Mexican Lasagna: Ellen's Taco Stew, casserole redux

This is a different take on a classic recipe for which my cousin Ellen is famous. It is similar to chili, but has more vegetables, and can easily be made vegetarian-style. You can make it super-spicy, or stick to the original recipe and keep it mild. Taco Stew is easy to make, delicious and requires little clean up. My husband had the idea for "Mexican Lasagna," which began as just an idea, and we brainstormed until we came up with this tasty concoction.

I realized that this meal counts as recession cooking because it isn't very expensive to make, is very hearty and makes great leftovers. However, it doesn't exactly qualify as "made from scratch," unless you have access to fresh corn and a case of tomatoes you've canned yourself. Some foodies would disagree that food that comes from a can is not as healthy for you as freshly picked, but I'm discovering, as fellow J-school alum Sierra Filucci did in her recent East Bay Express article, ("Back to the Microwave," September 23, 2009), that cooking food from scratch is not only incredibly time-consuming, it also means you're tethered to the kitchen scrubbing dishes every night.

Don't get me wrong, if I had a case of self-canned tomatoes, I would love to make taco stew (or Mexican lasagna) from scratch. But cooking on a budget is often a compromise, and I'm trying to find the balance between staples that are easy to stock in your cabinet (canned tomatoes), and scouring the farmer's market for cheap and fresh food.

I do make one exception, though. I ALWAYS buy organic tomatoes. And not simply because I think they taste better. In addition to the benefits to the farm workers who are not exposed to pesticides, I learned that tomatoes, like strawberries, absorb and retain the most pesticides

compared to all other fruits and vegetables. (Thanks to this great book, Tangled Routes, now in its 2nd edition.) Eat organic. It's better for the farmers, better for the earth and better for you.

Well, food neuroses aside, prepare yourself for a delicious meal! I'll begin with the original taco stew recipe (with spicy additions), then create the Mexican lasagna by layering stew, tortillas and cheese.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef, cooked and drained or 1 bag burger crumbles (Morningstar Farms or Quorn will do)

1 med. red onion, chopped (about the size of your fist)

2-3 cloves of garlic (I use more, but modify at your own discretion)

2 14-oz. cans diced tomatoes

2 10-oz. cans Ro*tel

2 14-oz. cans sweet corn, drained

1-2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped (1 large or 2 small)

1-2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped

2 packages taco seasoning

2 packages Ranch dressing mix

1 can cheddar cheese soup

2-4 c. shredded Mexican cheese OR

1 package cotija cheese, crumbled

Corn tortilla chips

EVOO

Extra Spicy Additions and Substitutions:

Muir Glenn fire roasted tomatoes (Substitute)

Hot Ro*tel (S)

Hot Taco seasoning (S)

Fiesta Ranch dip mix (S)

1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped (Add)

1-2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped (A)

1 habanero chili pepper, seeded and chopped (A)

1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (A)

Red Hot Blues blue corn tortilla chips (S)

1 can fiesta nacho cheese soup (S)

Mexican Lasagna:

1-2 packages corn tortillas instead of tortilla chips

I know, I know, Ellen's original recipe includes "ground beef" which I railed against in my last post. However, meat eaters, I assure you my husband eats the fake meat version all the time and LOVES it! I have yet to try substituting chopped mushrooms and black beans for fake meat, but I bet that would be tasty too.

To begin, you'll need a large stock pot, about 6 quarts or larger. Add a few glugs of olive oil to

the pot, enough to cover the bottom. Sauté onions and garlic for a few minutes on medium-high heat, until the onions start to become translucent. Add fake meat (or beef) and more EVOO if needed, stirring constantly. Cook fake meat for about 5 or 10 minutes, until its no longer frozen and in clumps. (If you use real beef, brown and drain the grease). Add one package of taco seasoning, and stir in red and green bell peppers and hot peppers if you like it ¡HOT! Continue stirring for a few minutes, until the peppers begin to become soft.

The rest is easy. Add your cans of tomatoes, Ro*tel, corn (drained of water, remember!), the other package of taco seasoning and Ranch dip mixes, cheese soup, and for the spicy version, the can of chipotle peppers. Once all ingredients are in the pot, stir until everything is evenly distributed and the whole mix begins to bubble. Turn down to low and simmer for at least 20 minutes. Serve in a bowl with tortilla chips and shredded cheese or crumbled cotija cheese.

Mexican lasagna:

This is the same basic principle of making a lasagna--layering.

We took tortillas and cut off the round edges, creating squares or rectangle shapes. Lay the tortillas on a baking sheet and heat in the oven for 20 minutes at 375 degrees, turning once halfway through. They should be firm, but not too crispy. In this case, you don't need to let the taco stew simmer for 20 mins; it will do that in the oven.

In a 9 X 13 pan, begin your layers with tortillas, then a few spoonfuls of taco stew to cover. Then add crumbled cotija cheese and shredded Mexican cheese. Continue layering until you have reached the top of the casserole dish, leaving room to top with cheese. Cover with foil and cook for about 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove the foil and cook for another 20-25 minutes, until the dish is bubbly and calling your name. Cut and serve like lasagna!

¡Enjoy!

(In light of recent FCC rulings about bloggers, I'd like to note, I have not been paid by anyone to advertise a brand or a particular product. All of the brand name products I mention, I do so because they are "tried and true" brands that we use every time and we like very much. This is only an "endorsement" in the sense that we use and like these ingredients, but feel free to use which ever brand you prefer).