lentsagna

Friday mealtimes during Lent are always a challenge in our house. Creating a variety of delicious meatless dishes is tricky, especially with my picky meat-loving spouse. This week I came up with a Mexican lasagna inspired dish that satisfied my current craving for black beans.

I call it Mexican Lentsagna. 

Cheesy, beany layers of yum

Ingredients:
I raided the pantry for ingredients, so with more time to plan, I'd have added a few more fresh ingredients.  

2 15oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
3 15oz cans petite diced or crushed tomatoes (I used diced tomatoes with peppers and onions), drained
1 cup diced peppers and onions
2 cups fresh or frozen corn
12 lasagna noodles
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tbsp. taco seasoning (my recipe)
1 pinch of chili powder
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
Diced green onions, sour cream and cheese to top


Process:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Boil lasagna noodles until just shy of al dente. I boiled mine 8 minutes.
3. Mix beans, tomatoes, peppers, onions, corn, cilantro and seasonings together.

4. Layer a 9x13 casserole dish as follows: 1/4 of the tomatoes. Top with 4 lasagna noodles. Top with bean mixture, 1/4 of the tomatoes, and 1/3 of the cheese.
5. Repeat layers of noodles, beans, tomatoes and cheese once more.
6. Layer remaining noodles, tomatoes and cheese.
7. Sprinkle top with cheese, cilantro and pinch of taco seasoning. Could also top with crushed tortilla chips.

8. Cover with center-tented foil. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil, bake an additional 10 minutes.
9. Let stand for 5 minutes.
10. Serve with diced green onions, sour cream or whatever toppings you prefer.

Verdict: We loved it. The hubs (who had seconds) said he'd like it again with a refried bean layer. I was thinking some crushed tortilla chips would give it the right crunchy crust. This might just make it into the Friday rotation.