Cheesy Beef Taco Lasagna

Tracking PixelCheesy Beef Taco Lasagna puts a Mexican twist on an Italian classic, creating a fun, delicious cheesy dinner the whole family will love! Thank you to Hunt’s Tomatoes for sponsoring this post.

Cheesy Beef Taco Lasagna | alidaskitchen.com

Two of my favorite types of cuisines are Italian and Mexican. I am not a purist by any means and often enjoy them in nontraditional ways (such as these Mexican Quinoa Bites). When I saw this Cheesy Beef Lasagna recipe, a tasty-looking Italian-inspired recipe, I could not wait to put a Mexican spin on the recipe to create Cheesy Beef Taco Lasagna!

This Cheesy Beef Taco Lasagna is a fun Italian-Mexican mash up – think delicious cheesy beef enchiladas layered lasagna style. Cheesy Beef Taco Lasagna is filled with cheeses, vegetables and spices, all simple ingredients, all super tasty!

Cheesy Beef Taco Lasagna | alidaskitchen.com

While some lasagna staples remained, like ricotta cheese, lasagna noodles and meat sauce, the meat sauce is where things start to go south-of-the-border. Instead of a traditional lasagna meat sauce, chili powder and cumin replaced any Italian herbs and jalapeno and bell peppers were added to a tomato-based meat sauce.

Cheesy Beef Taco Lasagna | alidaskitchen.com

For the tomatoes, I used Hunt’s diced tomatoes and Hunt’s tomato sauce. Hunt’s cans their tomatoes within hours of harvest using steam from simple hot water to peel its tomatoes, while some other companies peel with chemicals like *lye.

Cheesy Beef Taco Lasagna | alidaskitchen.com

I made the recipe as noted below, however with this recipe there is flexibility to add some of your favorite taco toppings, such as black olives, green onions, cilantro or add black beans with the beef. For the cheese, I used cheddar but colby or pepper jack would be delicious as well. So many possibilities! Cheesy Beef Taco Lasagna was a hit with my family, and I hope it will be with yours as well!

Cheesy Beef Taco Lasagna | alidaskitchen.com

Cheesy Beef Taco Lasagna
 
Author:
Yields: 12 servings
Ingredients
  • 12 lasagna noodles, uncooked
  • 2¼ cups shredded cheddar cheese
Sauce:
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 cup chopped yellow onion
  • 1 bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ teaspoon salt (optional)
  • 2 cans (14.5 ounces) Hunt's diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 can (29 ounces) Hunt's tomato sauce
Filling:
  • 15 ounces ricotta cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. SAUCE: In a large nonstick skillet, add beef, onion peppers, chili powder and cumin and cook over medium-high heat until beef is browned and crumbled (about 7 minutes) Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. FILLING: In a small bowl, combine ricotta cheese, egg, chili powder and cheddar cheese.
  4. ASSEMBLE: Pour 1 cup meat sauce in the bottom of prepared baking dish. Place 4 lasagna noodles over sauce, top with 2 cups meat sauce, half the ricotta cheese mixture and 1 cup cheddar cheese. Repeat layers, ending with 4 lasagna noodles topped with remaining sauce and cheese.
  5. BAKE: Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes, then remove foil and bake for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Cheesy Beef Taco Lasagna | alidaskitchen.com

An easy recipe for Baked Chicken Fajitas | alidaskitchen.com

For more information about Hunt’s® tomatoes, visit their website and keep in touch on Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hunt’s® tomatoes. *Lye peeling is generally recognized as safe by the FDA and has no adverse effects on the healthfulness of tomatoes.

Cheesy Beef Taco Lasagna | alidaskitchen.com

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Comments

  1. I love this fusion kitchen! I didn’t stop there so I made zitti in the oven the Mexican way! Tasty.

  2. This is such a fun twist on lasagna! Love it!

  3. Awesome idea for lasagna! Love!!

  4. Dear Alida, this looks irresistible! What a wonderful family meal..I must try this. xo, Catherine

  5. My kids love tacos and lasagna, so this would be a surefire hit!

  6. This is the kind of thing I live for in the cold months — it keeps us cozy and warm for DAYS! Love Hunts, too <3

  7. Looks amazing, Alida. I love new twists on old favorites.
    (pinned and yummed and stumbled, because this is awesome!)

  8. What a great twist to traditional lasagna!

  9. We love a Mexican twist on everything – this is definitely calling my name!!

  10. I just told my husbad last night that we haven’t made Lasagna in a while and I was wanting to use up the lasagna noodles in my pantry! I mean I love regular lasagna but I love this twist on it even more!!

  11. This seriously looks like the most delicious recipe ever!