Nigella’s Mexican Lasagna

I’m not a regular lasagna fan, mostly because I find pasta sheets chewy and pointless. Since this uses tortilla wraps instead I figured it might make a lasagna believer out of me. Also, I had the ingredients (or close enough) in the press and I was not venturing out into the manky rain to hunt and gather for something else to eat.

Possibly the easiest thing I’ve ever made, and it takes no time at all.

For the original recipe and method, click here

The filling-

8 tortilla wraps (depending on your dish, you may use less)

1 x 400gm (approx) tin of mixed beans

1 x 300-400 gm tin of butter beans

300gm tin of sweetcorn

250gm grated white cheddar cheese

The sauce-

A bit of olive oil to fry the onion/ leek and so on

1 teasp garlic paste

1 teasp chili paste

1 leek, halved lengthways and then chopped

1 red pepper diced small, plus half a green pepper left lying around needing to be used up

A few grinds of sea salt

1 x 80g bag of fresh coriander chopped

2 x 400-ish gram tins of chopped tomatoes

400ml water, used from the empty tomato can

A good squeeze of tomato sauce

I used a deep paella pan that’s about 10 in wide at the top, and 8 in at the bottom

Preheat your oven to 200 deg C, Gas 6, 400 deg F.At the same time, put a big ol’ tray in for your dish to sit on because it does bubble over and make a mess. I’m yet to clean mine, slattern that I am.

Pour a turn or two of olive oil into a medium sized pot. Over a medium high heat, add your leek/ onion, pepper/s, garlic and chillies. Add more oil if needed. Add a few grinds of salt. Twerk, bitch.

Leave to cook gently for 10-15 mins until the peppers are softened but not coloured.

Chop up your coriander and mix it in.

Add the canned tomatoes and pour in some water from rinsing out the cans. I used about one full can of water. Squeeze in about a tablespoon worth of tomato ketchup, stir and leave to cook on a low/ medium heat for about 10 minutes.

Drain your beans and sweetcorn into a colander. Rinse if you need to. Drain off, pour into a biggish mixing bowl and add nearly all the cheese, keeping some back for sprinkling on top. Mix up the beans and cheese.

Have your dish close to the oven before starting to assemble the layers.

Turn off the heat under the tomato sauce. Ladle out about a third of the sauce into the bottom of your lasagne dish. Cover with a single large tortilla if it’ll cover it, or use two, overlapping so it covers as much as it can. Pour on some of bean cheese mix, enough to cover the tortilla/s, ladle some sauce, cover with tortillas the same again, repeat until you have three layers of bean and cheese topped with salsa. You’ll have enough, I promise!

Top with one large tortilla/ two overlapping wraps and ladle the last of the salsa. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, and tah dah, you’re done!

Put into the oven on the tray to catch anything that spills over.

The original method said it takes 30 mins in the oven. Not in mine! 10-15 was puh-lenty. It would have burned to a crisp if left for any longer. Do leave it for about ten minutes once out of the oven, however, as the inside is piping hot and it’s easier to dish up when slightly cooler.

Ruddy delicious. What I wasn’t expecting is how filling it would be, and how far it would go. It would easily feed six people. I rate it a screaming Jazz Hands FABULOUS.