The Cozy Cookbook is here! This Taco Lasagna Recipe is made with layers of lasagna noodles, ricotta cheese, seasoned taco meat, black beans, salsa, enchilada sauce, and lots of cheese! This is an easy make-ahead freezer meal that you can assemble and bake later!
Be sure to try my Taco Stuffed Shells recipe next!
Taco Lasagna
Allow me to cut to the chase. You’ve just stumbled across your new favorite meal. Not only is this a great dinner recipe for your family, but this is a perfect meal to assemble and give to a friend in need to bake another day!
You can even assemble and freeze it to bake in a few months! (I’m a sucker for make-ahead recipes.)
And now, my favorite part about this Taco Lasagna:
No Need to Boil the Noodles
That’s right! There is enough liquid from the enchilada sauce + salsa to steam the noodles right in the oven, they cook perfectly. What a time saver.
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Prep Work:
- Cook the Ground Beef/Onions/Garlic. Add Water + Taco Seasoning and cook until thickened. Mix in black beans and set aside.
- Combine the Ricotta Cheese, Oregano, and Egg. Set Aside.
- Combine the Enchilada Sauce and Salsa. Set Aside.
Assemble the Lasagna:
Layer some salsa/enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.
Layer 1: 4 Lasagna Noodles, 1/3 ricotta cheese, 1/3 meat, 1/2 sauce, 1 cup cheese.
Layer 2: Repeat. (4 Lasagna Noodles, 1/3 ricotta cheese, 1/3 meat, 1/2 sauce, 1 cup cheese.)
Layer 3: 4 Lasagna Noodles and remaining Ricotta, Meat, Sauce. (No cheese this time!)
Cover tightly with foil. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.
Remove the foil, top with remaining 2 cups of cheese. Bake for 15 minutes. Let sit for 15 minutes and serve!
Pro Tips for Taco Lasagna
Combining Salsa + Enchilada Sauce
- This recipe can be made by using 2 (15.5 oz) jars of salsa, however the depth of flavor from combining the enchilada sauce and salsa is hard to beat.
- The texture is also ideal as it’s not too thick, not too thin.
- It may seem like there is a lot of liquid when you combine these ingredients, but it’s necessary in order to steam the noodles as it bakes. The noodles absorb a great deal of the liquid.
Cheese Options
- A combination of Cheddar, Cheddar jack, Monterey Jack, and Jalapeno Jack are great in this recipe.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Ground turkey or shredded chicken can be used instead of ground beef.
- If necessary, cottage cheese can be used instead of Ricotta.
Make Ahead Method
- Prepare up to 2 days ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to bake.
- You can also freeze it for up to 3 months prior to baking. Thaw in the fridge overnight prior to baking.
**Add 10 minutes of covered baking time if baking from a refrigerated state.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3 days or freeze for 3 months.
Try These Next
-
- Cajun Shrimp
-
- One Pot Taco Pasta
-
- Taco Spaghetti
-
- Chicken Enchilada Soup
-
- Steak Fajitas
-
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
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Tried This Recipe?
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Taco Lasagna
Ingredients
- 10 oz. red enchilada sauce
- 24 oz. salsa, I used thick & chunky
- 12 lasagna noodles, uncooked
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 oz. packet taco seasoning
- 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 oz. Ricotta cheese
- 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 egg
- 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese, separated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Brown the ground beef over medium heat. Add the diced onions halfway through and the garlic during the last minute. Drain grease.
- Add 2/3 cups water to the meat and mx in the taco seasoning. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Cook until thickened. Mix in the black beans and set aside.
- Combine the enchilada sauce and the salsa. Spoon a layer over the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish. Top with 4 uncooked lasagna noodles.
- Combine the Ricotta cheese, oregano, and egg.
- First Layer: 4 Noodles, 1/3 of the Ricotta, 1/3 of the Meat, 1/3 of the Sauce, 1 cup Cheese.
- Second Layer: Repeat the first layer again.
- Third Layer: 4 Noodles, remaining Ricotta, Meat, and Sauce. (NO cheese yet.)
- Cover tightly with foil to seal in the steam so that it can cook the noodles.
- Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil. Add remaining 2 cups of cheese. Bake for 15 more minutes.
- Let rest for 15 minutes prior to serving. Feel free to garnish with parsley, sour cream, and/or green onions.
Notes
- Prepare up to 2 days ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to bake.
- You can also freeze it for up to 3 months prior to baking. Thaw in the fridge overnight prior to baking.
Storage
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Substitutions
- 2 (15.5 oz.) jars of salsa can be used if you don’t have enchilada sauce. I would use a combination of thinner restaurant-style salsa and chunky salsa.
- Sour cream or cottage cheese can be used if you don’t have ricotta cheese.
- A combination of Cheddar Jack, Monterey Jack, Jalapeno Jack, etc. may also be used along with the cheddar.
This sounds delicious and I want to make it for my daughter for after she had her baby. Do I cook and then freeze or freeze uncooked and my daughter will add the cheese for the top? What would be the cooking time if frozen? Thanks so much for your help.
Hi Margaret! Here are the make-ahead instructions that are outlined in the blog post. I haven’t tested making this from a frozen state but the general rule of thumb is to add 1 hour to the covered making time for frozen casseroles. Just note that ovens vary, and it could take longer.
Make-Ahead Method
-Prepare up to 2 days ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to bake.
-You can also freeze it for up to 3 months prior to baking. Thaw in the fridge overnight prior to baking. **Add 10 minutes of covered baking time if baking from a refrigerated state.
Delicious! The sauces are great together with the taco seasoning & beans. Will def. make again! Thanks for the recipe!
You’re very welcome Gail! I’m so happy you liked it, thanks so much for the great comments and review!💗
Hi Stephanie, can I use the no bake lasagna noodles with this recipe? If not, I’m headed to Publix 🙂
Hi Diane! I don’t think it would work well with this recipe just bc the liquid quantities were designed to be absorbed by the regular noodles! ❤️
Holy smokes, I was really sceptical about this recipe but I made it tonight and it is really delicious! The whole family loved it! We will make it again for sure. Thank you for the recipe!
Hey Angie! I am so happy that you decided to take a chance on this recipe! I was skeptical myself, during the testing process, and was also so pleasantly surprised with the results! 🙂 Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it! -Stephanie
Great recipe! Only thing I did differently was add a small can of corn to the beef/bean mixture, because I had one and it sounded good. I used Jack’s medium salsa, which always tastes so fresh to me. Will definitely make again! Thanks!
I love your additions Angela, I’m so happy you liked the recipe! Thanks so much for the great comments and review!❤️
Twice as good as the frozen stouffers Mexican lasagna that we can’t find anymore !! 10 out of 10 , definitely a do over
I’m so happy to hear that Laura! I’ve actually had the Stouffers version before lol. I’ll take this one any day! Thanks so much for the great comments and review!❤️
I used egg tortilla instead of the noodles because we are cutting back on carbs. I did use cream cheese with the egg and Parmesan and a little bit of salt for the ricotta,because I was out and wanted this so bad! I also used venison because i had it thawed already. Smells so good! Thank you so much for this recipe
You’re very welcome Stacey! I’m so happy you made this with venison and egg tortilla. That’s great to know! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!💗
In the oven now…alot of ingredients for a small amount of pasta…wish I could have used all of the lasagna noodles…I would recommend par boiling the noodles so that you can use all of them…can’t wait to try it though when it comes out of the oven..will post later.
Hi Bernadette! I hope you enjoyed the recipe! I wouldn’t par boil the noodles first in the future, the benefit of this method is not having to boil the noodles at all, they absorb a lot of the liquid during the cooking process (which makes them more flavorful and saves time). If you par boil them first, there will be too much liquid left as the pasta won’t be able to absorb it all.
AMAZING!!!! We all loved it, including two picky teens. Very happy to add this into the mix for Mexican Mondays or Taco Tuesdays!
That’s so great to hear Amy!😃 Nothings better than getting approval from two picky eaters. Thanks so much for the great comments and review!
This recipe was soooo good. My son and I LOVED it. It will definitely be on rotation in this house of mine. I’m actually just so shocked because I’m very picky but this recipe was every bit of DELICIOUS!
Hey Carolyn! I am soo happy that you loved this Taco Lasagna! I was almost as shocked as you were when I first made this too, hahaha! It has been a huge hit in our house ever since! 🙂 Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this review, I really appreciate it!! -Stephanie