Taco Lasagna
One
of the very best reasons for having children is to be reminded of the
incomparable joys of a snow day.
Susan Orlean
Snow
day!!!! We own a snow clearing business so we are happy about this… sort of LOL
Ninja
and Dad were up at 4:30am and SBean was up at 5 followed by HBear at 6:45. Once
the girls were up they raced to the backdoor to see the winter wonderland
outside J
This is our like 3rd snowfall this year and HBear was very worried she wouldn’t be able to try out her new Hello Kitty Snow Racer LOL. The kids all bring their sleds to school for recess fun!
After
we dropped HBear off at school, SBean and I came home and got dressed for SNOW
FUN! Ninja got home later and joined us!
This
was HBear at 12 months...
Oh
it gets better LOL… HBear at 14 months,
SBean at 14 months,
I
actually could have put SBean in the same PJs LOL
Anyways... tonight is Taco Lasagna! A Rah Cha Cha!
This
might be scary…
I
try not to use canned products as much as I can. So I also used corn that I
froze earlier in the fall and dry black beans. I also have 20 lbs of tomatoes
in the freezer that I ALWAYS forget to use!!! The point is that you can use a
can of enchilada sauce, a can of refried beans and a packet of taco seasoning J I know it seems crazy
to make it all but it only took lunch. I mean, as I fed SBean I also made the
sauce, the seasoning and the beans. By the time lunch was over I was at the
same spot as if I had bought the items J. It only seems scary lol but you can do it!
Taco Seasoning
Adapted
from Can’t Stay out of the Kitchen
1
tablespoon chili powder
1
teaspoon corn starch
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼
teaspoon onion powder
¼
teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼
teaspoon dried oregano
½
teaspoon paprika
½
teaspoon ground coriander
1
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1
teaspoon sea salt
1
teaspoon black pepper
In
a Tupperware container, mix together all ingredients.
Shake
it up.
Homemade Enchilada Sauce
Adapted
from Kitchen Meets Girl
1
tablespoon olive oil
1
medium onion, diced
3
cloves garlic, minced
1
tablespoon flour
2
tablespoons chili powder
1
tablespoon cumin
1
teaspoon onion powder
1
teaspoon salt
1
teaspoon Italian seasoning
1
(15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1
cup chicken stock
Heat
oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and cook until just browned,
about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, flour, chili powder, cumin, salt and Italian
seasoning and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
*Sautéing your
spices brings out a fuller flavor, did you see on Masterchef Canada when he
asked if she toasted her spices? That is the reason J*
Add
in the tomato sauce and chicken stock. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook for
approximately 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove
from heat, and strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the
onion to extract the sauce.
*I
set the onion aside and used it in my lasagna*
Refried Beans
Adapted
from Simply Recipes
2
cups of dry pinto beans
1/2
onion, chopped
2
cloves garlic, pressed
1
teaspoon chili powder
2
tablespoons olive oil
2-3 cups chicken broth
Salt
and pepper
Rinse
the beans in water and remove any small stones, pieces of dirt, or bad beans.
Put
beans into a pot and cover beans with at least 3 inches of chicken broth (add water to reach the level).
Bring
to a boil and then lower heat to simmer, covered, for about 2 1/2 hours.
*The
beans are done when they are soft and the skin is just beginning to break open.*
Strain
the beans.
Add
oil and onions to a frying pan on medium high heat. Cook until translucent. Add
garlic and chili powder. Stir and cook for 30 seconds.
Add
the strained beans and about a 1/4 cup of chicken broth to the pan.
Using
a potato masher, mash the beans in the pan, while you are cooking them, until
they are a rough purée. Add more water if necessary to keep the fried beans
from getting too dried out. Season with salt and pepper.
Taco Lasagna
Adapted
from Can’t Stay out of the Kitchen
1
½ lbs. ground pork
1
large pepper, chopped
1
medium onion, chopped (I used the onion from the enchilada sauce)
2/3
cup water
2
tablespoons taco seasoning
15-oz.
can black beans, rinsed and drained (or dry beans that have soaked overnight)
1
can corn, drained (or frozen corn)
1
can diced tomatoes, undrained
2
cups refried beans
16-oz.
shredded Tex Mex cheese blend
Flour
tortillas
2
cups enchilada sauce
fresh
cilantro, salsa, sour cream *optional
*I
used pork because we are having steak tomorrow but you can use beef, chicken or
pork.*
Preheat
oven to 350.
In
a large skillet, cook the pork, pepper and onion over medium heat until
meat is no longer pink; drain. Add water and taco seasoning; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes.
Stir
in the black beans, corn and tomatoes. Simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes.
Place
a layer of tortillas to cover a greased 9×13 baking dish. You will have to
break one of them up in half.
So
I am making lasagna for 3 adults, a 5 year old and a 14 month old... So, I am making
this to freeze as well! But you can do it in a large pan too J
Spread
with 1/3 of the refried beans.
Spread with 1/3 of the pork mixture;
sprinkle
with 1 cup cheese. (In my case I spread the cup out for all of them)
Repeat layers twice. Reserve 1 cup cheese. The top layer
should be tortillas.
Pour
enchilada sauce over top.
Package
up the freezer ones and write the instructions on top J There, now I have 2
dinners for another time AND dinner for tonight!
Bake about 25-30 minutes.
Add
remaining cup of cheese and cook another 5 minutes until cheese is melted.
Top
with fresh cilantro, sour cream, and salsa, if desired.
HBear
loved this lasagna but SBean wasn’t so sure LOL. but I have to say, this lasagna is GOOD!
Labels:
Enchilada Sauce,
Refried Beans,
Taco Lasagna,
Taco Seasoning
Posts
