Ole!

When I look for din-spiration, I usually turn to Ina or some of my favorite food blogs. As I was browsing through recipes on Katie's site, I stumbled upon a recipe for Fiesta Lasagna and I figured I could amend it to fit our needs. Since ground beef was on sale, we opted for that, although I'm sure ground turkey would do in a pinch. I have never actually written a recipe, but here is my humble attempt at a delicious dish even Caribe Flay would be proud of!

Mexicali Lasagna
9 lasagna noodles
2 lbs. ground beef
3/4 c. red bell pepper, chopped (plus more for garnish)
3/4 c. green bell pepper, chopped (plus more for garnish)
1 c. sweet onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pkg. Ortega taco seasoning
1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
1/4 c. + 4 T. chipotle sauce
3/4 c. fresh salsa--we like sweet onion (plus more for garnish)
1 c. sour cream
1/3 c. french onion dip
3 T. cilantro, chopped and loosely packed
1 16 oz. can refried beans
3 c. Mexican blend shredded cheese
Green onions for garnish
Chopped tomato for garnish
Shredded lettuce for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, brown meat until no longer pink and add the taco seasoning, garlic, onions, and peppers. Cook for 2 minutes and then add tomatoes, salsa, and 1/4 c. of the chipotle sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes. While the mixture is simmering, stir together the sour cream, french onion dip, cilantro, and 4 T. chipotle sauce. In a 9 x 13 glass baking dish assemble as follows: Spread small amount of meat mixture to lightly coat the bottom of the dish. Next, layer lasagna noodles, refried beans, sour cream mixture, meat mixture, and cheese. Repeat until you have three layers, ending with the cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting and serve with additional sour cream, salsa, peppers, green onions, tomato, and lettuce if desired.