Southwestern Chile Lasagna

I wanted a Mexican lasagna for dinner one night so I decided to make up my own version, playing off of other recipes I've seen. The chili and the rice each taste great on their own as well as working really well together. I'm leaving out amounts for the tortillas, cheese, and cilantro. This recipe makes a lot of chili and rice. I love the leftovers for lunches, but if you want a larger lasagna, there is plenty of rice and chili for that with this recipe. The peppers are flexible as everyone has a different sense of the right amount of heat! Most of the cooking time is inactive.

• Ready In: 4 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• For the Chili

• 2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 2  lbs ground beef
• 1  medium onion
• 2  garlic cloves
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons dried ancho chile powder
• 1  teaspoon  dried chipotle powder
• 1  teaspoon cumin
• 1  teaspoon Mexican oregano
• 1  teaspoon  spanish  smoked paprika
• 1  teaspoon salt
•  ground black pepper

• For the Rice

• 1  cup basmati rice
• 2  cups  chicken stock
• 1  teaspoon butter
• 1  cup  diced onion
• 1  garlic clove
• 1 (10 ounce) can rotel
• 1  teaspoon Mexican oregano
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried ancho chile powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cumin
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  dried chipotle powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  spanish  smoked paprika

• For Assembly

•  flour tortilla
•  shredded  Mexican blend cheese
•  cilantro

Directions

1. For the chili:
2. Dice the medium onion.
3. Cook in a 8qt. pot over medium heat.
4. Dice 2 cloves garlic and add to onions.
5. Add ground beef and cook until browned.
6. Drain out most of the fat.
7. Add the remaining ingredients for the chili. Simmer on stove for several hours or until all the flavors have come together.
8. For the rice:
9. Rinse rice to remove excess starch. Add to pot with the chicken stock.
10. Bring to boil, cover, and reduce to simmer until all the stock has been absorbed.
11. Remove from heat.
12. Meanwhile, in a skillet, melt 1 tbsp butter over medium heat.
13. Add 1 cup diced onion, Rotel, and 1 clove minced garlic. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir together.
14. Cook until onion and garlic are tender.
15. Add to tomato mixture to the rice by fluffing with a fork until it is evenly incorporated.
16. For the lasagna (I made an 8x4" lasagna):
17. Ladle a thin layer of the chili on the bottom of your pan.
18. Trim the rounded edges off the tortillas and cut into strips. Create a layer of tortilla strips in the pan.
19. Scoop about 1-2 cups rice and spread in even layer over tortillas.
20. Spread about 2 cups chili over rice.
21. Sprinkle to cover with cheese.
22. Repeat until you are within 1/2" of the top of your pan. Leave the cheese as the last later.
23. Sprinkle with cilantro.
24. Spray aluminum foil with non-stick spray and bake in a 350°F oven for about 1/2 hour. Remove foil and cook until cheese is melted, browned, and bubbly.