Mexican Lasagna Roll-ups are a delicious combination of two family favorites: Lasagna and Tacos. They're total comfort food and great for when you're cooking for family and friends!
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This past weekend A got her first hair cut. I'd been putting this off for quite a while.
I absolutely love my gal's hair. It's gorgeous- a beautiful light brown color with golden streaks in it when it's under the right light. Perfectly soft and mostly straight with a slight curl at the ends (not at all what I expected, considering my hair is naturally curly).
In case you haven't noticed, I'm super emotional about her hair. I don't know why I have such a soft spot for it, but I think it has a lot to do with the fact that it was her baby hair. Even though she hasn't been a baby for a while now, that was her original hair. The hair that grew inside of me (what a strange sentence to type!). The sweet fuzzy hair that covered her perfect little baby head. It almost feels like that was the last piece of Baby Alice I had left.
Excuse me while I go have a nice, long Mommy sob. *Cue the violins*
Ok, I'm back.
Now that I've pulled myself together, I have to say she was pretty good at the appointment. I've been working hard for a couple of weeks, selling this appointment to her as an exciting adventure and more importantly, Big Girl time. I was clear that it's just her and I because only Big Girls can get hair cuts and since Tessa is a baby, she doesn't get to come.
When we arrived, A was all business. She had her sunglasses on (always!) and was incredibly serious and a bit intense. The girl at the front desk brought us each a glass of water (in Big Girl cups, of course- she was also smart enough to only fill A's half way!). A sat in her own chair in the waiting area and carefully sipped her water, while she looked around and took it all in.
When it was our turn, we headed back. By then A had warmed to her surroundings, but was still pretty serious. We started with her up in the chair with a big booster underneath her. But since her hair was so long, we had to start her out standing until the initial trim was started and then she moved back into the seat when she added the layers (it wasn't a crazy haircut, just trimming an inch or two from the ends and adding a couple long layers). I wanted to keep A's hair long until she's old enough to tell me otherwise.
And then the moment came and that first snip happened. I'll admit I shed a few tears. But I got it together pretty quickly and life went on. They were also gracious enough to give me an envelope to save a lock of her hair.
A did a great job of staying still. After, she watched me get my hair washed, which I think was fascinating for her. I let her watch Mickey on my phone what I had my hair cut and dried (which is an extremely rare occurrence and somewhat of a special treat for her).
This was a poor decision as she had a little bit of a tantrum when I told her she couldn't watch more in the car. But overall she was great and I was pretty proud of her. That being said, I'm totally not ready for my T to get her hair cut!
I've been testing this Mexican Lasagna recipe for a while. I haven't done an insane amount of tests, it's been more of do-a-test-and-then-take-a-break-and-come-back-to-it-next-month situation.
Mostly because this makes a big old pan of these lasagna rolls, twelve to be exact. So for us this means lots of leftovers. I'm not even a little bit sad about that because all the tests were delicious. But after a few days of eating leftovers, I have no problem taking a little break and coming back to it with a fresh palate.
That being said, I'm really happy with how this recipe turned out. It's full of great flavor, the beans and corn add great texture in addition to the beef. And melted cheese is never a bad thing.
This is really the perfect option if you're looking for the great flavors you find on Taco Tuesday but you want to mix things up a bit. So if Taco Tuesday and Lasagna Sunday had some babies in twelve perfectly rolled packages, this would be them. The leftovers reheat pretty deliciously as well!
I included some photos of how they look before rolling them. In my first test run, I really over-filled the lasagna noodles and they didn't roll up very nicely. I call that test run my "bad pancake" run, since they came out like that first bad pancake always does; not the prettiest but still tasty. I used a slotted spoon
to allow a little bit of the sauce to drain before putting the filling onto the noodles to help make it a slightly cleaner process (though you will get your hands dirty, so plan on that!).
In addition to not over-filling the noodles, I also learned that as I roll them, it helps to slightly pinch off the sides to keep the filling from coming out. When you put them into your pan
, keep the end of the noodle under the roll to keep them closed. Work slowly and once you've rolled a couple, you'll be a pro at this!
Other tasty Cinco De Mayo recipes include:
- 7 Layer Taco Salad
- Super Easy Baked Breakfast Tostadas
- 30 Minute Turkey Chili
- 20 Minute Taco Pasta
- The Most Delicious Guacamole Ever
- Roasted Corn Salsa
- Sheet Pan Chicken Nachos
- Mexican Bean Salad
- Cilantro Cauliflower Rice
- The Easiest Slow Cooker Taco Meat EVER!
Mexican Lasagna Roll-Ups
Ingredients
- Lasagna noodles at least 12 but maybe make a couple more in case any break
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 Taco seasoning packet
- 1 cup of frozen corn
- 1 15.5 oz. can black beans undrained
- 1 14.5 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 10 oz. can enchilada sauce
- 1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
- 3 cup cheddar cheese divided
Instructions
- Boil lasagna noodles per package directions for al dente. Set aside (I laid mine out on wax paper the keep them from sticking to each other).
- Brown the beef and onions over medium-high.
- Add taco seasoning and mix. Then add corn, beans, tomatoes, enchilada sauce and tomato sauce.
- Bring the pan to a boil and then reduce heat to medium. Simmer for around 8 minutes, stirring often.
- Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup cheese.
- Give it a couple minutes to cool slightly and then place a small amount of the beef mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 pan (just to wet it).
- Lay out one noodle at a time. Spoon a thin line of the beef mixture down the middle ending about an inch from the top. Roll it up slowly, holding the sides closed as you go. Once it's rolled, place it into the pan, with the end of the noodle on the bottom.
- Once they're all rolled, top them with remaining sauce and cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 30-40 min and then uncover and top with 2 cups cheese. Bake 10 min more or until cheese is melted.
- Enjoy!
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