Beef Enchilada Lasagna

This post, Beef Enchilada Lasagna, was originally published April 18th, 2014.  The following update explains why I’m republishing it and the post follows. To get to the recipe, click the Jump button.

I wrote this after I begged my friend Angie to remake her Enchilada Lasagna for me, and allow me to write her ingredients and method down so I could post it.

I’ll give you some back story.  *This is a bit long, so if you want to skip it, click here to Jump to Recipe.

We became friends in 2012 when we started orientation to work in the same ICU unit. After we both left that hospital, we remained close and spoke almost every day, met for lunch regularly, etc. She became such a good friend to me; we had more in common than being nurses. We spoke several times a week and had our regular lunch places. We had a common love for food and she was my go-to taste tester during the week

In 2016, I was going through a divorce (not to mention my son was moving out) and was under a lot of pressure and stress. During that time period Angie and I had a misunderstanding – about what I do not remember – and we kind of stopped talking as much as we always had. There were a few phone conversations and texts, but it eventually stopped. I knew that wasn’t permanent because we were too close; I thought maybe we needed some time apart but would go back to our friendship being the way it was.

She was always on my mind, even if in the back of my mind. I started to feel like it was strange that she hadn’t already reached out (how selfish of me) so I sent her a text about a year and a half or so ago. The text I received back was “This is not Angie.” I took that as her not wanting to talk to me. A couple of weeks ago I decided that I was going to be more assertive about contacting her; I missed my friend and I wanted her to know that. The phone rang, no answer an no voicemail. My text wasn’t returned.

I decided to google her to see if she moved, or if there was anything I could find to be able to get in touch with her.

The very first link google showed me was her obituary. It hit me like a punch in the gut. I didn’t want to click on it because I didn’t want for it to be real, but the meta description showed me all I needed to know. It was definitely her; a photo of her smiling like she always did.

Of course, no details as far as why she passed, but beautiful photos of her and her family had been shared. She died in 2017. I kept wondering why she hadn’t reached out to me, why she didn’t want to talk to me. Now I’m wondering why I didn’t reach out to her sooner, because I DID want to talk to her and she probably felt the same.

When I found her obituary, it was hard to believe she was gone and I will never get to see her again. I miss her, and I waited too long. If you take anything from this, don’t wait to let someone know how you feel, don’t let your pride get in the way of an important relationship whether it’s platonic, family, or romantic.

As cliche as it sounds, try to live each day as if it may be your last. I’m trying to do that now. Love hard, take chances, and don’t allow your pride to get in the way. Don’t waste an opportunity to say what you need or want to say. <— Yes, I know I inadvertently referenced two popular songs, but the messages make so much sense. Below is the original post.

Beef Enchilada Lasagna and Angie

Ok, so let me tell you about my friend, Angie.

She might kill me after I post this. I’ll take my chances; I’m a brave girl.

I just love her. She’s such a dear friend; she’s beautiful, smart, and knows so much about everything (the girl loves to study history/science/everything else just for fun).

Not to mention she’s so much fun to be around.

Oh, and I LOVE when she gets tickled (that means someone finding something funny in Southern, BTW). She gets this look on her face, squints her eyes, tilts her head back and has the cutest, most infectious laugh.

She’s the inspiration (mastermind) behind this dish – Beef Enchilada Lasagna.

I spent a day with her at her house a few weeks ago and she made this fantastic dish – and I have re-created it just for y’all.

💛 Why You’ll Love This Enchilada Lasagna

• No rolling required – skip the fiddly enchilada assembly and just layer like a boss
• Big, bold flavor – rich enchilada sauce, seasoned filling, and plenty of cheese
• Weeknight doable – easy enough for a Tuesday, satisfying enough for a Friday
• Crowd-pleaser – feeds a group without stressing you out
• Leftovers are elite – somehow even better the next day (we love a low-effort win)
• Highly customizable – swap proteins, go vegetarian, adjust the heat—live your truth 

She’s one of those people that say they “can’t cook”, or “oh, it’s nothing, I just threw it together.”

Yeah, right.

Those people are secret rockstars in the kitchen and don’t you let them tell you otherwise. This girl knows exactly what she’s doing. She sent some of this home with me for Mark to try and he LOVED it. As a matter of fact, he said, “whatever that is, Make.It.”

Great, let me go ahead and try and replicate that perfection she threw together so effortlessly. 🙄

This is corn tortillas, beef, mojo, cilantro, ricotta, peppers, cheeses… MY kinda food. So delicious, and so Angie. 

I tried my best – Not sure if I made it quite as luscious as she did. But, it was very, very good. I was a little concerned at first that I may not like it because I’m not a huge fan of corn tortillas, but that was not a problem at all.

I loved it. 

Thanks for the food porn, Angie. Oh, and by the way, I’m writing this at midnight and I want some right now.

To pair with this recipe –

• Mango Jalapeno Daiquiri

• Jalapeno Popper Rice

• Watermelon Jalapeno Bruschetta

Here’s your printable –

Continue to Content

Beef Enchilada Lasagna

Yield: 6-8 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

All the flavors you love about enchiladas - layered like a lasagna for the ultimate comfort food mashup.

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Ingredients

• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 poblano pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper diced
• ½ bell pepper, diced
• 1 lb ground beef
• ½ package taco seasoning
• 19 oz can enchilada sauce
• 2 tbsp Mojo sauce
• 15 oz ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 20 corn tortillas (you probably won't use them all)
• 16 oz Monterey jack cheese, shredded, divided in half
• 8 oz cheddar cheese, divided in half
• Fresh cilantro, chopped
• Sour cream, for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Bring the butter and garlic over medium heat; add peppers, toss and saute until soft and fragrant.
3. Add the ground beef to the peppers, brown and add taco seasoning, stir.
4. Add enchilada sauce and Mojo. Stir to combine, reduce heat, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Whisk together ricotta cheese, egg, half of Monterrey Jack and half of the cheddar.
6. Spray a 9x11 glass baking pan with nonstick spray.
7. Assemble the lasagna by first layering tortillas, ricotta mixture, beef mixture, shredded cheeses, more tortillas, etc., with shredded cheeses being last layer on top.
8. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for an hour.
9. Uncover and bake until bubbly and cheese has melted.
10. Remove from oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes. (This will allow it to set, so when you cut into it and lift a slice everything doesn't slide off the top.)
11. Top with fresh cilantro and sour cream, and serve with black beans topped with queso fresco.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 Amounts Per Serving: Calories: 871Total Fat: 62gSaturated Fat: 33gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 244mgSodium: 1770mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 2gSugar: 8gProtein: 58g

The provided nutrition calculated may not always be accurate.

Did you make this recipe?

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Want more inspiration?

Cheesy Enchilada Meatball Bake by Cooking with Mary and Friends

Easy Cheesy Beef Enchiladas by Moore or Less Cooking

Salsa Verde Enchiladas by Simply Recipes