Easy Mexican Lasagna

Serves 4 to 6

Cooking Time 2 to 3 hours on Low

Slow Cooker Size 5½ to 7 Quarts

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Homemade enchiladas are tedious and time-consuming to make, which is a shame because the robust, spicy flavors and varying textures are incredibly satisfying. For an easier take on this popular Mexican dish, we started with canned enchilada sauce and boosted its flavor with chopped jalapeños. Shredded Monterey Jack gave the sauce some much-needed richness. For the meat, we opted for ground beef, which contributed big, hearty flavor, but it had a tendency to turn gritty after hours of slow cooking. We found that microwaving it briefly firmed it up so we could break it into coarse crumbles that didn’t turn grainy. Instead of rolling up the filling in tortillas, we simply layered it between the tortillas, then covered them with more sauce and cheese. So that everything cooked through evenly, we lined our slow cooker with aluminum foil. With a bit of minced fresh cilantro, we had the perfect finish to our cheesy—and easy—homage to beef enchiladas. Click here for more information on making a foil collar. Serve with sour cream and salsa. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

2

pounds 85 percent lean ground beef

2

(10-ounce) cans red enchilada sauce

2

cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

¼

cup jarred jalapeños, chopped

½

cup minced fresh cilantro

12

(6-inch) corn tortillas

1. Microwave ground beef in large bowl, stirring occasionally, until beef is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Break up any large pieces of beef with spoon, then drain off fat; return to now-empty bowl. Stir in 1 cup enchilada sauce, 1 cup Monterey Jack, jalapeños, and ¼ cup cilantro.

2. Line slow cooker with aluminum foil collar and spray with vegetable oil spray. Spread ¼ cup enchilada sauce in prepared slow cooker. Arrange 3 corn tortillas in single layer in bottom of slow cooker, tearing tortillas as needed to fit. Top with one-third of beef mixture and 3 more corn tortillas; repeat layering 2 more times. Spread remaining enchilada sauce over tortillas and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup Monterey Jack. Cover and cook until casserole is heated through, 2 to 3 hours on low.

3. Remove foil collar. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup cilantro. Serve.