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I always heard there is no harder job than being a mom, but not until I had my own kids did I understand what that really meant.
Being a mother is all consuming. Weelicious may be my passion and creative outlet, but being a mom is my real job. No matter whether they work full time, part time or not at all, that’s true for most mothers I know. From the second you wake up until the time you go to bed (and possibly several times during the night if you’ve been in my house the past 4 1/2 years), your work never ends. It’s all at once exhausting, exhilarating, empowering, frustrating and most of all, a magical experience.
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And within my “job” there never seems to be enough time to do the things I need to do (if I am lucky these days I make it to the dry cleaner once every 2 months). Sometimes it feels like I have to move mountains to carve out 20-30 minutes of my day just to get a meal on the table for that night. Mornings can be so busy for me that I’ve started doing a good bit of crock pot cooking midday before school pick up, so having a one pot meal like this Crock Pot Mexican Tortilla Lasagna is perfect for my schedule.
Layered with tortillas instead of lasagna noodles and packed with tons of veggies, salsa and cheese, this is a delicious meal that’s great when you want utter convenience and a dinner that is unique and special. Just toss in all of your ingredients, turn your crock pot on and come home a few hours later to a finished meal that will make the hardest job in the world look easy!
Photos by Gerry Speirs
Crock Pot Mexican Tortilla Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 Garlic clove, minced
- 1 lb lean ground turkey
- 1 Tsp ground cumin
- 1 Tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 Tsp chili powder
- 1 large egg, whisked
- 1/2 Cup sour cream
- 1 Cup Carrots, peeled and grated (about 2 carrots)
- 1 Cup frozen corn kernels, defrosted
- 1/4 Cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 12 oz Pkg. Corn Tortillas (12 Tortillas)
- 2 Cups Mexican cheese blend
- 2 16 oz Jar Mild Chunky Salsa
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large sauté pan and cook the onions for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté an additional minute.
- Add the ground turkey meat, cumin, salt and chili powder and cook for 6-7 minutes until cooked through. Place turkey mixture aside and cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg and sour cream together. Add the cooled turkey mixture, carrots, corn and cilantro and mix to combine.
- Spread a 1 cup of salsa on the bottom of the crock pot.
- Layer 5 tortillas on top of the salsa, cutting them if necessary to fit the crock pot and covering the salsa completely.
- Place half the turkey mixture on top of the tortillas and top with 1 cups of salsa and 1/2 cup of cheese.
- Add another layer of 3 tortillas on top of the cheese. Pour the remaining turkey mixture on top of the tortillas and top with another 1/2 cup of cheese.
- Top the lasagna with another layer of tortillas, pour the remaining salsa on top and cover with 1 cup of cheese.
- Cook on low for 2 1/2 hours.
- Serve.
This was great. I used Boca crumbles instead of turkey and we didn’t have corn on hand so I used edamame. Everyone loved it!
This was so incredibly good! The fresh cilantro really made it. I didn’t have time for the crock pot, so did it at 350 in the oven until it bubbled.
made this last night, loved all the flavors. and it was super easy to make! however, I felt like my corn tortilla’s did not hold up really well and simply disolved… I wonder what to use next time? Maybe hard shell tacos?
Made this tonight….very good! My only suggestion would be to cook it slightly longer. The very middle of mine was only warm…the sides and bottom were piping hot but it could have cooked just another 30 minutes or so.
This sounds amazing. My husband doesn’t like anything with tomatoes. Any suggestions for switching the salasa with something else??
This was so good!
Made this yesterday! With my own business and a newborn and a toddler, this was PERFECT! Only took 30 minutes and made it right after lunch. Added chopped mushrooms to give it an extra boost of veggies. It was so gratifying and relaxing knowing dinner was ready at night. Love weelicious recipes and love crock pot – more please!
Carolyn
does the meat really need to be cooked on the stove first? (The convenience of cooking with a crock pot is just throwing everything in and it cooks in the pot.)
I was wondering what size crock pot you used too.
What size crock pot did you use? I have a 6 quart (just bought it) and I’m finding most recipes are for 4 quart. It seems to me the 4 quart recipes cook faster in the 6 quart. Thanks for the help.
Thank-you, Catherine for this excellent recipe!! My two boys devoured it. “It’s like nachos!” my seven-year old exclaimed, and “I just got a bite with cilantro!” My five year old helped me to make it. He loved grating the cheese and measuring the spices. He ate two helpings, which I was surprised at being that he usually doesn’t like salsa. It made such a difference at the end of a long day to have such a delicious dinner ready to go. I used ground beef because that’s what I had on hand and it was very tasty. This will definitely become a part of my regular meal plan. I would love more slow-cooker recipes. Thanks again.
oh, good question! I have a small crockpot, and I’m thinking it must not be all 5 on top of each other, that seems a little thick
This sounds wonderful, and I love cooking with my crockpot! I’m not sure how big your crockpot is – are you layering 5 tortillas directly on top of each other in one REALLY thick layer (like in a small crockpot), or are they spread out to make one single layer (in a large crockpot)? I hope that question is clear! Thanks!
I’m a full-time (I own my own design agency), work-at-home mom of a 2 year old so I’m always looking for quick meal ideas. I’m going to look into this one for sure.
Could this be made in the crock pot the night before, refrigerated, brought to room temp and turned on a couple hours before dinner time?
I have to try this. I have a wheat allergy. I don’t have to avoid all gluten, but have to cut down on wheat, and it always seems that recipes like this call for flour tortillas. Glad to see one with corn tortillas.