Open-Faced Mexican Lasagna

This is a healthy recipe for a delicious Mexican lasagna casserole that is loaded fiber.  The dish is made with ground turkey, onions, Poblano peppers, tomatoes, corn, black beans, salsa, a blend of seasonings and topped with a reduced fat Mexican cheese blend.  I called it an open-faced lasagna, because to reduce the carbs I left off the traditional top third layer of tortillas.

I took a little help from the store and used a 40% lower sodium taco seasoning packet and a store bought salsa.  Homemade salsa would work well in this dish, as well.

 

Enjoy!

Open-Faced Mexican Lasagna

Makes 8 Servings

2 Tbls. Extra virgin olive oil

1 Lb. Ground turkey
½ Cup Chopped sweet onion; ¼-inch dice
2 Poblano peppers, stem, seeds and membrane removed and diced into ½-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
3 Garlic cloves, minced fine
1 ½ Tbls. Ground cumin
1 Tsp. Ground Ancho Chili pepper (or ground chili powder)
1 Can (14.5-ounce) Diced tomatoes, unsalted variety
1 Packet (1.25-ounce) low-sodium taco seasoning
½ Cup Hot water
½ Cup Frozen corn kernels (or fresh when in season)
1 Can (15-ounce) Black beans, rinsed and drained
1 ½ Cup Fresh salsa, either store bought or homemade (see recipe - Fresh Tomato Salsa)
8 (6-inch Fajita size) Corn tortillas
1 Cup Shredded reduced-fat Mexican blend cheese blend
3 Scallions, sliced
1 Container (6-ounce) Greek fat-free plain yogurt
 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray the bottom and the sides of a 9 X 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Place a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil; swirl to coat.  Add the turkey in the skillet, break it up with a wooden spoon and cook until browned.  Add to the skillet, the onions, Poblano peppers and garlic; cook for about 5 minutes or until the pepper is just tender.  Add the cumin, chili pepper, taco seasoning; mix to incorporate.  Then add the canned tomatoes, corn, black beans, and water; continue to cook until it bubbles, then remove from the heat.

Spread ½ cup of the salsa on the bottom of the baking dish.  Lay 2 tortillas in the bottom of the dish, along the long side.  Cut 2 tortillas in half and fill in on the sides.  Top the tortillas with the meat mixture, spreading evenly.  Dot the meat mixture with ¼ cup of salsa and spread lightly to cover the meat mixture.  Sprinkle ¼ cup cheese over the entire top.  Make a second layer with the last 4 tortillas, meat mixture and remaining salsa; layering the same as the last.  Top everything with the remaining cheese.

 

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place in the oven for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue to bake for another 5 – 10 minutes, or until everything is bubbly and cheese is lightly browned.

Remove the dish from the oven and top with the scallions.  Let the dish rest for about 5 minutes.  Cut and serve with the yogurt on the side.