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If you’re looking for a quick, comforting meal with a Mexican twist, this Mexican Lasagna recipe is the perfect choice! Layered with rows of tortillas, chicken, cheese and salsa, this dish is full of flavor and the perfect recipe for an easy weeknight dinner. Plus, kids love it!
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
- So Simple: Just like my Mexican Enchiladas recipe, this dish comes together super fast, especially if you use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. It’s ideal for those nights when you need a delicious dinner ASAP.
- Kid-Friendly: When it comes to lasagna, whether it’s this dish, Vegetarian Skillet Lasagna or Lasagna Rolls, part of the fun is layering the dish. It’s a great way to get kids involved in the kitchen and encourage them to try new foods! Let the little ones place the tortillas while you handle the chicken and cheese.
- Great for a Crowd: This Mexican Lasagna recipe is great if you’re looking to feed a crowd. It also freezes beautifully, so you can enjoy it any time. Or put leftovers in your kid’s school lunch with some avocado slices and call it a day!
- Customizable: You can easily swap in ingredients or add extras like black beans, sautéed veggies, or different cheeses.
The Ingredients
- Corn tortillas: Tortillas replace lasagna noodles in this casserole with a Mexican inspired twist.
- Egg: Helps bind the ingredients together for a rich, hearty filling.
- Milk: Adds a bit of moisture and creaminess to the filling.
- Sour cream: Brings a tangy, creamy element that makes the lasagna extra delicious.
- Chunky salsa: Choose your favorite mild salsa for a boost of flavor—chunky is best for texture!
- Chicken breast, cooked and shredded: Using a rotisserie chicken is a great time-saver, or you can make your own Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken and shred it.
- Cream cheese: These little cubes melt into the lasagna, adding pockets of creamy goodness.
- Fresh cilantro: Brightens up the flavors and adds a pop of freshness.
- Scallions: Provide a mild onion flavor that complements the other ingredients.
- Mexican cheese blend (or Monterey Jack & Mild Cheddar): Melty cheese is a must in lasagna, and this blend gives just the right cheesy goodness!
Variations and Substitutions
This Mexican Lasagna recipe is super flexible, so feel free to mix it up with these variations!
- Switch the Protein: Swap out the chicken for ground beef, turkey, or even a vegetarian option like cubed firm tofu, sautéed vegetables, black beans or your favorite sautéed plant based meat substitute.
- Add Veggies: Try layering in sautéed bell peppers, zucchini, or corn for extra color and nutrition.
- Use Flour Tortillas: If you prefer, you can use flour tortillas instead of corn. The texture will be softer, but just as delicious!
- Spice it Up: Want more heat? Use a medium or hot salsa, or add diced jalapeños into the chicken mixture.
How to Make Mexican Lasagna
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F. Place the tortillas on an oil sprayed baking sheet, then spray the tops with additional oil. Bake for 8-10 minutes, remove and set aside.
Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk one egg. Add the milk, sour cream, salsa, shredded chicken, cubed cream cheese, cilantro, scallions and salt. Stir to combine.
Step 3: Arrange half of the par-baked tortillas on the bottom of an oil sprayed 7×11 baking dish. Layer half the chicken mixture on top of the tortillas, then layer 1 cup of the cheese blend on top.
Step 4: Continue to layer the rest of the tortillas on top, followed by the remaining chicken mixture and cheese.
Step 5: Bake uncovered for 35 minutes. Serve.
Tips and Tricks
- Par-bake the tortillas: This step is key to keeping the layers from becoming soggy.
- Make it ahead: Assemble the lasagna up to a day ahead, then cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.
- Freezing: You can freeze the lasagna either before or after baking. If freezing before, simply bake from frozen, adding an extra 10-15 minutes of cook time.
FAQs
Absolutely! Flour tortillas work just as well and can be swapped 1:1.
Especially if you are serving this to kids, a mild, chunky salsa works best to balance the flavors, but if you like a little more heat, feel free to use medium or hot salsa.
More Mexican Inspired Entrées
This Mexican Lasagna recipe is a family favorite in my kitchen! It’s quick to make, full of flavor, and super customizable. Whether you’re serving it for a weeknight dinner or meal-prepping for the week, this dish is sure to be a hit! Let me know what you think by leaving a comment and rating below!
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Mexican Lasagna
Ingredients
- cooking oil spray
- 6 corn tortillas
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 cup mild chunky salsa
- 1 pound chicken breast, cooked and shredded
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- 3 scallions, chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups Mexican cheese blend (or a blend of Monterey Jack and Mild Cheddar), divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place the tortillas on an oil sprayed baking sheet, then spray the tops with additional oil.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, remove and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk one egg. Add the milk, sour cream, salsa, shredded chicken, cubed cream cheese, cilantro, scallions and salt. Stir to combine.
- Arrange half of the par-baked tortillas on the bottom of an oil sprayed 7×11 baking dish. Layer half the chicken mixture on top of the tortillas, then layer 1 cup of the cheese blend on top.
- Continue to layer the rest of the tortillas on top, followed by the remaining chicken mixture and cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 35 minutes.
Notes
- Par-bake the tortillas: This step is key to keeping the layers from becoming soggy.
- Make it ahead: Assemble the lasagna up to a day ahead, then cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.
- Freezing: You can freeze the lasagna either before or after baking. If freezing before, bake from frozen, adding an extra 10-15 minutes of cook time.
I also make a variation with black beans, corn, veggie crumbles, spanish rice made with brown rice, and enchilada sauce. Yum, yum!
I make a version of Mexican lasagna similar to this one, but with the addition of zucchini, black beans, and corn, as well as some spices. It’s a very versatile recipe and loved by everyone.
Corn tortilla break a part more easily than whole wheat or flour, but I don’t think it would be a problem 🙂
I used whole wheat tortillas and it was just fine! Really yummy!
Do you think using whole wheat tortillas would work well?
I would either steam the chicken or you can even put it in the oven and cover and bake 🙂
a really good way to get shredded chicken is to cook it in a crockpot for a few hours, it just falls apart!
When you need cooked chicken for your recipes, such as this one, what is your preferred method for cooking the chicken? Thanks.
I used plain yogurt (regular nonfat, not Greek) in place of the sour cream, and it worked great!
I cant believe you did use greek yogurt 🙂 I think i’ll be making some substitutions, like greek yogurt, and adding a few more veggies to this dish. A great way to use up left over chicken too!
Printing this out now and looking forward to serving it! My parents will be visiting this week, so perfect dish for a group!
cinco de mayo is my daughter’s birthday and i have been looking for a dish to make! thank you, this is perfect! we are doing make your own tacos for her party with friends but might be making this there too.
Nice and simple enchiladas! Love it!
I’ve frozen a similar recipe once and I thought it was fine. As long as you don’t keep it in the freezer for too long (maybe up to 3 months). And make sure to put it in an oven ready dish. Let it thaw a bit before you warm up or leave it in the oven longer to make sure it’s cooked through.
I am wondering the same thing.
Yum! Do you think this would freeze well? Thanks.