This is “white people taco night” at it’s finest. But considering that most of my favorite Mexican food is just some combination of tortillas, meat, cheese, and beans, this is still a very worthwhile add into the rotation. Why is this version better than the other 100 already on the internet? The secret ingredient is the sauce – a combination of red enchilada sauce, tomatoes, and chiles, gives the dish a much deeper flavor than using chunky salsa.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup red enchilada sauce
• One 10-oz can rotel, drained
• One 4-oz can diced green chiles, drained
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 white onion, finely chopped
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup water
• One 16-oz can refried beans
• 3 cups shredded pepper jack or mexican cheese
• 1 cup frozen fire roasted corn, thawed
• 9 flour tortillas (8″ size)
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
• For serving: sour cream, guacamole, sliced jalapenos

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 dish with cooking spray.
2. Add the enchilada sauce, rotel, and chiles to a food processor and pulse until combined but still a bit chunky. Alternatively, if you don’t have a food processor, finely chop the rotel and chiles and stir together in a bowl with the enchilada sauce. Set aside.
3. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, approx 2-3 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned. Add the garlic, taco seasoning, and water. Stir to combine and cook until the water is mostly evaporated. Set aside.
4. Spread a thin, even layer of the enchilada sauce mixture at the bottom of the greased baking dish.
5. Place 3 tortillas on top of the sauce mixture in an even layer.
6. Spread with half of the refried beans, half of the beef mixture, and half of the corn. Sprinkle with 1 cup cheese.
7. Start the next layer with 3 tortillas, then remaining beans, then half of the remaining enchilada mixture, then the remaining beef, then the remaining corn, then 1 cup cheese.
8. Add the final layer of 3 remaining tortillas, remaining enchilada mixture, and 1 cup cheese.
9. Cover with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until heated through. For the last 5-10 minutes, remove the foil so the top layer of cheese can get browned and bubbly and delicious.
10. Remove from oven, let cool slightly, and sprinkle the top of the lasagna with the cilantro. Serve with sour cream, jalapeno slices (optional), and guacamole.