Taco Lasagna
This Taco Lasagna recipe is so easy and is a casserole that freezes well. When Mexican food meets Italian you get layers of pasta, salsa, seasoned taco meat and lots and lots of cheese. It has only 7 ingredients and is a crowd pleasing cheesy Mexican dinner! This recipe is great topped with some homemade guacamole and pico de gallo.
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(Originally posted 2014)
TACO LASAGNA RECIPE
This taco lasagna could not be more simple. I was skeptical that with such few ingredients that the flavor would be good but it came together nicely.
This is a great twist on Taco Tuesday and full of Mexican flavors.
WHAT IS TACO LASAGNA?
Unlike other Mexican lasagnas that use tortillas, this one actually uses lasagna noodles making it a true lasagna. I like the one with tortillas too but to me those are called layered enchiladas.
Mix a little ricotta with an egg for your lasagna-ness.
Start by layering 4 lasagna noodles. You can boil the noodles or use the no-boil noodles like I did. There’s a fine line between lazy and efficient and I like dancing on it.
Spread your ricotta mixture over the noodles.
Sprinkle a layer of taco meat on top.
Instead of enchilada sauce in this Taco Lasagna use your favorite salsa.
Sprinkle a good helping of cheese on top. Then repeat the layers twice. See! So easy.
Another great thing about this lasagna is that it freezes great!
HOW TO MAKE TACO LASAGNA
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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In a large skillet, brown beef until no longer pink. Drain meat and add the taco seasoning. Stir until combined and set aside.
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In a small bowl, add the egg and ricotta and stir until combined.
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In a 9×13 baking dish, start by layering 4 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Next, layer 1/3 of the ricotta, 1/3 of the beef mixture, 1/3 of the salsa, and 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat the layers 2 more times.
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Bake covered for 30-40 minutes or until the casserole has heated through and is bubbly. Let casserole stand 10 minutes before cutting. Top with sour cream, sliced green onions, and diced tomatoes if desired.
MEXICAN RECIPES
OTHER PASTA RECIPES:
- Faux Lasagna
- Unstuffed Shells Casserole
- Easy Taco Bake
- Skillet Baked Ziti
- Peanut Noodles
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Skillet
- Taco Pasta
- Lasagna Soup
- Taco Pasta Salad
Taco Lasagna
Ingredients
- 12 oven ready lasagna noodles, (see note)
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 (1-oz.) package Old El Paso taco seasoning, (or homemade taco seasoning)
- 1 egg
- 1 (15-oz.) carton ricotta cheese
- 4 cups 1 lb. shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 (24-oz.) jar chunky salsa
- Optional toppings: sour cream, green onions, diced tomatoes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large skillet, brown beef until no longer pink. Drain meat and add the taco seasoning. Stir until combined and set aside.
- In a small bowl, add the egg and ricotta and stir until combined.
- In a 9x13 casserole dish, start by layering 4 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Next, layer 1/3 of the ricotta, 1/3 of the beef mixture, 1/3 of the salsa, and 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat the layers 2 more times.
- Bake covered with aluminum foil for 30-40 minutes or until the casserole has heated through and is bubbly. Let casserole stand 10 minutes before cutting. Top with your favorite taco toppings: sour cream, sliced green onions, and diced tomatoes if desired. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
This was definitely a hit with my family . They literally ate every single bite . Easy to make delicious to taste.
So happy to hear that!
Would this still taste good without the Ricotta? Is there something you could sub for it?
Cottage cheese is a good sub.
This was soo good and easy to assemble. I didn’t change anything about the recipe but went for a spicier salsa (El Pinto-Hot) and used spicy taco seasoning! I had to cook mine for a bit longer than the recipe stated.
I was sceptical, not sure why, but made this because I was pressed for time and we needed to feed children and adults. It was so good, I was honestly surprised. All ages enjoyed it bi made it as written, no changes. I think it was a refreshing change from Italian traditional lasagna, with a much lighter feel. You do good work, Christy, and I want to thank you.
You’re welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!
This is a favorite in our house! It’s awesome to give to those who we would like to send a meal to also. It always gets rave reviews!
Yes, I agree. Great for taking in!
On a Keto diet. What would you use instead of the lasagna noodles?
Thanks
It was delicious.. made it with corn tortillas and refried beans..made my own taco seasoning, Instead of scallions and sour cream on top, I️ put a some in the refried beans and put dots of sour cream on top of the layer of beans…also used as a toping, taste just as good without.
Thanks for making!
I’ve tried this twice now, and both times it has come out delicious! There is never even any leftovers because my family finishes the whole pan each time, it never fails to delight! Great for dinner or potlucks & it’s fun to make.
Thank you Emily!
I made this last week and it was AMAZING! My GF and I loved it. Thanks!
Thank you!
Loved this! I still bought regular lasagna noodles and it was still very quick and easy to make, yet delicious. My boyfriend and I loved it
Yay!! love hearing that.
So yummy!!
Such a huge hit!. And with pickie eatters in my home thats hard to do and to top it off my husband don’t like ricotta,
But he loved it so much her had 2 very big servings and my 4 year old had 2 servings as will.
Love hearing that!
This is such yummy goodness!
I mixed fresh salsa with enchilada sauce. Assembled the lasagna as specified, but used regular lasagna noodles and added water to just below the edge of the pan so no cooking the noodles prior to baking 😉
Love your tips Theresa.
This is basically regular lasagna…only thing taco about it is the meat! If you want an easy Mexican Lasagna, Try layering Salsa, flour tortillas, refried beans, cooked taco meat, shredded cheese and then top after baking top with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes and sprinkle with cheese. Now THATS mexican lasagna. Easy and so good!
Yes, I’ve had that version too. This has salsa as the sauce also.
I specifically wanted to use no bake lasagna noodles NOT tortillas. So for us, this is exactly the kind of Mexican lasagna we were looking for! Otherwise I would of followed a completely different recipe… thank you for a great Mexican Lasagna with Lasagna noodles!
Could you use picante sauce rather than salsa
Yes, that works!
Loved this! So easy to make too!
Thank you!
This was so delicious, and the leftovers were just as good. Going into my recipe book for sure, thank you for sharing!
Thanks April. I love hearing that.
I have never purchased no-boil noodles but have never boiled the noodles to make my classic lasagna, never had any under cooked noodles.
Nina,
I think you’re right! It should be fine with regular.
Looks great but going to change it to Red Chili instead of salsa. Looks yummy!! Thanks
I made this dish tonight and we all really liked it! I was considering subbing tortillas for the noodles in the early planning stages, but so glad I didn’t. (You were right to note that the tortilla version and this lasagna version are actually different casseroles. And each is good for different reasons. Subbing the tortillas seems like an obvious choice, but that doesn’t improve this recipe, it changes it. This is a keeper–a reliable choice to surprise a friend in need or welcome home a college student. It’s so tasty!!
I will note the following additions that we enjoyed. I added 1 TBS of dried oregano and 1 TBS of chipotle lime seasoning to the ricotta layer; I used part jalapeño jack cheese and also added finely chopped onions to the cheese layer with good success. (And I did bake it longer to ensure the onions cooked.)
Thanks for an inspiring and reliable recipe!
You’re so welcome and thank you for your notes! I appreciate it.
This is a simple and tasty main dish. It came together easily and tastes great. Followed your directions exactly but didn’t have the correct amount of salsa without a trip to the store so I rounded out the salsa with a can of Rotel. My husband loved it and so did I thank you for a wonderful dinner!
Sorry! The Rotel was probably perfect!
My husband and I made this last night for dinner and it turned out great! We both really liked it and will be adding it to our dinner rotation for sure. I’m wondering if you have nutritional values or Weight Watcher’s Smart Points values by chance??
I don’t know how to calculate those. I’m sorry.
So I just started cooking since my wife has late days on Monday (my day now) and she loves to cook. My idea of cooking, until recently, was either ordering pizza (what…its work) or adding tuna to Mac and cheese and calling it a casserole. I have now done 5 Monday’s in a row and this one was her favorite. Even forgetting to cover (lol) it was still wonderful. Thanks for all these easy and good recipes guys!
You’re so welcome Dan! You sound like a good husband!
this looks delicious
I used the bag offour cheese mexican mix from the cheese aisle. It came out delicious. Definitely going in my recipe book. Yummy!
So glad you loved it!
This looks amazing! I am always trying to find new fun twists on things so this looks right up my ally! However I am only cooking for 2 so I would like to cut this in half. I have half a 15oz container of ricotta, but this calls for 1 whole egg. Should I whisk the egg and then add half to the ricotta? Would that make scrambled eggs with ricotta cheese? Or should I just add the whole egg with the ricotta I have left. Thanks for your help!
Yes, I would just whisk the egg and add half to the ricotta! Good luck.
how do you freeze it? in the baking dish or Tupperware? any ideas?
I froze it in the baking dish.
I just made this to cook for tonight’s dinner. Thank you for taking the time to share. After mixing the ricotta and egg I was thinking you could add a bit of canned green chilies to the ricotta/egg mix and really hit this one out of the park.
Ooh! I bet that would be great!
I just finished making this and thought it tasted AWESOME! However, I used the oven ready lasagna noodles and they were barely cooked. They were still pretty hard even after putting it back in the oven for an additional 20 minutes. Everything else though, I wouldn’t change a thing!!
Is it ok that I substituted sour cream in place of ricotta?
Ooh. I actually think that would be fabulous.
Hi Christy! I am about to make this recipe for my family this week…Do you just add the taco seasoning and not the water to it? Can’t wait to try it!
You can add the water. I didn’t because my meat was really wet. If you add the water just make sure you simmer it until thick.
I want to try this recipe but my family consists of nine people and I need to know how many servings it makes. Please let me know.
It makes around 12 servings.
This recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it. I read through the comments and noticed a lot of the readers commented on their no bake noodles not cooking all the way through and the other comments about adding more salsa and or a 1/4 cup liquid to the taco meat seasoning.. It is always helpful to read through the comments so I can see what works and what doesn’t for other cooks.. Personally I think I am going to try mixing my salsa with a bit of red enchilada sauce to give it more of the yummy adobo taste.. I have two picky eaters in our house.. my 27yo son and my husband so I will let you know if it is a hit… 😀 Thank you so much for all the yummy recipes, you make my time in the kitchen so much more enjoyable as I try new recipes.
How did the recipe turnout with the enchilada sauce? I am thinking I will try it that way as well. When I make regular lasagna I don’t pre-cook the noodles, I put them in dry and use cottage cheese instead of ricotta and it turns out perfect. Hoping if I use enchilada sauce with the salsa, refried beans instead of ricotta and add the water to the meat, I will be ok with putting the noddles in dry.
I’m so hungry now! This sounds so good! But you can use regular lasagna noodles,not cooked. You don’t need No Bake noodle…you just need enough salsa cuz it gets all bubbly so the noodles will be soft. If you don’t like ricotta cheese use cottage cheese. It’s great!!!
~Vanessa W
I gotta tell you these ads are more then a passing irritant. Boy Howdy I understand about creating a cash flow but this was beyond annoying on every picture and not going away with one click.
Becky – rate the recipe not the fact that you are getting a recipe for free. Get over the ads or maybe just buy a cookbook.
If I wanted to make this the night before, would it be okay to stick in the fridge and bake the next day or should I bake it the same night I make it. Thanks.
You could definitely bake it the next day!
This was delicious, thank you!
You’re welcome!
We LOVE this recipe!!! It’s amazing and comes out perfect every time! Thank you for this Mexican Italian Fusion !!! We even found whole wheat lasagna noodles and still tastes great!
Admiring fans,
Alexi at PicTricks
http://www.pictricks.com
Thank you!
I just made this and it turned out so yummy!!!
I made this recipe last week for Nurse’s week and it was so GOOD that it was gone before the end of the party! It was also such a hit that I made it tonight for my son and we barely have any leftovers… This will be a frequent dish! Thank you!
Great to hear!
Am I the only one who had trouble with the noodles?? They’re oven ready lasgna noodles, I just had it in the oven for 30 minutes (at 350) and they’re still hard. It smells SO GOOD and I’m starving! 🙁 Ahh!
you might not have used a wet enough salsa? Was yours chunky? Make sure it’s covered so it kind of steams the noodles.
Has anyone tried making this the day before and then baking it the next day?
Can’t wait to try this sounds really good!!! Thanks for the recipe!
hi..just a question about the no boil noodles…I have used them in the past for regular lasagna but you need to have quite a bit of sauce to re hydrate them..what gives them the moisture in this recipe and is just from the salsa enough?
The salsa was enough for me. You can add more if you’re nervous about it or use regular boiled lasagna noodles.
I don’t have ricotta cheese. I have cottage cheese. think it would work? Live out in the country,don’t get into town to shop that much.
Shoot. They definitely have a different consistency but I love cottage cheese in dishes like this so I think it might work. I can’t be sure though until I’ve tried it.
Put the cottage cheese in the food processor, then it should work
Hi I love your recipes! I was wondering if I could substitute taco sauce for salsa? I really don’t like salsa:( what do you think? Could you guess how much? Thanks so much
The salsa gives the moisture to help cook the noodles so I’m afraid with less taco sauce they might not cook through.
After 45 mins in the oven the noodles are still not cooked through (I used your suggestion of oven-ready noodles). I used the amount of salsa noted in your recipe. I have used oven-ready noodles many times and should have known better, the 24 oz of salsa was not enough and the casserole should be covered initially, perhaps most of the cooking time, and removed the last 10 minutes. If it’s a hit, I will use regular lasagna noodles next time.
I think you’re right. Covering it helps cook the noodles. Thanks for the tip.
I made this for dinner last night. Yum! So delicious and so easy! Thanks for sharing!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was very good. I am a busy single mom of four girls and recipes like this are just ideal. Thank you!
Great! I’ll try to post more easy recipes. I’m all about simple.
Made this tonight and it was delicious! I added maybe 1/4 cup water to the meat so it wouldn’t be too dry. Next time I will add a layer of salsa to the bottom of the pan or on top of the first layer. Unfortunately, my no-cook noodles were crunchy on the bottom. Also, your ingredient list is missing the egg.
Paige, the egg is in the ingredient list but hard to see maybe? Glad you enjoyed it!
How long can this stay frozen for? Looks yummy!
I’m not a food expert but I would be comfortable freezing it for a month. I’m sure you could freeze it longer.
Quisiera recibir muestras gratis y asi poder probar su producto
Carmen Saldana
Calle 7 H 4
Urb. Villa Cooperativa
Carolina PR 00985
gracias anticipadas
You don’t have to cook noodles at all! Just put Lasagna together early in the day keep in fridge bake just before dinner. Great!
I tried making this today and baked uncovered for 30-40 minutes. My noodles didn’t cook. I used oven ready lasagna noodles. Got to admit disappointed.
Hmmm. What kind of salsa did you use? If the noodles didn’t cook there probably wasn’t enough liquid.
It has to be really moist. I use a lot of salsa in mine.
I made this today and it was very good. I was afraid it would not have enough moisture to cook the noodles so I used two jars salsa, 15.5 oz each, instead of the 24 oz. Then I covered it with foil but not tightly.
Hope you liked it!
Do you cook the casserole before you freeze?
I did cook it before I froze it but I think you could freeze it before you cook it as well.
I made this tonight and it was excellent. I added three tablespoons of fresh cilantro as I love this flavour in Mexican dishes. With the taco seasoning you will find there is a “Kick” to this version but it is not too much.
Hi Christy, I just saw your recipe for Taco Lasagna and it looks delicious and I am going to fix this next week, when everyone is off and can enjoy it together. I do have a question, when you add the taco seasoning mix to the beef, do add water with it? In the picture it doesn’t look like it, but I just want to make sure so I don’t screw it up. Thanks so much and can’t wait to try this and many more of your recipes. 🙂
You don’t add water with it. You could add about 1/4 cup if you wanted to so that the mixture isn’t dry and that shouldn’t change the consistency.
In love with this, a perfect dinner to me!
I made this and loved it! So did my hubby. Super easy and very yummy. Will definitely make it again.
Great to hear Lisa!
Enjoyed this! Similar to your Mexican Stuffed Shells but easier and love that it’s freezer friendly. The only change I made was skipping the ricotta and dumping a can of refried beans in with the taco meat to warm and then spread the mixture across the noodles. Love your recipes!
Yay! Glad you did.
I found this recipe on Pinterest a few days ago. I made it tonight for my family to celebrate Cinco De Mayo. It was excellent!!! Everyone loved it. Even my two young children. Thank you for sharing such, a wonderful recipe! It’s definitely a do again in our house.
Yay! Thanks for the quick feedback and Happy Cinco De Mayo!
This looks a great and it’s in my oven baking as we speak! 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
Kids, schmids. This looks so good, I want to eat the whole thing. I can’t wait to try it.
I made this for dinner tonight and not only was it super simple and easy to put together but really delicious! Using lasagna noodles instead of tortillas is genius.
My 15 year old son had 4 servings!
Thanks for this great recipe and a terrific blog.
Yay!! Success. Thanks for sharing!
This looks great nad easy!
I am going to make this for work next week. I work for a fire department, so cooking for the guys can be daunting. It sounds so good, and looks so easy!
I just have to chime it too. I love your recipes — always so tasty and easy to make. Thank you for your efforts and sharing your passion. I am a better cook since i started following your blog!
Thank you so much! You guys are making my day!
Made this for dinner last night and it was a hit! I always try your recipes because I’ve had great luck with them – they are easy to follow, tasty and they haven’t failed me yet! Thanks for sharing all of these great dishes and deserts!!
Thank you Stephanie! Glad you liked it.
I love that you made this with lasagna noodles instead of tortillas. For some reason I have shied away from making mexican lasagna because every recipe uses tortillas and I don’t like the idea of them being soggy. And after making mexican stuffed shells I know I would love this!
You will!
Question: Years ago, my mother’s friend made a casserole that was shredded chicken (and other things) rolled in flour torillas, topped with I’m thinking Cream of Chicken soup, sour cream and avocado. It was incredible but as you can see I don’t have the recipe. I’ve search the internet but can’t find the right combo of soup/cheese/chicken. Have you or any of your readers ever come across a casserole like this?
Thanks.
Deb M.
Deb,
Oh man. There are so many versions out there. I looked on Pinterest and found so many versions but I’m not sure which one you’re looking for…
Christy,
I’ll go through PinInterest aghain. I found one that was close. I’m going to try your Taco Lasagna first. It got the most enthusiastic votes in my house. It’s the weekend and often don’t get around to formal meals. We had pasta salad tonight with bowtie pasta, cucumber, kalamata olives, mini-peppers, crumbled feta cheese and grape tom. Used an Italian tuscan dressing and it was delicious.
Thanks again for providing such an enjoyable website. : )
Deb
You’re welcome Deb. I will keep my eye out…
@ Deb – I know I’m super late, (LOL!) but I just saw your post and it kind of sounds like the chicken and cheese enchilada recipe that Campbell’s puts out. I know it’s not a casserole, per se, but it sounds pretty close to what you’re looking for.
http://www.campbellskitchen.com/recipes/easy-chicken-cheese-enchiladas-50780
I hope this helps!
@ Christy – Thank you so much for the amazing recipe. Made it tonight and, as promised, it was SUPER easy, super fast and DELICIOUS! Your directions were really easy to follow and the pictures of each step was really helpful too.
Thanks again!! 🙂
Thank you Tamika for all of your help.
This sounds like the creamy chicken enchilada recipe with white sauce I’ve seen.
Sorry I was replying to another comment but it ended up somewhere…else lol. It was a comment about a creamy chicken enchilada casserole.
Haha. Okay!
This looks amazing!! I’m having the hub go pick up supplies as I write this. Though I have most of the items. My family loves lasagna and mexican so this will be a perfect match. Also, your eclair cake!! Oh my goodness. Just perfect for my son who loves eclairs. Your recipes always look so delicious and even better, easy to make. I’m not one for complicated cooking and your recipes are very user friendly.
Thank you for all the work you do to bring us such great food.
Deb M.
Thanks Deb! I needed to hear that!
This is totally my kind of dish! It looks great!
Can you post the Crockpot Lasagna. Sounds good and easy
Sure! Here’s the link: https://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2010/12/crockpot-lasagna.html
This looks great and I especially love that it can be frozen! I would to ally love watching people try to pick up that quarter too! But, I must admit I have been the victim of this joke before too!
I just following your blog. You really do come up with some winning recipes that are quick. Lasagna and tacos—-two never to fail please recipes made into one. A double whammy winner. Nice job.
Thanks Carol. You’re so sweet.
Oh this looks so good! I love a big hearty casserole. And I love Mexican food. This is perfect!
I love a good casserole too!
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it! I’ve never seen lasagna noodles that look like that. Is it because they are no-boil? Also, I usually make my regular lasagna in a crock-pot, I wonder if that method would work for this taco version?
Yes, it’s because they’re no boil. I have a crockpot lasagna too and this will definitely work in the crockpot.
This looks so good Christy! I totally would have been That Person trying to get the quarter, haha!
You’re funny! I’m naughty.
I love taco lasagna, but I make mine with tortillas instead of lasagna noodles and refried beans instead of ricotta. A round dish works best, but you can halve the tortillas and overlap them for a square or rectangular.
Yes, I make that version too. Super tasty.
Oooh, my husband isn’t a ricotta fan, so I’m totally subbing with refried beans. Wouldn’t have thought of that!
My little secret is Thousand Island dressing in lieu of ricotta. Many will scoff at this but I have had so many more compliments and have converted a vast majority of the nay sayers
Hello Jacki, I have a dumb question, when you do the refried beans, do you omit the eggs? Then is the rest of the recipe the same? Thanks so much. 🙂
Do you use flour or corn tortillas?
Flour tortillas!
Yuck! Sorry but flour tortillas would NOT work well in this type of recipe. They would be soggy and gross. Honestly, you should never use flour tortillas in mexican food. Corn tortillas are healthier, more authentic, and far tastier if you know how to prepare them correctly.
I guess it’s personal opinion. I’ve made layered Mexican lasagnas plenty of times with flour tortillas. They get soft but are good. I agree corn tortillas are more authentic but it really just comes down to personal preference and what you grew up on.
I made an enchilada casserole I found on pinterest with flour tortillas that was the bomb, not soggy at all. I dislike the taste and texture of corn tortillas, so yes I think it is a personal preference.
Did anyone else have an issue with the lasagna noodles not softening?
It’s important that you cover it well and tightly so that the salsa kind of steams the noodles. If you want you can boil them and then assemble.
Yes! I cooked the lasagna for 45 minutes. Took it out, left it covered to sit for 10 minutes as per the recipe. When I went to cut it, all I heard was the “CRUNCH” of the uncooked noodles. Added about 1/2 cup of water, covered it, and cooked it for another 30 minutes.
YES!
I’ve made it twice. I didn’t have an issue the first time, but I did have that issue the second time. It seems like my issue was mainly on the bottom layer, so next time I’ll put a layer of salsa at the bottom first. I think this will fix it. I made sure to cover it tightly with foil, so I’m not sure what could have made the difference the second time.