GF life: Mexican Lasagna

Gluten Free Mexican Lasagna!  

     About a month ago I was tested for some food allergies, and gluten was a major intolerance for me (along with little dairy and eggs, but I'm not willing to cut those out, ever). So I decided to try and give it up along with the rest of the world I know, but I think they're on to something. I have felt a lot better, so I'm going to keep sticking with it. All that to say, my babe of a husband gifted me the best GF cookbook for Christmas. Everything we've made out of it so far has been really easy and delicious, and even gives dairy free options. It's called Unbelievably Gluten Free by Anne Byrn. Rands blindly bought it, and I'm so glad he did, because we made a delicious Mexican Lasagna tonight and I had 3 bowls full. So I decided to share with the rest of the gluten free world! And I typed all of it out, because that's how much I want everyone to experience the delciousness. 

Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients:

• Vegetable Spray 
• 1 Pound Ground Beef (I used turkey, worked like a charm)
• Olive Oil (optional)
• 2 Cups frozen, canned or fresh corn kernels
• 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 container (16 oz) low-fat, small-curd cottage cheese
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup (1 oz) grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 clove garlic, crushed in a garlic press (I used garlic powder, and a lot because it's my favorite)
• 12 corn tortillas (8 inches in diameter)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

What to do:

1. Place a rack in the center of oven and preheat to 375. Mist a 13x9 glass baking dish with vegetable spray and set aside.

2. Crumble the beef (turkey) into a large nonstick frying pan and place it over medium heat. If the beef (turkey) is so lean it sticks to pan, add a little olive oil. Cook the beef, stirring, until it is cooked through and browned. Drain off any fat from pan. Add corn, tomato sauce, salsa, chili powder, and cumin to the pan. Stir to combine. Let the beef mixture simmer over medium-low heat until the flavors come together, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, place the cottage cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, oregano and garlic in a medium-size bowl and stir to combine.

4. TO assemble lasagna, overlap 6 corn tortillas in the prepared baking dish (I actually ended up using 8 because I wanted the whole pan and sides covered and it worked out just fine- so do whatever makes you happy). Spread half of the beef mixture evenly onto the tortillas. Spoon all of the cottage cheese mixture on top of the beef layer and spread evenly. Layer the remaining corn tortillas over cheese mixture. Top the tortillas with remaining beef mixture. Cover with foil and place in oven. 

5. Bake until it heats through 30-35 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with cheddar cheese, then replace foil to let lasagna rest for 20 minutes. Any leftover lasagna can be reheated to an oven preheated to 350; it will take 20-25 minutes. 

*For a dairy free lasagna, substitute dairy free cream cheese, such as Better Than Cream Cheese, for the cottage cheese and omit the Parmesan and cheddar cheeses.