Tex-Mex Lasagna Recipe | We are not Martha (2024)

Looking for an easy dinner that's packed with delicious flavor? This Tex-Mex Lasagna takes just minutes to prep and will satisfy the whole family!

(This recipe for Tex-Mex Lasagna was originally published in February 2009, but was updated with new photos and content in 2020).

If you tell someone to make a lasagna mid-week after a long day of work, they will probably laugh at you. Doesn't lasagna seem like more of a weekend project? Well, I've got some good news for you.

This Tex-Mex Lasagna takes less than 15 minutes to prepare. Not only that, but there's a chance you already have the ingredients in your pantry as we speak. It might not be your typical Italian lasagna, but it's packed with Mexican flavor and can easily be adjusted based on the type of salsa you use.

Why is This Dish So Easy?

This Tex-Mex lasagna is so easy for a couple different reasons. First of all, the ingredients consist of basic pantry staples. I don't know about you, but I always have all of the ingredients in this recipe in my kitchen (see the list below).

Not only that, but the unlike most lasagnas, this one can be put together in under 15 minutes. The best part? There's no chopping involved! You just mix the ingredients for the sauce and then layer everything in a baking dish. Pop it in the oven and your meal is complete!

Ingredients for Mexican Lasagna

As I mentioned, the ingredients for this dish are quite simple. All you need is:

• Salsa (type and heat level of your choice)
• Cumin
• Salt
• No-salt added diced tomatoes
• No-cook or pre-cooked lasagna noodles
• Frozen corn
• Black beans
• Shredded cheese
• Scallions

Ingredient Substitutions

This Tex-Mex lasagna recipe is adapted from a Cooking Light recipe, but all kinds of substitutions can be made depending on what you have in your pantry. For instance:

Salsa: I used Newman's Own Habanero Hot salsa for my lasagna because it's my favorite (and it's really not that spicy!), but you can use any kind you want from mild to spicy, chipotle, lime, mango, etc. You will be mixing the salsa with diced tomatoes and tomato sauce so keep that in mind when you're picking one out.

Beans and Corn: This recipe calls for black beans and corn. I always have black beans in my cabinet and corn in my freezer, so that makes it super easy for me. However, if you have any type of beans or frozen vegetables, you can add them in. Depending on what you use might make the dish less "Tex-Mex," but it will still be delicious!

Cheese: The original recipe calls for reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican blend, but I used a regular pepper jack. You can use any kind you want.

Lasagna Noodles: While I thought this dish was delicious when made with (no-bake) lasagna noodles, I saw some reviews of people who made it with tortillas instead, which is definitely an option!

Meat: This is a meatless dish, but you could easily add meat if you desire. Add cooked shredded chicken, ground beef, or ground turkey when you're adding the beans and corn to your lasagna layers.

How to Make Tex-Mex Lasagna

Like I mentioned, this recipe is extremely easy and should take you no longer than 15 minutes to put together. Pop it in the oven for 30 minutes while you do the dishes and have a glass of wine, and dinner is ready.

Start by pre-heating the oven to 450 degrees and spraying an 8x8" baking dish with cooking oil.

In a medium bowl, combine salsa, cumin, salt, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce

Spread ⅔ cup of the sauce sauce in bottom of the prepared baking dish. Place two of the noodles over the sauce and top with ½ cup of corn and ½ cup of beans. Sprinkle with a ½ cup of cheese.

Repeat layers and cover with remaining noodles. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. I pretty much just eyeballed this part and added however much I thought looked appropriate. I love cheese so I added it to my liking, which I'm sure voided the whole "cooking light" aspect.

Cover the dish with foil and bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes or until the top is turning golden brown and the sauce is bubbly.

Let stand for 15 minutes and sprinkle with scallions. Slice and serve!

Doesn't this look like a lasagna that you spent hours slaving over? In reality, you didn't even have to do any chopping to make this Tex-Mex lasagna dish a reality!

Normally, I dislike the idea of opening up cans and packages to make dinner, but when it's beans, tomatoes, frozen veggies, and pasta, it doesn't bother me at all. Especially when the result is this pure deliciousness.

The nutrition content of this recipe can be altered based on how much and the type of cheese you use. Other than the cheese and noodles, the ingredients in this dish are quite healthy. Considering you probably didn't even need to leave your house to get the ingredients, that's a big win!

Because you can use any kind of salsa you want, this Tex-Mex lasagna can quickly become a family favorite. Even kids should love it, so long as you use a mild salsa (unless your kids likes spicy, of course!). It's also the kind of dish that's fun for kids to help with in the kitchen.

Of course, add meat, like I mention above in the substitutions section if you have some meat lovers in your home who just can't get down with the meatless meals.

Oh, and I should probably mention that this Tex-Mex lasagna will likely leave you with some glorious leftovers! We happily enjoyed it for a few meals and it was delicious any time! The original recipe claims to serve 4, but I note that those are 4 very large servings and you can likely get more out of this, depending on how hungry you are!

What's your favorite meal involving pantry staples?

If you're looking for more alternative lasagna recipes, check out my Greek Skillet Lasagna. And for another easy Mexican recipe, check out my Baked Chicken Chimichangas. I'm really excited to make these Spinach Lasagna Rollups from Midwest Foodie!

📖 Recipe