Mexican Lasagna Recipe

I totally made that title up, cause I made the dish up!  WELL, o.k, …I lie embellish a wee bit in that last statement.

Originally, I got the idea from a Weight Watchers recipe for a Mexican type casserole.  While it was pretty good, and low in almighty ‘points’, my doctored up version is a wee bit tastier, and can still be healthy.  In my very humble opinion.  :)

Here goes the recipe:

Ingredients:

Several chicken breasts (base this on your family’s size)
Fresh chopped herbs (dried are o.k., but really try to get fresh–thank me later!!): thyme, basil, and oregano, rinsed.
Ground sage (fresh, if you have it!)
Cumin powder (palm full)
Cooking spray
Italian salad dressing
Garlic salt
Ground black pepper
1/2 cup of water
28oz. can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
16oz. of sour cream (reduced fat or fat free works well)
Tortilla chips (regular, reduced fat, or even baked will work!)
1/2 cup of salsa (we use store bought)
Mexican style shredded cheese (low fat or regular)

Preheat your oven to 350.

Cut the chicken up to bite size pieces, and in a dish marinade it with the dressing, adding garlic salt and black pepper to taste.

Spray the saucepan with the cooking spray, and add the marinated chicken, water, and chopped (fresh) herbs, and sage.

While that’s cooking, take a few handfuls of tortilla chips (like my measurements?) and crush them into smaller pieces, and line the casserole dish with them.

In a bowl, add the sour cream, beans, and cumin.

Mix that up nicely, and add the salsa, and about half of the package of shredded cheese (about a large handful).

Once the chicken is cooked all the way through, add it to the mixture, making sure to coat it evenly.

Then like a traditional lasagna, add one layer of the mixture over the tortilla chips, and then add another layer of chips, and alternate until you are out of mixture!

On top, add more of the cheese (eyeball it) until it’s evenly spread out on top of the lasagna.

Place it in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted.

Serve it right away, or let it set (like you would a traditional lasagna) so you can cut perfect squares.

I couldn’t wait, so this is what my plate looked like:

Because of the spices and fresh herbs, you can substitute many of these ingredients for lower fat/calorie versions and not sacrifice taste.

A quick and delicious meal for the whole family!

Oh, before I forget, here’s my disclaimer:

I do not pretend to be a good cook.  On occasion I will make something amazing (again, I’m very humble).  This is one of the few and far between recipes that I deem blog worthy–so don’t get used to it.  This is still a crafting blog  :)

Enjoy!