Enchilada Lasagna

Summer's here!!!!! One of the things I've decided to do with my new-found plethora of free time is to cook only recipes I've never tried before. So far, it looks like this is going to consist a lot of my collection of Taste of Home recipes I've been wanting to try, and this one was up first.

I adapted it alot from how it was originally printed in the current issue of Taste of Home. Below is the original recipe with my adaptations in parentheses.

We both really loved this dish. Matt is a huge lasagna fan anyway, and I rarely make it, except for his birthday. This lasagna has my favorite Mexican flavors but still the saucy, cheesy, layered goodness of a traditional lasagna.

(Recipe and picture from Taste of Home)

 

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds ground beef (used 93/7 lean ground chicken)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced (used 4 :)
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 can (10 ounces) enchilada sauce
1 to 2 teaspoons ground cumin (used 3 t; also added 2 T. chili powder, a sprinkle of red chili flakes, and about 1/2 t. dried oregano to add to the heat factor and Mexican flavors)
1 egg, beaten (used 2 egg whites)
(3 T. chopped fresh cilantro, divided)
1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) 4% cottage cheese (used lowfat)
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend 
8 flour tortillas (8 inches), cut in half (used whole wheat)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
(For the cheeses, I just used 4 c. low-fat cheddar)

Directions

In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, enchilada sauce and cumin (I added my other seasonings in here). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine egg and cottage cheese; set aside (I added salt, pepper, and 2 T. cilantro). Spread a third of the meat sauce into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Layer with half of the cheese blend, tortillas, cottage cheese mixture and remaining meat sauce. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting. Yield: 12 servings.

(Nutrition facts are calculated based on original recipe ingredients.)
Nutrition Facts: 1 piece equals 387 calories, 21 g fat (11 g saturated fat), 87 mg cholesterol, 771 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 25 g protein.