Mexican Lasagna

I first made this dish several years ago for my then boyfriend,-not-yet-husband and it might be one of the reasons he married me. He would argue otherwise, but I'm pretty sure I'm right. Ever since, this has been a family favorite and it graces our table at least a couple of times a month. What I love about it is it's healthy, hearty and easy to put together. Since I've been making it for awhile, I can whip this meal up in about 30 minutes. Extra bonus: This is a great take-in meal for that somebody who's had a baby, had surgery or just plain lost their mind during the Christmas season. :) You just throw it together, foil it up and take it for them to bake when they are ready. It freezes great too.

Note: You will need to roast your poblano chili pepper beforehand. To roast poblano, set oven to broil. Put pepper on a cookie sheet and drizzle with a little oil. Place under broiler and roast til skin blackens, turning the pepper every couple of minutes til it's black on all sides. Place pepper in a plastic container with a lid and place in refrigerator for about 20 minutes. When ready, peel skin off and remove stem and seeds. It's okay if some seeds remain.

Serves 4 BIG eaters, 6 Normal ones

3 T. olive oil (or canola oil is fine)

1 red onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 lbs. ground meat of your choice (beef, turkey, chicken)

1 roasted poblano chili, diced

1 15 oz. can black beans, drained

1 cup frozen corn

1 15 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes (or regular)

2 T. chili powder

2 t. ground cumin

2 t. dried oregano

1 large can enchilada sauce

2 1/2 c. shredded colby jack or cheddar cheese

package of flour tortillas

Garnish with any of the following: cilantro, green onions or olives.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and bell pepper and season with salt & pepper. Cook until softened and add garlic. Cook for another minute and add ground meat. Season with salt, pepper, chili powder & cumin. Brown meat for 3-5 minutes until it's not pink. Add diced poblano, black beans, diced tomatoes & corn. Mix until combined. Season with oregano and more chili powder, salt, pepper, etc if needed.

To assemble:

Spray a 9X13 pan with cooking spray and pour about a 1/2 c. of enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan. Pour 1 -2 cups or so into a pie plate or other shallow dish so you can dip your tortillas in the sauce before layering. The layers of this dish go like this: enchilada sauce, flour tortillas, meat mixture, cheese and then we start over again. I like to tear my tortillas into large pieces and layer them that way, but you could also just lay them down whole and tear some pieces to fill in corners.

So, dip your tortillas and layer in the bottom of the dish, top with half of the meat mixture and a handful of cheese. Repeat with another layer of dipped tortillas, the other half of the meat mixture, some more cheese and end with another layer of tortillas. Take your extra enchilada sauce and pour over the top of your tortilla layer and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 12-15 minutes or...until hot & bubbly. Remove from oven and wait 5 minutes before slicing. Garnish with any of the above mentioned items or just plain dig in!

If frozen:

Bake covered in foil at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes. Check to see if center is warmed through before serving.