Mexican Lasagna

The Recipe's Story

I normally am not a big fan of a casserole dish. There is something more pleasant about a plate to me with vegetables on the side and not all jumbled in with my main dish. Thus, the casserole does not appear in my home often until I found this recipe. I hear the original idea is from Weight Watches but my husband and I added and adjust a few ingredients to make it our own. This dish freezes well, makes great leftovers, and is my go to meal when I bring a dish to a friend.

The original corn tortillas would be much healthier as would a whole wheat tortilla but we stick with flour. The protein from the chicken and the black beans give this meal a filling base. Black beans are a good source of molybdeum, folate, fiber, trypothan, manganese, matnesium, and vitamin B1. The cheese and sour cream bind the ingredients together. There is some calcium in these dairy products but they are mostly there for flavor. The olives add monounsaturated fat and a great salty flavor. Onions are low in calories, heart healthy, and have been show to raise HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol). As far as comfort foods go, which are not normally healthy, this one provides some health benefits plus its quick and easy.

Mexican Lasagna

1 medium onion, diced

1 tsp. olive oil

6 8" tortillas cut in half

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast 

3/4 c light sour cream

3/4 c shredded Mexican cheese blend

1 15oz can black beans, rinsed

1 2.25oz can sliced black olives

salt and pepper

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium pan over medium-low heat. Add diced onions to the pan and to stir to coat the onions with the oil. Spread the onions out evenly over the pan and let cook, stirring occasionally. After 10 minutes,  add 1 tablespoon of water, stir, then remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.

2. In a medium pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Salt the water then add the chicken breast and reduce the heat to medium high. Allow the chicken to simmer for about 8 minutes, or until cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, cool, then using two forks shred the meat.

2. In a large bowl combine the chicken, 1/2 cup cheese, sour cream, beans, cooled onions, and olives. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Grease an 8x8 inch casserole dish. Place a layer of tortillas (4 halves), then half the mixture, and repeat. Add a final layer of tortillas then, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

4. At this point you can freeze your casserole (I have used a food saver and had it keep three months), place it in the fridge (can be kept up to two days) or place into a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Servings: 6
Calories: 461 per serving