Ever since we moved into this house, over two years ago now, I have loathed the kitchen floor.  However, we have done lots of small renovations over time as we could afford them, and the kitchen floor just wasn’t as pressing an issue as some other areas.  I finally decided it was time.  The 12-year old linoleum with countless gashes had to go.  So I went and picked out a gorgeous new floor!  Of course this meant being deprived of my kitchen for three whole days while we tore out the old floor and had the new one put in.  It seemed like forever but it was so worth it!

Booo – my ugly old floor.

Hooray for my beautiful new floor!!!

The night before we tore out the old flooring, I made this lasagna to hold us over until the kitchen was back to normal.  It was easy to assemble and fed us for four nights, plus some lunches.  This recipe is especially great because it is so adaptable.  I used chili powder, paprika and cumin for seasoning this time but I think next time I will try pre-packaged taco seasoning.  I know some people turn their noses up at it, but I won’t lie – I love the stuff!  Next time I may also try incorporating some minced jalapeno into the rice mixture and reducing some of the other spices for a different kind of heat.  Don’t get me wrong, this was a pretty spicy meal, but I love using jalapenos anytime I have the chance.  I also think this could be great using traditional tomato salsa in place of salsa verde, and plan to try that eventually too.  Obviously, I plan on making this again and playing around with it :-)

Oh boy, am I backed up with blog updates!  With having the floor redone and being out of town, I’ve been delayed getting things posted.  But I’ve had lots of great things coming out of my kitchen in the last week or so.  Stay tuned for lots more good things to come soon!

Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients:

2 cups unprepared rice

3-4 cups chicken broth

2-4 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1-1 ½ onions, chopped

4-7 cloves garlic, minced

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

taco seasoning (or chili powder, paprika and cumin)

1-1 ½ lb. ground sirloin

1 (16 oz.) jar salsa verde

8-12 small flour tortillas

12-16 oz. shredded Mexican cheese

4-8 oz. enchilada sauce

1 can corn, drained

sour cream and cilantro, for garnish

Directions:

Cook the rice according to package directions with chicken broth in place of water.  Salt to taste.  In a large skillet, melt a ½ tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat.  Add the tomatoes, onion and garlic to the pan and sauté until onion is tender.  Add in chili powder (approx. 1 ½ tablespoons), paprika and cumin (approx. ¾ tablespoon of each), or taco seasoning to taste.  Stir to combine.  Add the can of beans and stir to combine.  Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add cooked rice.  Stir to mix well.

In the now empty skillet, brown the ground sirloin.  Mix with chili powder (approx. 1 ½ tablespoons), paprika and cumin (approx. ¾ tablespoon of each) and salt to taste, as well as 2 oz. of water to create the taco beef.

To assemble the lasagna, pour half of the jar of salsa verde in an even layer over the bottom of a casserole dish.  Layer evenly with flour tortillas to cover.  Spread approximately half of the rice mixture evenly over the tortillas.  Sprinkle with a layer of shredded Mexican cheese.  Add another layer of flour tortillas.  Pour a thin layer of enchilada sauce over the tortillas.  Spread taco beef evenly over the enchilada sauce.  Layer one can of corn over the beef.  Top with the remaining rice mixture in an even layer.  Spread the remaining salsa verde evenly over the rice, and sprinkle with a layer of shredded cheese to finish.

Bake at 375° for 25-35 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and begins to brown a bit.  Allow to sit 10 minutes before serving.  Top individual servings with sour cream and fresh cilantro, for garnish.

Source: adapted from The Pioneer Woman