Tortilla Lasagne
by Nigella. Featured in KITCHENIntroduction
Many of you might have noticed this recipe has had a name-change: somewhat lazily, and definitely erroneously, I’ve always called it “Mexican Lasagne”; I’m far happier with its new name, Tortilla Lasagne. Admittedly, there might well be those who take issue with the word “lasagne” here. Still, this is a lasagne-type pile-up and in place of pasta layers, there are soft tortillas and in between them a riotous assembly of tomato, red pepper, onion, chilli, corn and cheese. I advise you to put a baking sheet in the oven as you preheat to catch any drips that might fall later. And talking of later, one of the joys of this is that it reheats, by the slice, so wonderfully on the days that follow. So do think about cooking this even when you don't have so many to feed first time around.
And please read the Additional Information section at the end of the recipe before proceeding.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Many of you might have noticed this recipe has had a name-change: somewhat lazily, and definitely erroneously, I’ve always called it “Mexican Lasagne”; I’m far happier with its new name, Tortilla Lasagne. Admittedly, there might well be those who take issue with the word “lasagne” here. Still, this is a lasagne-type pile-up and in place of pasta layers, there are soft tortillas and in between them a riotous assembly of tomato, red pepper, onion, chilli, corn and cheese. I advise you to put a baking sheet in the oven as you preheat to catch any drips that might fall later. And talking of later, one of the joys of this is that it reheats, by the slice, so wonderfully on the days that follow. So do think about cooking this even when you don't have so many to feed first time around.
And please read the Additional Information section at the end of the recipe before proceeding.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Ingredients
Serves: 8
For the Sauce
- 1 tablespoon garlic infused olive oil (or regular olive oil)
- 1 onion (peeled and chopped)
- 1 red pepper (deseeded and chopped)
- 2 green bird's eye chillies (chopped with seeds)
- 1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt flakes (or 1/2 teaspoon pouring salt)
- 2 tablespoons fresh coriander stalks (finely chopped)
- 800 grams chopped tomatoes (2 cans)
- 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
For the Filling
- 800 grams black beans (2 cans) drained and rinsed
- 500 grams canned sweetcorn kernels (2 cans) drained
- 250 grams grated mature goat's cheddar (or cheese of your choice)
- 8 soft flour tortilla wraps
For the Sauce
- 1 tablespoon garlic flavored oil (or regular olive oil)
- 1 onion (peeled and chopped)
- 1 red bell pepper (deseeded and chopped)
- 2 green chiles (chopped with seeds)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon pouring salt)
- 2 tablespoons cilantro stalks (finely chopped)
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes (2 cans)
- 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
For the Filling
- 30 ounces black beans (2 cans) drained and rinsed
- 3¼ cups canned sweetcorn kernels (2 cans) drained
- 2½ cups grated mature goat's cheddar (or cheese of your choice)
- 8 soft flour tortilla wraps
Method
You will need a round ovenproof dish, approx. 26cm diameter x 6cm deep / 10 inches diameter x 2¼ inches deep.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/gas mark 6/400ºF, slipping in a baking tray at the same time.
- To make the sauce, heat the oil in a pan on the stove and fry the onion, pepper and chilli. add the salt and cook gently for 15 minutes and, once soft, add the chopped coriander stalks.
- Add the canned tomatoes, then swill the cans out with 400ml/1⅔ cups water and add this too. Spoon in the ketchup and let things come to a simmer, leaving the sauce (or salsa, in keeping with the Mexican mojo) to cook while you get on with preparing the filling — about 10 minutes.
- To make the filling, mix the drained beans and sweetcorn in a bowl. Add most of the grated cheese, reserving some to sprinkle on the top at the end, and mix together.
- Start to assemble the lasagne by spooning about a third of the salsa into the bottom of your ovenproof dish and smearing it about, then layer on 2 tortillas so that they cover the sauce overlapping slightly, like a Venn diagram.
- Add a third of the beans and cheese mixture, covering the tortillas, and then about a quarter of the remaining salsa and another 2 tortillas.
- Repeat with another third of beans and cheese, and some more salsa before layering on another 2 tortillas.
- Finally, add the last layer of beans and cheese, nearly all of the remaining salsa and cover with the last 2 tortillas. Spread the very last bit of salsa over the tortillas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, and let it rest for a good 10–15 minutes before slicing like a pizza.
You will need a round ovenproof dish, approx. 26cm diameter x 6cm deep / 10 inches diameter x 2¼ inches deep.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/gas mark 6/400ºF, slipping in a baking tray at the same time.
- To make the sauce, heat the oil in a pan on the stove and fry the onion, pepper and chilli. add the salt and cook gently for 15 minutes and, once soft, add the chopped coriander stalks.
- Add the canned tomatoes, then swill the cans out with 400ml/1⅔ cups water and add this too. Spoon in the ketchup and let things come to a simmer, leaving the sauce (or salsa, in keeping with the Mexican mojo) to cook while you get on with preparing the filling — about 10 minutes.
- To make the filling, mix the drained beans and sweetcorn in a bowl. Add most of the grated cheese, reserving some to sprinkle on the top at the end, and mix together.
- Start to assemble the lasagne by spooning about a third of the salsa into the bottom of your ovenproof dish and smearing it about, then layer on 2 tortillas so that they cover the sauce overlapping slightly, like a Venn diagram.
- Add a third of the beans and cheese mixture, covering the tortillas, and then about a quarter of the remaining salsa and another 2 tortillas.
- Repeat with another third of beans and cheese, and some more salsa before layering on another 2 tortillas.
- Finally, add the last layer of beans and cheese, nearly all of the remaining salsa and cover with the last 2 tortillas. Spread the very last bit of salsa over the tortillas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, and let it rest for a good 10–15 minutes before slicing like a pizza.
Additional Information
For gluten free use gluten free soft corn tortillas instead of tortillas made with wheat flour. For vegetarians make sure the cheese is made with vegetarian rennet.
MAKE AHEAD:
The lasagne can be assembled 1 day ahead. Cool the tomato salsa before assembling. Cover dish tightly with clingfilm and refrigerate until needed. Bake as directed in the recipe, allowing an extra 5-10 minutes' baking time and checking the lasagne is piping hot in the centre before removing from the oven.
FREEZE:
The assembled but uncooked lasagne can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap the dish tightly in a double layer of clingfilm and a layer of foil. Defrost overnight in the fridge and cook as above.
LEFTOVERS:
Leftovers should be covered and refrigerated as soon as possible. To reheat, put individual slices in an ovenproof dish, cover with foil and reheat in an oven preheated to 180°C/160°C Fan/350°F for 15-20 minutes. Check the lasagne is piping hot before serving. Wedges of leftover lasagne can be frozen for up to 2 months, tightly wrapped in clingfilm and then either in foil or in a resealable bag. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
For gluten free use gluten free soft corn tortillas instead of tortillas made with wheat flour. For vegetarians make sure the cheese is made with vegetarian rennet.
MAKE AHEAD:
The lasagne can be assembled 1 day ahead. Cool the tomato salsa before assembling. Cover dish tightly with clingfilm and refrigerate until needed. Bake as directed in the recipe, allowing an extra 5-10 minutes' baking time and checking the lasagne is piping hot in the centre before removing from the oven.
FREEZE:
The assembled but uncooked lasagne can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap the dish tightly in a double layer of clingfilm and a layer of foil. Defrost overnight in the fridge and cook as above.
LEFTOVERS:
Leftovers should be covered and refrigerated as soon as possible. To reheat, put individual slices in an ovenproof dish, cover with foil and reheat in an oven preheated to 180°C/160°C Fan/350°F for 15-20 minutes. Check the lasagne is piping hot before serving. Wedges of leftover lasagne can be frozen for up to 2 months, tightly wrapped in clingfilm and then either in foil or in a resealable bag. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
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Show more commentsDelicious and comforting, I've made this a couple of times with chilli con carne leftovers, almost the same ingredients, very satisfying.
Made it last night for dinner and it was a resounding success. Really easy to make, which is a blessing in these days of 40 ingredient recipes for vegetarians! Salsa needed some tomato puree and a spoonful of sugar as the tinned toms were a bit lacking in flavour. This will be one of my regulars! Thank you, Nigella.
Made this last night for dinner a complete success, really pleased will be making it again. I Must say didn't get it to come out looking as is does on here, but it tasted delicious.
Fabulous recipe made twice this week.
I made this for a small dinner party and it was so delicious. Its even better the next day. Will definitely make it again..
This was easy to make, the ingredients were readily available and most importantly, it was tear-inducingly delicious. Thanks as always, Nigella
Delicious, It went down very well in the family. I used Kidney beans instead of black. I also used mature cathedral city cheese. Will make again!
Delicious! And very simple to make, yummy salsa! If very pressed for time I imagine one could get away with ready-made salsa out of a jar, then the only job left would be the assembly of the ingredients? Will be eating this dish time and time again, thanks Nigella! :)
My California MIL has made this for years. She uses corn tortillae and adds chopped cooked chicken or sauted ground beef. She lets it sit for an hour before baking. Nom Nom.
I make this as Nigella suggests and it a great meat free meal. Most people don't even realize they are eating a vegetarian dish!
I love this recipe... the tortilla layers make it a much lighter dish than a traditional pasta lasagne... so second helpings aren't too naughty... I also used veggie mince in the tomatoe sauce and fried some sliced garlic mushrooms separately to add an extra dimension when layering. Yum!
This is one of my favourite vegetarian recipes. I make it at least once a month and all my vegetarian friends love it too. And the avocado salsa is just AMAZING. Yum all around. :)