Mexican Lasagna

This is a perfect dish to take to a Cinco de Mayo party. It’s easy to make and you can make it the day before. In fact it will taste much better. I do like to use my own homemade corn tortillas, but you can also use the store bought.

If you want more heat add a little cayenne to the tomato mixture. You can also add squeezed dry spinach to it. Love it with spinach. For step by step see pictures below. For 8 servings you will need:

1 1/2 pounds skinless chicken breast halves

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 tablespoon of a good ground red chile

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, or to taste

1 can (14 1/2) oz) diced tomatoes with garlic, drained

or you can use the canned tomatoes with 2 cloves of minced garlic

1 teaspoon or more of a hot pepper sauce or cayenne pepper

1 can (8 ounce) of tomato sauce (you can use the Mexican brand for heat)

12 (6 inch) corn tortillas

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1 small can of diced green chilies

1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro, divided

4 ounces low fat cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut up the chicken into 1 inch cubes.

Prep all your ingredients and place in front of you. See picture. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. (mix the chicken, chili powder and cumin in a bowl and set aside). ADD the chicken mixture. Saute, stirring frequently for about 4 minutes. STIR in the mixture of diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and hot pepper sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer for 2 minutes.

Combine the ricotta cheese, chilies and 2 tablespoons of cilantro in a small bowl; mix until well blended. Set aside.

In a baking dish (10 x 8) or (12 x 8), spray it first with an oil spray then lay 2 tortillas on the bottom. Spread 1/2 of the chicken mixture then 6 tortillas and the ricotta cheese mixture, the other 6 tortillas and the rest of the chicken mixture. If you are using spinach, spread it on top of the ricotta cheese mixture. Spread the cheese and remaining cilantro on top. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through.

I serve it with a crunchy green salad. You can add beans as a side dish as well.

Per serving: 315 calories; 10.1g fat; 2.9g fiber; 28.8g protein, 406mg sodium.