Mexican Lasagna

The title of this recipe is what initially caught my attention. Who doesn't love lasagna? And who doesn't love Mexican food? If you are one of those unique people, then this might not be the recipe for you. But if you do enjoy layers of flavors, baked in the convenience of a one dish dinner, then you've found a good recipe to try.

Mexican Lasagna from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen

The original recipe serves 8, but since I only need to feed little ol' me, I halved it. I also eliminated some of the ingredients (the jalapeno pepper [because I was already using hot salsa] as well as the spices [because I had some leftover taco seasoning]).

After waiting a longggg hour, I finally got to taste my creation. The end result was a lot like the title would suggest-a mexican-esque lasagna. While this Mexican Lasagna is vegan and eliminates the use of cheese, you certainly don't miss it because there is plenty of flavor and texture provided by all of the ingredients. And with fiber packed beans and vegetables aplenty, you feel satisfyingly full without feeling like your arteries are clogged.  

Mexican Lasagna 
(Serves 4-6)

1 large bell pepper, whatever color you prefer, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
5 8-inch low carb tortillas
1 16-ounce can spicy fat free refried beans
1 medium tomato, diced
4 tsp taco seasoning
1 16-ounce can black beans, drained
2/3 cup salsa

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat non-stick pan over medium heat; spray non-stick cooking spray and saute chopped bell pepper and onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; saute for another minute and remove mixture from heat.

Layer tortillas on the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish. Make sure the tortillas cover the entire bottom of dish (you might need to cut the tortillas in order to cover bottom of dish). Evenly spread half of the refried beans over the tortillas. Cover refried beans with half of the pepper/onion mixture, diced tomato, taco seasoning, and black beans. Add another layer of tortillas, and then the remaining half of the pepper/onion mixture, diced tomato, taco seasoning, and black beans. Cover with final layer of tortillas. Pour salsa on top and evenly spread over tortillas.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove lasagna from oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Serve warm; garnish with avocado, salsa, sour cream, and/or black olives. 

Nutritional Information:
6 servings
Per serving:
Calories: 220
Fat: 1g
Fiber: 10g
Sodium: 875mg, or 35% of your recommended daily intake*

Pros:
-Flavorful and fresh
-Full of fiber
-Versatile (you can add any vegetables you want-fresh corn, black olives, more peppers) 
-Filling without weighing you down
-Easy cleanup 

Cons:
-Not the quickest meal to make (took about 20 minutes prep plus 40 minutes for baking/resting)
-*High in sodium (I will use low sodium beans, taco seasoning, and salsa next time)
-Poor presentation (lasagna slices fell apart as soon as they were put on a plate)

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5