Tex-Mex Lasagna – A South of the Border Recipe

This Tex-Mex Lasagna is a delicious twist on traditional lasagna. It’s full of great south of the border flavor and couldn’t be easier to make. 

South of the Border Lasagna

I really love a good, traditional classic lasagna. The meaty red sauce, hearty noodles, Italian seasonings, and the combination of mozzarella cheese, parmesan and ricotta cheese are so good together. It’s a hearty meal my whole family enjoys and a great all-around comfort food.

However, preparing a lasagna can take a bit of time, as well as dirty up a number of bowls, skillets and pans. So, I really wanted to come up with something new that wouldn’t take as much time to prepare, as well as minimize cleanup.

In addition, as I had already developed a traditional lasagna recipe, I wanted to create something new and fun for this lasagna recipe. Out of this, a south of the border-inspired Tex-Mex Lasagna recipe was created.

One-Pan Lasagna Mashup

First off, I love one-pot or one-pan meals. I like to reduce the need for lots of extra bowls, skillets, sauce pans, etc. Plus, they make for an easy meal, and are great if you are serving a lot of people or if you need to bring a dish to a party.

So, I definitely wanted this to be a one-pan lasagna.

Second, I wanted to eliminate any extra cooking or chopping. I just wanted to assemble and pop the pan in the oven.

To make that happen, the ingredient list is mostly about opening cans and bottles. Wonderful flavors and little work.

Finally, what kind of lasagna to make? I thought a mashup of a classic, regular lasagna along with ingredients from some of my favorite Mexican foods would be fun. A little south of the border twist!

Making the Lasagna Tex-Mex

So, basically, I wanted to use some Tex-Mex ingredients and spices, while still keeping with the traditional lasagna noodles and the layering of noodles, cheese and sauce. Here are some of the changes I made:

• My meat sauce starts with some wonderful shredded pork. I happened to have some on hand, so no extra work. However, if you don’t have shredded pork, one of the great options is an already-cooked rotisserie chicken (I get mine from Costco).
• The sauce itself is a combination of tomatoes, salsa and cumin. The extra flavor from the salsa and cumin really compliments the shredded pork.
• I added in black beans and corn. They are in so many Mexican dishes and they bring a great heartiness and color to this dish.
• Finally, a Mexican cheese blend adds a flavorful twist instead of the traditional mozzarella, parmesan and ricotta cheeses.

You can continue the south of the border theme with the toppings you use once the lasagna is baked. A couple of my favorite toppings for Tex-Mex dishes are fresh cilantro and green onions. But, you can use whatever you like best (a little dollop of sour cream, finishing with any remaining salsa, shredded lettuce – all up to you!).

Make Ahead and/or Store Leftovers

If you want to make this ahead for later, assemble everything but don’t bake it. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.

If serving within 3-4 days, place the pan in the fridge. When ready to serve, take out of fridge, allow it to come to room temperature and bake according to the instructions in the recipe card.

If saving for more than 3-4 days, place the pan in the freezer. When ready to serve, take out of the freezer and allow to thaw completely to room temperature. Once thawed, bake according to the instructions in the recipe card.

If you have leftovers, you can leave in the pan and store according to the instructions above. I also like putting individual leftover pieces in their own airtight container and freezing for a lunch or dinner later.

To reheat leftovers, thaw completely and put in the microwave for 2-3 minutes.

If you’re looking for new favorites to serve your family, this one may quickly become a family favorite. I’m sure they will enjoy it as much as I do.

Ingredients Needed to Make Tex-Mex Lasagna

Full instructions can be found below in the printable recipe card

• Bottled salsa – Any salsa that you have on hand works for this recipe. However, if you want to make an easy homemade salsa, try this recipe.
• Cumin
• Diced tomatoes
• Tomato sauce
• No-boil lasagna noodles
• Frozen corn – You can also use corn freshly cut off the cob or canned corn. If you use canned corn, make sure it is well drained so that the lasagna doesn’t end up too wet.
• Canned black beans – Kidney beans or pinto beans also work really well in this recipe.
• Cooked, shredded pork – Shredded rotisserie chicken, cooked ground beef or cooked ground turkey can all be substituted for pork. Or, meat can be omitted all together for a vegetarian lasagna.
• Mexican cheese blend – Either mild or sharp cheddar cheese also work.
• Fresh cilantro and green onions – Use for garnish.

How to Make Tex-Mex Lasagna

• Combine salsa, cumin and tomatoes.
• Spread 1 cup of the sauce mixture in the bottom of the pan and top with three lasagna noodles.
• Spread half of the corn, beans and pork over the noodles.
• Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese and top with about 1 cup of the sauce.
• Repeat layers once, in the same order.
• Top with remaining 3 noodles.
• Spread 1 1/2 to 2 cups of sauce over the noodles.
• Cover with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly.
• Let stand for 15 minutes, then slice and serve.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro and sliced green onions, if desired.

More Lasagna Recipes to Love

• Chicken Alfredo Lasagna
• Lazy Day Chicken Lasagna
• Zucchini Lasagna Roll-Ups
• Skillet Lasagna
• Vegetarian Spinach Lasagna
• Spicy Lasagna Soup
• Easy Traditional Lasagna