Taco Lasagna – No Boiling Needed!

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: 

1. Cook the Ground Beef/Onions/Garlic. Add Water + Taco Seasoning and cook until thickened. Mix in black beans and set aside.
2. Combine the Ricotta Cheese, Oregano, and Egg. Set Aside.
3. 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

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Taco Lasagna

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

5 from 22 ratings

Servings: 12

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This Taco Lasagna is made with layers of noodles, ricotta cheese, seasoned taco meat, black beans, enchilada salsa sauce, and lots of cheese!

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

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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

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.

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Storage

• Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

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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.

Nutrition

Calories: 487kcal, Carbohydrates: 37g, Protein: 28g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Cholesterol: 98mg, Sodium: 1228mg, Potassium: 533mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 1213IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 399mg, Iron: 3mg

Did you try this recipe?Mention @TheCozyCook on Instagram or tag #thecozycook!

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Author: Stephanie