Baja Lasagna Recipes

CLASSIC LASAGNA

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Heat oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add sausage, if using, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it's starting to brown but not yet crisp, about 5 minutes.
• Add onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is totally softened and translucent (without letting it brown), 8 to 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring until the tomato paste has turned a deeper brick red color, tinting the oil and onions a fiery orange color, about 2 minutes.
• Using your hands, crush the whole tomatoes into smaller, bite-size pieces and add them and the crushed tomatoes, stirring to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pot. Fill one of the tomato cans halfway with water and add it to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomato sauce has thickened and flavors have come together, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Make the lasagna: Heat oven to 375 degrees and set a large pot of salted water to boil.
• Set aside 1 cup mozzarella. In a medium bowl, combine remaining mozzarella, ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan and cream; season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Cook lasagna noodles in the large pot of salted boiling water until just softened (before they are even aldente), about 4 minutes. Drain and separate any noodles that are trying to stick together, slicking them with a bit of olive oil to prevent them from sticking further.
• Spoon a bit of sauce on the bottom of a 3-quart baking dish and top with a layer of noodles, avoiding any heavy overlap.
• Top with about 1 ¼ cups of sauce, and dollop ¼ of the cheese mixture over. Top with another layer of noodles and repeat three more times, ending with the last of the noodles (depending on size of the noodle/shape of the baking dish, you may have a few extra noodles) and the last of the sauce. Top with reserved 1 cup mozzarella and more Parmesan, if you like.
• Cover loosely with aluminum foil and place baking dish on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet (to prevent any overflow from burning on the bottom of your oven).
• Bake until pasta is completely tender and cooked through and sauce is bubbling up around the edges, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove foil and increase temperature to 450 degrees. Continue to bake until lasagna is golden brown on top with frilly, crispy edges and corners, another 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating.

BAJA LASAGNA

Steps:

• preheat oven to 350.
• saute onion in a skillet with non stick spray about 4 minutes.
• add tomatoes, chiles, beans, and chili powder, and cumin. simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
• In a casserole dish layer tortilla in a single layer, then tomato mixture, then cheese, repeating layers until all is used.
• Top with sour cream and some reserved cheddar cheese.
• bake 30 minutes.

BAJA LASAGNA

Steps:

• Set oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease a 13 x 9" baking dish OR a casserole dish.
• In a skillet, saute ground beef with onion and garlic (if using), until meat is no longer pink; drain any fat.
• Add in tomatoes, chopped chilies, mushrooms, Pinto beans, chili powder and cumin, mix slightly; simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes.
• In a baking dish, arrange a single layer of tortilla strips.
• Pour 1/4 cup of the tomato mixture, and 1/3 of the cheese over the tortillas strips.
• Set aside a little of the cheese for the top Repeat layers.
• Bake for 30 minutes.
• Before serving, spread a layer of sour cream over the top of casserole, and sprinkle with any remaining reserved cheese.

BAJA SALAD

Steps:

• Place romaine lettuce in a large bowl. Add tomato, avocado, cucumber, feta cheese, onion, corn, and black beans; toss well. Sprinkle tortilla chips over salad.
• Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, salt, and pepper together in a bowl until dressing is smooth; drizzle over salad.

BAJA SAUCE

Steps:

• Place bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, and onion in the bowl of a food processor; puree until smooth. Stir together 4 teaspoons of this puree with the mayonnaise, and vinegar in a small bowl. Season with pepper, garlic powder, and cumin. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours to allow flavors to develop.

BAJA CABBAGE SLAW

Steps:

• Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage. Cut a V-shaped wedge around the tough inner core and remove the core and discard. Halve the cabbage to make 2 quarter sections. With a large, sharp knife, slice each section crosswise into a thin julienne (about 1/8 inch thick) or julienne with a hand-held Japanese mandoline. Transfer the julienned cabbage to a large bowl. In a bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, lime juice, and Tabasco. Toss the mayonnaise mixture with the cabbage, refrigerate, and use within a few hours.