It’s Tex-Mex Thursday – the best Thursday of the month! I’m thrilled to have this scrumptious recipe from Matthew Wendel, who cooked for many years for President and Mrs. George W. Bush. Matt’s a Texan, born and raised, and he knows his way around these classic southwestern ingredients. If you love lasagna, and you love Mexican food, this is a natural addition to your cooking repertoire; it’s a one-dish dinner filled with lots of veggies, and prepared in less time than it takes to order carryout and go pick it up.
With many thanks to Matthew for another fabulous recipe – here’s what he has to say about it:
“The Bushes love their Tex-Mex, and this dish was no exception. It’s great to share for a family meal; just serve it up with some good guacamole and chips. It also gives you flexibility to make it all vegetarian or substitute roasted pork or brisket for the chicken.”
Chicken and Black Bean Mexican Lasagna by Matt Wendel
(Margaritas optional but recommended)
Serves: 6-8
Prep time: one hour
Heat index: mild
Ingredients
- 1 cup white onion, chopped
- 1 cup red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup poblano pepper, diced, peeled and seeded
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced – more if you like
- 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 14-1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 tablespoon chile powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- salt to taste
- 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 2 ears of corn, roasted and cut off the cob (you can also use 1 8-ounce package frozen cut corn, thawed)
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2-3 cups cooked chicken, white or dark meat, diced (you can also use a grocery store rotisserie chicken)
- 1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 12 8-inch fresh corn tortillas
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add canola oil to a large skillet, sauté onions and peppers for about 15 minutes, or until tender.
- Add tomatoes and their juice, garlic, chile powder, oregano, cumin and salt, and continue cooking for 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a medium bowl combine the spinach, cilantro, sour cream and ricotta.
- In a 13x9x2 inch-baking dish that has been coated with nonstick cooking spray, layer the ingredients as follows:
Ingredients
- thin layer of sautéed tomato mixture
- 6 tortillas spread out in a layer
- half of the black beans
- half of corn
- half of of the chicken
- half of the remaining tomato mixture
- half of the sour cream spinach mixture
- half of the cheddar cheese
- half of the Monterey Jack cheese
Directions
- Repeat for one more layer, except for the cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Top with remaining cheeses and bake for another 10-15 minutes, uncovered.
- Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
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