Mexican Beef Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds lean ground beef (93%) or ground chicken/turkey
1 cup each diced red onion and diced green bell pepper
2 teaspoons minced garlic (fresh)
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup diced tomatoes (Roma)
½ cup fresh or frozen corn, thawed
1 ½ teaspoon chili powder (mild…use less if using hot chili powder)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups pasta sauce
1 cup medium salsa
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
4 large or 8 small whole wheat flour tortillas
1 ½ cups shredded light sharp cheddar cheese
¼ cup sliced green onions
Sour cream, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Spray a 13 x 9-inch casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside. In a large nonstick skillet, cook the ground beef, onions, green pepper and garlic over medium-high heat until the meat is no longer pink. Break up any large pieces of meat as it is cooking.

Add black beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin. Cook and stir for 2 more minutes. Add pasta sauce, salsa and black pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cilantro and remove from heat.

To assemble casserole, spread a third of the sauce mixture over bottom of casserole dish. Top with half of the tortillas, overlapping and cutting them as necessary to fit. Top with a third of the sauce mixture, followed by half of the cheese. Cover cheese with remaining tortillas, followed by remaining sauce. Sprinkle remaining cheese over sauce and top with green onions. Cover with foil (non-stick type or sprayed with Pam) and bake for 35 minutes.

Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes. Let lasagna stand for at least 10 minutes before slicing for easier serving. Top each piece with a dollop of sour cream if desired.

Yield: 8 Servings