Taco Fiesta Chicken Lasagna

I know that lasagna is traditionally an Italian dish, but just to be different, I enjoy making this lasagna with a Mexican flavor.  The nice thing about this recipe is that it needs to be prepared the day before, so there is no real work the day you serve it as it only needs to be baked.  That makes it a great dish when having guests for dinner.  While the lasagna is in the oven, an appetizer can be prepared or a fresh salad can be tossed as an accompaniment.

I found this recipe in one of those little recipe books which are sold at the register in the market.  This is a go to dish when I know I won't have a lot of time to prepare a full meal, especially when I'm serving more than just our little family.  The nice thing is that there are usually leftovers for another meal or lunches.  My guys give this 8's and 9's on the Melnarik rating scale.

In a large bowl, I combine the tomatoes and taco sauce.

To that, I add the cubed chicken, stirring to combine.  This can be leftover chicken, or sometimes, I use the grilled chicken strips that are sold in the market.

In a medium bowl, I combine the refried beans and sour cream.

To assemble the lasagna, I begin by spraying a 9-x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.  Then I spread about 1 cup of the chicken mixture in the bottom of the pan.

Next, I add 5 lasagna noodles, breaking them to fit in the rounded corners of the pan.

I add 1/2 of the bean mixture over the noodles, spreading as evenly as possible.

I then add 1 1/2 cups of the chicken mixture over the bean layer.  I know it's hard to add this evenly, but do the best you can.

About 1 cup of the cheese is sprinkled evenly on top of the last layer.

That is followed by half of the onions, distributing them as evenly as possible.

Then I repeat with another layer of noodles, broken to fit.

The rest of the bean mixture is added next.

This is followed by another 1 1/2 cups of the chicken mixture.

Another cup of cheese is sprinkled on top of the chicken mixture.

The last of the onions get added next.

The last layer of noodles goes on next, again breaking to fit.

This layer gets topped with the last of the chicken mixture, and I still had some green onions, so I added them.

The last layer is the rest of the cheese.  It's important to make sure that the final layer of noodles is completely covered.  I then cover the entire dish with the nonstick aluminum foil and place it in the refrigerator until baking time the next day.  If you do not have the nonstick foil, you can spray regular foil with a nonstick spray and put it on the dish spray side down.

This dish does take a considerable amount of time to bake, so allow for that.  Part of the reason is that it's been in the refrigerator, so it takes longer to heat before the cooking begins.  For this reason, I put it in the oven, then turn it on, so that as the oven heats, it can begin to heat up the lasagna also.  It gets baked covered at 350°F for 50 minutes.  Then it gets uncovered and baked about another 20 minutes.  It's easier to cut when I let it sit about 10 minutes before cutting.

Each piece can be topped with fresh cilantro, sour cream, chopped tomato and/or shredded lettuce.  Fiesta means party and with all the vibrant colors in this lasagna, it's like having a party on your plate!  Enjoy!

Taco Fiesta Chicken Lasagna

2 (14 ½ oz.) cans diced tomatoes with mild green chiles, undrained

¼ cup taco sauce

3 cups cubed cooked chicken

1 (16 oz.) can refried beans

½ cup sour cream

15 uncooked lasagna noodles

12 oz. (3 cups) shredded Mexican cheese blend (Monterey Jack and Cheddar)

½ cup chopped green onions

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Spray a 9-x13-inch (3 quart) glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  In a large bowl, combine tomatoes and taco sauce; mix well.  Stir in chicken.  In a medium bowl, combine refried beans and sour cream; mix well.

Spread about 1 cup chicken mixture in bottom of sprayed baking dish.  Top with 5 uncooked noodles, breaking to fit if necessary.  Spread with half of bean mixture and 1 ½ cups chicken mixture.  Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese and half of onions.

Layer 5 more noodles, remaining bean mixture, 1 ½ cups chicken mixture and 1 cup cheese.  Top with remaining 5 noodles, chicken mixture, onions, and cheese.  (Be sure top noodles are covered.)  Spray a 15-x12-inch sheet of foil with cooking spray and cover dish with sprayed side down.  Refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 350°F.  Bake covered lasagna for 50 minutes.  Uncover baking dish; bake an additional 18 to 22 minutes or until bubbly and thoroughly heated.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.  Sprinkle with cilantro.  If desire, garnish each serving with dollop of sour cream, chopped tomato and shredded lettuce.