A simple Mexican spin on lasagna.
- Carbohydrate 0.10325 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.01085 g
- Fiber 0.048999999165535 g
- Protein 0.023625 g
- Saturated Fat 0.001085 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (2g)
- Sodium 0.0175 mg
- Sugar 0.054250000834465 g
- Trans Fat 0.003605 g
- Calories 1 calories
Step-by-step
- In 9 x 13 baking dish spread about 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce.
- Begin by layering 2 tortillas spread with refried beans over the sauce.
- Sprinkle some green chilies, a tablespoon of the sauce and cheese.
- Make as many layers as you have product usually 5 or 6 per stack.
- Pour any remaining sauce over the piles.
- End with a layer of cheese on top.
- Bake 20-30 mins in a 350 degree oven.
- Cut each mound of tortillas into wedges or just make one for each adult.
- Garnish with whatever you like.
Enchilada sauce does the primary structural and chemical work in this dish, acting simultaneously as a braising liquid for the tortillas and a flavor binder for the starch and dairy. Because tortillas absorb moisture aggressively when enclosed in a baking environment, managing the volume of sauce per layer determines whether the final result holds together cleanly or slumps into a loose casserole. When building the dish, spread the sauce sparingly across each tortilla surface rather than pooling it, ensuring the starch softens without dissolving into paste.
Managing Moisture and Structure
Achieving structural integrity in layered tortilla dishes requires balancing the high moisture content of refried beans against the dry heat of a standard 350 degree Fahrenheit oven. Refried beans contain varying amounts of residual water depending on whether they are canned or scratch-made, and excess moisture will steam the surrounding starches rather than baking them. Constructing stacks with tight contact between the cheese and the tortillas prevents the edges from curling upward and drying into sharp, unpalatable shards during the twenty to thirty minute cooking window. Although bake times serve as a baseline, visual cues remain the most reliable indicator of completion. Watch for the cheese across the top surface to turn completely molten, bubbling actively at the edges, and showing light golden brown spotting where proteins have begun to caramelize.
- If the tortillas feel excessively stiff straight from the package, pass them briefly through a warm skillet with a trace of oil to increase flexibility before layering.
- Drain any watery liquid from canned green chiles completely before distribution to prevent localized soggy spots in the interior layers.
- Allow the baked stacks to rest for ten minutes off the heat before slicing to let the melted cheese cool and reset the internal starches.
