If we’re being honest, most of us have a long-term love affair with all things comfort food. Casseroles and tacos fit neatly in that niche for most of us, so why not combine the two together with Taco Lasagna? Our recipe this week comes courtesy of The Girl Who Ate Everything, and it’s a winner. My own kids saw this recipe and begged me to make it, so it’s on my meal plan soon. We estimated the cost of ingredients at roughly $16 or less and approximately $2 or less per serving. That’s a price and a meal I can get behind!
Taco Lasagna
Ingredients:
- 12 oven-ready lasagna noodles
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 (1-oz.) package taco seasoning
- 1 egg
- 1 (15-oz.) carton ricotta cheese
- 4 cups (1 lb.) shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 (24-oz.) jar chunky salsa
- Optional toppings: sour cream, green onions, diced tomatoes
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large skillet, brown beef until no longer pink. Drain meat and add the taco seasoning. Stir until combined and set aside.
- In a small bowl, add the egg and ricotta and stir until combined.
- In a 9×13 baking dish, start by layering 4 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Next, layer ⅓ of the ricotta, ⅓ of the beef mixture, ⅓ of the salsa, and ⅓ of the cheese. Repeat the layers 2 more times.
- Bake covered for 30-40 minutes or until the casserole has heated through and is bubbly. Let casserole stand 10 minutes before cutting. Top with sour cream, sliced green onions, and diced tomatoes if desired.
Notes:
- Use oven ready or no-boil lasagna noodles to save time. You can use regular noodles as well, just boil them before assembling.
- It’s important to cover it tightly when baking. This kind of steams the noodles with the salsa.
- Freezing: This freezes great! To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator for 8 hours and then bake as directed.