1 lb. shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 (24-oz.) jar chunky salsa
- Optional toppings: sour cream, green onions, diced tomatoes
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-
In a large skillet, brown beef until no longer pink. Drain meat and add the taco seasoning. Stir until combined and set aside.
-
In a small bowl, add the egg and ricotta and stir until combined.
-
In a 9x13 baking dish, start by layering 4 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Next, layer 1/3 of the ricotta, 1/3 of the beef mixture, 1/3 of the salsa, and 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat the layers 2 more times.
-
Bake covered for 30-40 minutes or until the casserole has heated through and is bubbly. Let casserole stand 10 minutes before cutting. Top with sour cream, sliced green onions, and diced tomatoes if desired.
Recipe Notes
I use oven ready or no-boil lasagna noodles to save time. You can use regular noodles as well, just boil them before assembling.
It's important to cover it tightly when baking. This kind of steams the noodles with the salsa.
Freezing: This freezes great! To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator for 8 hours and then bake as directed.
Source: adapted from Taste of Home
This is a simple and tasty main dish. It came together easily and tastes great. Followed your directions exactly but didn’t have the correct amount of salsa without a trip to the store so I rounded out the salsa with a can of Rotel. My husband loved it and so did I thank you for a wonderful dinner!
Sorry! The Rotel was probably perfect!
My husband and I made this last night for dinner and it turned out great! We both really liked it and will be adding it to our dinner rotation for sure. I’m wondering if you have nutritional values or Weight Watcher’s Smart Points values by chance??
I don’t know how to calculate those. I’m sorry.
So I just started cooking since my wife has late days on Monday (my day now) and she loves to cook. My idea of cooking, until recently, was either ordering pizza (what…its work) or adding tuna to Mac and cheese and calling it a casserole. I have now done 5 Monday’s in a row and this one was her favorite. Even forgetting to cover (lol) it was still wonderful. Thanks for all these easy and good recipes guys!
You’re so welcome Dan! You sound like a good husband!
this looks delicious
I used the bag offour cheese mexican mix from the cheese aisle. It came out delicious. Definitely going in my recipe book. Yummy!
So glad you loved it!
This looks amazing! I am always trying to find new fun twists on things so this looks right up my ally! However I am only cooking for 2 so I would like to cut this in half. I have half a 15oz container of ricotta, but this calls for 1 whole egg. Should I whisk the egg and then add half to the ricotta? Would that make scrambled eggs with ricotta cheese? Or should I just add the whole egg with the ricotta I have left. Thanks for your help!
Yes, I would just whisk the egg and add half to the ricotta! Good luck.
how do you freeze it? in the baking dish or Tupperware? any ideas?
I froze it in the baking dish.
I just made this to cook for tonight’s dinner. Thank you for taking the time to share. After mixing the ricotta and egg I was thinking you could add a bit of canned green chilies to the ricotta/egg mix and really hit this one out of the park.
Ooh! I bet that would be great!
I just finished making this and thought it tasted AWESOME! However, I used the oven ready lasagna noodles and they were barely cooked. They were still pretty hard even after putting it back in the oven for an additional 20 minutes. Everything else though, I wouldn’t change a thing!!
Is it ok that I substituted sour cream in place of ricotta?
Ooh. I actually think that would be fabulous.
Hi Christy! I am about to make this recipe for my family this week…Do you just add the taco seasoning and not the water to it? Can’t wait to try it!
You can add the water. I didn’t because my meat was really wet. If you add the water just make sure you simmer it until thick.
I want to try this recipe but my family consists of nine people and I need to know how many servings it makes. Please let me know.
It makes around 12 servings.
This recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it. I read through the comments and noticed a lot of the readers commented on their no bake noodles not cooking all the way through and the other comments about adding more salsa and or a 1/4 cup liquid to the taco meat seasoning.. It is always helpful to read through the comments so I can see what works and what doesn’t for other cooks.. Personally I think I am going to try mixing my salsa with a bit of red enchilada sauce to give it more of the yummy adobo taste.. I have two picky eaters in our house.. my 27yo son and my husband so I will let you know if it is a hit… 😀 Thank you so much for all the yummy recipes, you make my time in the kitchen so much more enjoyable as I try new recipes.
How did the recipe turnout with the enchilada sauce? I am thinking I will try it that way as well. When I make regular lasagna I don’t pre-cook the noodles, I put them in dry and use cottage cheese instead of ricotta and it turns out perfect. Hoping if I use enchilada sauce with the salsa, refried beans instead of ricotta and add the water to the meat, I will be ok with putting the noddles in dry.
I’m so hungry now! This sounds so good! But you can use regular lasagna noodles,not cooked. You don’t need No Bake noodle…you just need enough salsa cuz it gets all bubbly so the noodles will be soft. If you don’t like ricotta cheese use cottage cheese. It’s great!!!
~Vanessa W
I gotta tell you these ads are more then a passing irritant. Boy Howdy I understand about creating a cash flow but this was beyond annoying on every picture and not going away with one click.
If I wanted to make this the night before, would it be okay to stick in the fridge and bake the next day or should I bake it the same night I make it. Thanks.
You could definitely bake it the next day!
This was delicious, thank you!
You’re welcome!
We LOVE this recipe!!! It’s amazing and comes out perfect every time! Thank you for this Mexican Italian Fusion !!! We even found whole wheat lasagna noodles and still tastes great!
Admiring fans,
Alexi at PicTricks
http://www.pictricks.com
Thank you!
I just made this and it turned out so yummy!!!
I made this recipe last week for Nurse’s week and it was so GOOD that it was gone before the end of the party! It was also such a hit that I made it tonight for my son and we barely have any leftovers… This will be a frequent dish! Thank you!
Great to hear!
Am I the only one who had trouble with the noodles?? They’re oven ready lasgna noodles, I just had it in the oven for 30 minutes (at 350) and they’re still hard. It smells SO GOOD and I’m starving! 🙁 Ahh!
you might not have used a wet enough salsa? Was yours chunky? Make sure it’s covered so it kind of steams the noodles.
Has anyone tried making this the day before and then baking it the next day?
Can’t wait to try this sounds really good!!! Thanks for the recipe!
hi..just a question about the no boil noodles…I have used them in the past for regular lasagna but you need to have quite a bit of sauce to re hydrate them..what gives them the moisture in this recipe and is just from the salsa enough?
The salsa was enough for me. You can add more if you’re nervous about it or use regular boiled lasagna noodles.
I don’t have ricotta cheese. I have cottage cheese. think it would work? Live out in the country,don’t get into town to shop that much.
Shoot. They definitely have a different consistency but I love cottage cheese in dishes like this so I think it might work. I can’t be sure though until I’ve tried it.
Put the cottage cheese in the food processor, then it should work
Hi I love your recipes! I was wondering if I could substitute taco sauce for salsa? I really don’t like salsa:( what do you think? Could you guess how much? Thanks so much
The salsa gives the moisture to help cook the noodles so I’m afraid with less taco sauce they might not cook through.
After 45 mins in the oven the noodles are still not cooked through (I used your suggestion of oven-ready noodles). I used the amount of salsa noted in your recipe. I have used oven-ready noodles many times and should have known better, the 24 oz of salsa was not enough and the casserole should be covered initially, perhaps most of the cooking time, and removed the last 10 minutes. If it’s a hit, I will use regular lasagna noodles next time.
I think you’re right. Covering it helps cook the noodles. Thanks for the tip.
I made this for dinner last night. Yum! So delicious and so easy! Thanks for sharing!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was very good. I am a busy single mom of four girls and recipes like this are just ideal. Thank you!
Great! I’ll try to post more easy recipes. I’m all about simple.
Made this tonight and it was delicious! I added maybe 1/4 cup water to the meat so it wouldn’t be too dry. Next time I will add a layer of salsa to the bottom of the pan or on top of the first layer. Unfortunately, my no-cook noodles were crunchy on the bottom. Also, your ingredient list is missing the egg.
Paige, the egg is in the ingredient list but hard to see maybe? Glad you enjoyed it!