• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Life is but a Dish

Easy, approachable recipes for the everyday home cook

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • About Me
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Cakes, Cupcakes & Cookies
    • Chicken
    • Dessert
    • Dinner
    • Drinks & Cocktails
    • Dressings & Sauces
    • Fish & Seafood
    • Gluten Free
    • Grilling
    • Healthy
    • Instant Pot & Slow Cooker
    • Lunch
    • Meat
    • Muffins & Quick Breads
    • Pasta
    • Pizza
    • Quick & Easy
    • Salads
    • Sides
    • Snacks
    • Soups & Stews
    • Turkey
    • Vegetarian
    • Veggies
  • Cook with Confidence
  • Shop
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • About Me
  • All Recipes
  • Quick & Easy Recipes
  • Cook with Confidence
  • Shop
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Mexican Lasagna

    Apr 27, 2015 / by Laney Schwartz / 22 Comments(updated Feb 3, 2022)
    ★★★★★ from 7 reviews

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    This is my husband’s favorite meal.

    mexicanlasagna-6

    Yep.  If you were to ask him what his favorite dish is that I make, this would be the one. Which is so ironic because he’s a biiiiiig meat eater. He loves a great steak, slow cooked short ribs, or a double double animal style – no tomato.

    Funny enough, one of his other favorite meals is my No-Fuss Vegetarian Spinach Lasagna. Maybe he’s not such a meat-eater after all!

    mexicanlasagna

    Yet this simple, vegetarian meal seems to satisfy even the manliest of men.  It still hits that comfort feeling you’re looking for, just with healthier ingredients!

    Packed with brown rice, spinach, beans, and peppers, this recipe is full of flavor and tasty surprises. My favorite layer?  The bean/pepper mush.  I let this cook down until it becomes super soft and almost mush like. Yes, that’s a technical term.

    mexicanlasagna-2

    This recipe was originally created by one of my closest friends Sara. Back in the day before kids, carpools, and minivans, Sara and her husband lived in the building directly behind us in Santa Monica.  She and I would spend an entire Saturday afternoon planning a menu, shopping at the farmer’s market, and cooking dinner for our husbands.  Then we would stay up all night, stuff our faces, drink bottles of wine, play Balderdash and laugh until practically peeing our pants.  Then sleep in as late as we wanted on Sunday.  Oh, those were the days.

    Anyways, Sara came up with the GENIUS idea for this mexican lasagna, which I’ve slightly tweaked, and I think have perfected.  People. Go. CRAZY for this recipe.  I don’t know what it is.  But it’s a crowd pleaser.

    mexicanlasagna-5

    This was one of the main dishes I served at the Dinating at Home dinner a couple weeks ago.  And it’s a great dish to serve for Cinco de Mayo!  Do it.

    mexicanlasagna-7
    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

    Mexican Lasagna

    ★★★★★ 5 from 7 reviews
    • Author: Laney Schwartz
    • Yield: 8 1x
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    A delicious vegetarian lasagna made with brown rice, tortillas, and layers of veggies.


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 cup uncooked brown rice
    • 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock, (plus 1 cup (for the bean mixture))
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 onion, (sliced)
    • 1 red bell pepper, (thinly sliced)
    • 2 cloves garlic, (minced)
    • 1 can (15 oz pinto beans, drained and rinsed)
    • 1 can (15 oz black beans, drained and rinsed)
    • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
    • Salt and pepper to taste
    • 5–6 whole wheat (or corn tortillas, cut in quarters)
    • 2 1/2 cups shredded colby jack cheese
    • 4 cups fresh spinach
    • Garnish with sliced avocado (cilantro, salsa, and sour cream)

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside. Start cooking rice according to package using the broth as the liquid.
    2. In large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Cook onion, and red pepper in olive oil. Add a little salt and pepper and cook about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and cook about 1 minute. Add both cans of beans, garlic powder, onion powder, and about 1/2 – 3/4 cup of stock. Stir over medium heat and reduce until thick and beans are mushy. Add more stock as necessary (about 20 minutes). Add salt and pepper to taste.
    3. Start to layer in baking dish. Lay tortillas just enough to cover the bottom, 1 cup of cheese, half of the rice, all the spinach, all the bean mixture, other half of rice, another layer of tortillas, then topped with remaining cheese.
    4. Bake about 20-30 min until cheese is bubbly and crispy.
    5. After baking, garnish with sliced avocado and chopped cilantro. Serve with, salsa, sourcream, and maybe a splash of lime.

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @lifeisbutadish on Instagram and hashtag it #lifeisbutadish

    mexicanlasagnas-8

    And let me know what you think.

    Share this recipe!

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Filed Under: Dinner, Healthy, Vegetarian Tagged With: cinco de mayo, dinner, Healthy, Lasagna, Life is but a Dish, Mexican, mexican lasagna, vegetarian

    Reader Interactions

      Leave a comment & rate this recipe Cancel reply

      If you love this recipe, please consider giving it a star rating when you post a comment. Star ratings help people discover my recipes online. Your support means the world and is greatly appreciated!

      xo, Laney

      Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

      Comments

    1. Karen

      December 14, 2021 at 1:43 pm

      So, so good. I’ve been doing meatless Mondays for the last few months and this has definitely made the rotation. Even my pickiest eater loved it!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Laney Schwartz

        December 14, 2021 at 2:29 pm

        I love hearing that, Karen! Thanks for leaving a review!

    2. Jodi

      March 08, 2021 at 7:40 pm

      Another win for the whole family. I used TJ’s quinoa tortillas and they were just okay. Will use corn tortillas next time. However, we added ground beef and yum it was a great decision. I think it impacted the lasagne part as it all didn’t stick together super well but who cares the flavor was delicious .

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    3. Steve

      June 09, 2020 at 3:17 pm

      Love this dish

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Life is but a Dish

        June 11, 2020 at 3:03 pm

        Yay! us too!

    4. Val

      May 31, 2020 at 5:45 pm

      So yummy!!! Added bonus- super cheap meal that will last a few meals 🙂 thanks for the great recipe! Loved it and definitely very satisfying, even without any meat!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Life is but a Dish

        June 01, 2020 at 12:18 pm

        So glad you enjoyed!

    5. Bridgette

      March 15, 2019 at 2:28 pm

      Tried this a few nights ago and LOVED IT!!! I actually cooked some lentils and brown rice together and added that to the recipe. That was my husbands request. Besides that stuck to the recipe as written. Hubby says it’s one of his new favorites and I have to agree. Served to a group nd everyone enjoyed it. No one missed the meat.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Life is but a Dish

        March 16, 2019 at 2:27 pm

        Oh I’m so happy!!

    6. Towles Kintz

      December 12, 2018 at 8:34 am

      Yet another amazing, easy, delicious recipe! Thank you!!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Life is but a Dish

        December 13, 2018 at 1:29 pm

        Yay! SO glad you liked it!

    7. meisneb

      April 23, 2018 at 8:45 am

      Any issue with assembling the day before, refrigerating, and then cooking?

      Reply
      • Life is but a Dish

        April 26, 2018 at 12:49 pm

        Should be good to go!

    8. Alyse

      February 27, 2018 at 1:23 pm

      Huge hit in our home! Switched red pepper for poblano because it’s what I had on hand. And instead of oil on bottom, Trader Joe’s bottled enchilada sauce. And a little on top. Had it 2 days in a row. Thanks for this amazing recipe!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Life is but a Dish

        February 28, 2018 at 1:55 pm

        Yay!! We love this recipe too! So glad you enjoyed.

    9. Rochelle Bryan

      August 29, 2017 at 7:18 pm

      Loved it! We added some pickled jalapeños to add some heat, but seriously my brood of 5 loved it. We didn’t miss not having meat. It was really satisfying and delicious.

      Reply
      • Life is but a Dish

        August 29, 2017 at 10:27 pm

        This makes me so happy!! So glad everyone enjoyed. And pickled jalapeños sound awesome!

    10. Alicia

      April 02, 2017 at 8:08 pm

      We do a similar meal, without rice and add enchilada sauce. We just call it Enchilada Casserole 😉 Great dish! My husband loves enchiladas so much he doesn’t ever mind if its meatless 🙂

      Reply
    11. Swills

      May 22, 2015 at 7:02 pm

      Great dish! My husband, who is also a big meat eater, absolutely loved it. I added a semi-cleaned jalapeño and some cilantro to the bean mash, so it had a little more heat to it.

      Reply
      • Life is but a Dish

        May 26, 2015 at 7:27 pm

        Sounds like a great modification! So glad you enjoyed it!

    12. marcy grutza

      April 29, 2015 at 3:46 pm

      yum!!! Recipe saved and added to my favorites!

      Reply
      • Life is but a Dish

        April 29, 2015 at 7:57 pm

        Yay!

    Primary Sidebar

    About me

    Welcome to Life is but a Dish! I create easy, approachable recipes for the everyday home cook. Behind every recipe, photo and blog post is me – just an everyday mom, home cook and girl who’s obsessed with food. Let me tell you a little bit about what makes me, me!

    READ MORE…

    6 cheat sheets to help jumpstart your success in the kitchen

    AS FEATURED IN:

    Life is but a Dish is featured in: Shape Magazine Buzzfeed Huff Post Los Angeles Magazine FeedFeed

    lifeisbutadish

    Recipes you can trust ⬇️

    LANEY - Easy Everyday Cooking
    Quick 5-minute lunch! Quick 5-minute lunch!
    7-Ingredient Chimichurri Sauce that goes on litera 7-Ingredient Chimichurri Sauce that goes on literally EVERYTHING! You gotta try it. Full recipe on the blog.
    2 minutes. 4 ingredients. Let’s go. ⁣ ⁣ 💚 2 minutes. 4 ingredients. Let’s go. ⁣
⁣
💚 Greek yogurt⁣
💚 Lime zest & juice⁣
💚 Salt ⁣
💚 Pepper⁣
⁣
Mix together and drizzle on everything. ⁣
⁣
Recipe: search Life is but a Dish Lime Crema
    Are we ready for salads yet? ⁣ ⁣ If so, this S Are we ready for salads yet? ⁣
⁣
If so, this Simple Kale Mango Salad is the perfect transition into spring. ⁣
⁣
The colors tho! 😍😍😍⁣
⁣
Recipe: Search Life is but a Dish Kale Mango Salad⁣
⁣
https://www.lifeisbutadish.com/kale-mango-salad/
    DINNER TONIGHT: Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas with Lime DINNER TONIGHT: Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas with Lime Crema. ⁣
⁣
✅ quick ⁣
✅ easy⁣
✅ delicious⁣
⁣
Who’s in? 🙋🏻‍♀️⁣
⁣
Recipe: https://www.lifeisbutadish.com/sheet-pan-shrimp-fajitas-with-lime-crema/
    This recipe is SO GOOD!!! Sautéed Zucchini, Corn This recipe is SO GOOD!!! Sautéed Zucchini, Corn & Mint Salad! 
.
Recipe: https://www.lifeisbutadish.com/sauteed-zucchini-corn-mint-salad-w-lemon-parmesan/
    I couldn’t love you any more if I tried. Happy b I couldn’t love you any more if I tried. Happy birthday to my baby, the sweetest, most gentle soul. ❤️
    FAQ: How do I get my chicken to be juicy and flavo FAQ: How do I get my chicken to be juicy and flavorful? ⁣
⁣
ANSWER: An awesome marinade. ⁣
⁣
There are some other key factors to making sure your chicken doesn’t taste like rubbery cardboard, 😝 but a marinade is an easy and great place to start. ⁣
⁣
Try this 5-minute Mexican Lime Chili Marinade that will leave you with delicious and juicy chicken every time. ⁣
⁣
Who’s ready for spring? 🌱⁣
⁣
https://www.lifeisbutadish.com/5-minute-mexican-lime-chili-marinade/
    Last minute dinner idea, inspired by you!⁣ ⁣ S Last minute dinner idea, inspired by you!⁣
⁣
Somebody shared that they made (and loved) this recipe yesterday and I was re-inspired to make this oldie but goodie! ⁣
⁣
Your shares mean everything so please keep cooking, keep sharing and make this Instant Pot Butternut Squash Pasta because OH EM GEE. 😍⁣
⁣
https://www.lifeisbutadish.com/instant-pot-butternut-squash-pasta/
    Load More Follow on Instagram

    Copyright © 2022 · Privacy Policy · Support by Foodie Digital