Mexican Lasagna Pie

I mentioned this before, but my sweet friend Angela introduced me this delicious meal a few years back, when she had my husband and I over for dinner one evening. I never forgot it and talked about it every so often [I should say nagged*] until she kindly forked over the recipe. At the time she shared it with me, I had no idea how to navigate around a kitchen, let alone know how to open a can of black beans [ok, maybe that's a bit dramatic, but you get the picture..I was not the cook I am now.] But Angela assured me and encouraged me that it was super easy to make and assemble, and after finally getting to try a crack at it myself, I agree. It is not your typical lasagna making which consists of boiling noodles, hunting for obscure cheeses, and creating a simmering sauce, no, quite the opposite.  Easily accessible ingredients [most likely you have all of them], an easy to assemble layer of ooey gooey goodness, and delicious for sure. I think Angela said the original recipe came from Rachael Ray, and we all know that Rachael definitely knows her way around the kitchen:)

I did forget two ingredients Angela mentioned, but I don't think it detracted from it at all. I added some of my own twist, but did not altar it much. I'll give you what I did, and combine it to Angela's. I really appreciate her sharing it with me. My husband wolfed it down, as did both my kids [which is a feat these days.]

enjoy. 

Mexican Lasagna

you'll need:

1 lb ground chicken breast
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 white onion, finely chopped [Angela asks for 1 whole red]
1 can black beans, drained
1 tomato, chopped [angela asks for 1 cup medium taco sauce]
4-6 small flour tortillas [angela asks for corn, if you'd prefer, both taste great!]
1 cup frozen corn [i did not have any, so i left them out, no problem, but your call]
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
cilantro

preheat oven to 425.

In large pan, cook ground chicken until browned with a bit of olive oil. 
Season with cumin, chili, and also I added a bit of taco seasoning for good measure. [about 1-2 tsp]
Add onion and tomato. 
season with salt. 

In a casserole dish, either a glass square, or what I used was a circle one, [funny, it is from Rachael Ray's line] spray it. 

Layer flour tortillas [you can cut some in half or however you wish to cover each layer]
chicken mixture
then scoop of black beans
and top layer with cheese. 

repeat until your chicken mixture is used up. 

[i ended up with a top layer of tortillas and cheese.]

Please use liberty in however you wish to layer and assemble:)

Bake 12-15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly. 

Top with a dollop of sour cream and chopped cilantro. 
[or chopped scallions is what Angela asks for]

which ever way you make it, I am sure it will turn out grand!!

p.s. I apologize that my pictures are not so glam this time. I assure you it is the recipe and taste that counts here, not the looks:) let that be a lesson to you...