Mexican Lasagna with Tortillas is made by layering a delicious meat-lovers taco mixture with flour tortillas and cheese, then topping it with crunchy tortilla chips and serving it with all your favorite toppings — sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo, cilantro, and more! 

Truth be told, I go crazy for Mexican food. I’m a big fan of Mexican food and so are my kids. Thank goodness! Because I can’t live without a good taquitos recipe or my delicious Mexican Street Corn Casserole!

Mexican Lasagna topped with olive slices, sour cream, and shredded lettuce, on a white plate.

Why This Recipe Works

  • Lasagna with tortillas. This Mexican lasagna recipe is a delicious twist on the classic lasagna that the whole family will love! Rather than using noodles, we use tortillas and a taco-inspired meat sauce! 
  • Taco lasagna meat mixture. The meat mixture for this Mexican lasagna with tortillas is inspired by taco meat! It’s packed with ground beef, black beans, and refried beans for a protein packed meal.
  • Add your favorite taco toppings. All the things you love to serve with tacos you should have ready for this amazing tortilla lasagna! We’re talking avocados, tomatoes, lettuce, cilantro, chips, green onions, sour cream — the works! 

Ingredient Notes

An image showing the ingredients needed for Mexican lasagna, including ground beef, cheese, green chilies, onion, refried beans, taco seasoning, garlic, tortillas chips, black beans, salsa, tortillas, and enchilada sauce!
  • Lean Ground Beef: Make sure the beef is completely thawed before cooking it. We cook the meat with the onion so we don’t want overly cooked onion while any frozen meat is still trying to thaw and cook in the pan. 
  • Salsa: Use your favorite salsa! You can use mild salsa, medium salsa, or hot salsa depending on the spice tolerance of those you are feeding. 
  • Black Beans: With the black beans, you want to drain and rinse the beans completely before adding them to the meat mixture. 
  • Refried Beans: Feel free to use a can of refried beans or make your own at home with my Slow Cooker Refried Beans recipe! 
  • Green Enchilada Sauce: You can use your favorite enchilada sauce, just be sure it’s a green enchilada sauce! 
  • Taco Seasoning: You’ll need a full packet of taco seasoning. If you want to use my Homemade Taco Seasoning, you’ll need 3 tablespoons. 
  • Soft Flour Tortillas: You can use corn tortillas if you prefer, but I used flour tortillas. They are layered with the sauce like a regular lasagna with lasagna noodles is layered! 
  • Cheese: I used Colby jack cheese, but feel free to use a Mexican cheese blend or your favorite kind! 
  • Tortilla Chips: Crush the tortilla chips. The Mexican lasagna with tortilla chips on top will add a nice crunch. 

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Cook the ground beef and onion. To a large skillet add 1 lb ground beef and 2 cups diced onion. Cook over medium heat until the meat is brown and no longer pink. Add 4 minced garlic cloves and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute more then turn the heat to low.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients for the meat sauce. To the skillet with the beef mixture add 2 cups salsa, the can of black beans (rinsed and drained), the can of refried beans, the can of green enchilada sauce, and the can of diced green chilies. Mix to combine. Add 1 packet taco seasoning and mix. Heat until everything is warmed through. 
  3. Layer the taco lasagna. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish or casserole dish. Place 1 1/2 cups of the taco meat mixture into the bottom of the pan and spread into an even layer. Place 2 flour tortillas over the mixture so it’s fully covered. Add 1/3 of the remaining meat mixture and spread over the layer of tortillas. Sprinkle 1 cup cheese on top of the tortillas. 
Four images showing how to make Mexican Lasagna using a meat sauce with beans.
  1. Repeat the layers. Repeat step 3 until all the sauce is used up, finishing with the meat mixture on top. 
  2. Bake. Cover the pan and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and take the cover off. Top with cheese and crushed tortilla chips. Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted. Serve with black olives, sour cream, homemade guacamole, tomatoes, shredded lettuce and fresh cilantro. Enjoy! 
A baking dish with flour tortillas and a meat mixture and crushed tortilla chips on top of a Mexican Lasagna.

Recipe Tips

Use freshly grated cheddar cheese, it melts much better than pre-shredded. In fact, pre-shredded cheese is coated with cellulose to prevent cheese from clumping. My advice, always grate your own cheese.

Some fun variations would be to switch up the protein by using ground turkey or ground chicken in place of ground beef. Add a chopped red bell pepper to the filling. Add pinto beans or any other bean variety you’d like.

If you have large flour tortillas that don’t fit in your pan, just rip them or cut them until you have a layer of tortillas. 

Serve this tortilla taco lasagna recipe with whatever toppings sound best. We enjoy chopped tomatoes (any variety), olives, cilantro, and sour cream. You can add shredded lettuce, pico de Gallo, and avocados too. I’m all for the toppings because they make this delicious dish *over the top* amazing!!

Serve this tortilla lasagna with a side of Cilantro Lime Rice or Sweet Bell Pepper Rice. 

Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing

To make the lasagna in advance, fully assemble the Mexican casserole then cover it with foil. Place it in the refrigerator for 1 day. When ready to bake, remove it from the fridge and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes to compensate for the filling being cold. The oven will need more time to heat the filling.

To store, cover the taco lasagna and store in the refrigerator or transfer to an airtight container. This dish will last for 3 days in the fridge.

To reheat the whole lasagna dish you can place it in the oven (covered) for 30-40 minutes.

To reheat a single serving place a slice on a plate and microwave until it reaches your desired temperature.

To freeze this cheesy Mexican lasagna, fully assemble the lasagna except for the tortilla chips. Cover completely in plastic wrap a few times and then one time in aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. Remove from the freezer and remove all the wrapping (plastic wrap and aluminum foil). Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake from frozen. You’ll have to bake it for much longer since the whole think is frozen. Keep an eye on it. 

A slice of Mexican Lasagna on a plate topped with fresh tomatoes, olive, lettuce, and sour cream.

Recipe FAQs

What is Mexican lasagna?

Mexican tortilla lasagna is like a taco lasagna with tortillas instead of lasagna noodles and a taco meat mixture instead of the Italian meat mixture. It’s essentially a Mexican take on the favorite traditional Italian lasagna! 

Can Mexican lasagna be frozen?

Yes! Just assemble the Mexican lasagna with tortillas, meat, and cheese as instructed in the recipe card. Then, instead of placing in the oven, cover in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. Remove from the freezer and remove all the coverings (including the plastic wrap!!). Then wrap in a fresh sheet of aluminum foil and bake. It will require longer bake time since it was frozen. 

When making lasagna what goes first?

Always start with the sauce or meat mixture first! Then layer the tortillas or lasagna noodles (if making the traditional lasagna). 

Can I use corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas?

Yes you can! The corn tortillas may soak in more of the liquid from the sauce, but it will still work out fine.

Mexican Lasagna made with flour tortillas and topped with olive, sour cream, tomatoes, and lettuce on a plate.

More Mexican Recipes 

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    An easy Mexican Lasagna recipe on a white plate, the lasagna is topped with sour cream, olives, tomatoes, and lettuce.
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    4.80 from 5 votes

    Mexican Lasagna with Tortillas

    An easy Mexican recipe! Mexican Lasagna with Tortillas is layers of a delicious taco mixture, flour tortillas and cheese, all topped with tortilla chips and served sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo, cilantro, and more!
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes
    Total Time: 55 minutes
    Servings: 12 servings

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 lb ground beef
    • 2 cups onion, chopped
    • 4 garlic cloves, minced
    • 2 cups salsa - I used half mild, half medium
    • 1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
    • 1 can (16 oz) refried beans
    • 1 can (10 oz) green enchilada sauce
    • 1 can (4 oz) diced green chilies
    • 1 packet taco seasoning
    • 6 flour tortillas - (10 inches)
    • 3 cups Colby Jack cheese
    • 2 cups crushed tortilla chips

    Garnishes

    • olives
    • diced tomatoes
    • avocado
    • sour cream
    • cilantro

    Instructions
     

    • In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef and onion until the meat is brown and no longer pink. Add the garlic. Stir. Cook for 1 minute more. 
    • Turn the heat to low. Add the salsa, black beans, refried beans, enchilada sauce, diced green chilies, and taco seasoning. Heat until warm. 
    • Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9″ x 13″ inch pan. Place 1 1/2 cups of the meat mixture in the pan. Spread to cover the bottom of the pan. Layer 2 tortillas over the meat mixture. Add a third of the remaining meat mixture over the tortillas and 1 cup of cheese. Repeat layers. Top with the remaining tortillas and meat mixture. 
    • Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover. Top with remaining cheese and crushed tortilla chips. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. 
    • Garnish with olives, sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, and cilantro if desired. 

    Notes

    To reheat the whole lasagna dish you can place it in the oven (covered) for 30-40 minutes.
    Recipe Source: adapted from Taste of Home.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 526kcal (26%)Carbohydrates: 43g (14%)Protein: 24g (48%)Fat: 28g (43%)Saturated Fat: 12g (60%)Cholesterol: 69mg (23%)Sodium: 1330mg (55%)Potassium: 551mg (16%)Fiber: 7g (28%)Sugar: 5g (6%)Vitamin A: 1005IU (20%)Vitamin C: 9.2mg (11%)Calcium: 383mg (38%)Iron: 3.7mg (21%)
    author: Whitney Wright
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Did you make this recipe?Leave a star rating and review on the blog post letting me know how you liked this recipe! Take a picture and tag @saltandbaker on Instagram and Facebook so I can see what you’re making!

    This recipe was first published December 7, 2017 and was updated April 13, 2020.