Hearty Mexican Lasagna

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb ground pork
• 1 lb lean ground beef (See Note 1)
• 1 cup beef stock
• 4 cups salsa (See Note 2)
• 6 oz tomato paste
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili seasoning
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp Mexican oregano or original oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 pound lasagna noodles
• 30 oz refried beans (Two 15 oz cans)
• 15 oz corn canned or thawed from frozen
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 lb pepper jack cheese (deli slices)

Garnish (either)

• 1/2 cup cotija cheese
• 1/2 cup queso fresco

DIRECTIONS

Meat Sauce

1. In a large pot over medium heat, add ground pork and beef. Break up the meat with a spoon and cook until meat is well browned.
2. Stir in beef broth, scraping up any browned bits on bottom of pan.
3. Add the salsa, tomato paste, spices, salt and pepper.
4. Stir to mix thoroughly and lower heat to simmer.
5. Cook for 1 hour adding more beef broth if it gets too thick.

Noodles

1. Meanwhile, place lasagna noodles into the bottom of your baking pan.
2. Pour hot water over the noodles, making sure the lasagna noodles are completely covered with water.
3. Let soak for 30 minutes, then drain and discard water.

Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a deep 9×13″ baking pan.
2. Layer 1: Spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan. Place 4-6 noodles on top (enough to cover meat sauce). Spread with half of the refried beans. Top with half of corn.
3. Layer 2: Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over corn. Place 4-6 noodles on top (enough to cover meat sauce), then sprinkle with half cheddar and pepper jack cheese.
4. Repeat Layer 1 and 2. To finish, place a final layer of lasagna noodles, topped with another 1 cup of meat sauce to cover the pasta. Top with remaining cheese.
5. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake additional 20 minutes for cheese to brown.
6. Remove from oven, allow to rest 5 minutes and crumble queso fresco or cotija cheese and chopped cilantro on top (optional). Serve hot.

NOTES

• Using 80/20 ground beef works best, but you can go leaner if you prefer.
• Using a medium heat salsa works best.