Easy Mexican & Guacamole Dinner

I love Mexican food 

& from time to time that's all I want to eat for a week straight, no really, I am NOT kidding.  When I get like this sometimes I don't want the typical tacos & because I like to cook my own taco shells, sometimes I don't like to stand there for 30 minutes just to cook shells.  So on nights I want Mexican with no fuss, I make Mexican Lasagna. It is super fast & easy & gives you all the flavors you want when you crave Mexican food.

So here is how I do it:

1st I brown up 1 lb. of hamburger meat (you could use ground turkey or chicken too)

 Then I add 1 packet of taco seasoning & simmer for a few minutes

The I take some white corn tortillas & break them in 1/2 so they fit in the casserole dish a little better

once that is done I take salsa & put a layer in the bottom of the dish so that the tortillas can cook with some moisture so they don't get to dry in the bottom of the pan

Then I put a layer of tortillas, then add more salsa (this is where I discovered I didn't have another container of salsa so I just used crushed tomatoes & liked that much better because it wasn't too spicy)

the I added the ground meat & cheddar cheese

 Then I continue to layer in that order until the all meat is gone.  Once I add the last of the meat I put a final layer of tortillas on & load it up with the cheese

 Layered Mexican goodness right there ! Then I just pop it in an oven that was set to 375 until the cheese looks perfect.  Since the meat is already cooked through it does go pretty fast, you are just waiting for the cheese in all the layers to melt & the salsa (or in my case crushed tomatoes) to get heated up.

 So while we wait for that to cook, let's get to making the guacamole!

That's right, I said Guac! 

I know some people cringe at the thought of making their own guacamole.. .. . 

I know they fear it, maybe because they think they cant get it to taste like anything but avocado but I am going to show you that it is super simple!

1st you need to get through the hardest part...waiting for RIPE avocados.  I had mine sitting in the window for about a week because they were super green.   BUT if you are craving Mexican & can get to the store that day, just look for avocados that are darker in color.  Give them a gentle squeeze, you want them to have some give but you don't want to be able to squeeze it like a stress ball!  You are looking for something that will be mashable. 

 So while at the store be sure you have your avocados, red onion, tomatoes, & garlic salt.

Cut your avocados in 1/2 (I used 3)

 scoop them put with a spoon (but since you are mashing them I guess it doesn't really matter) but I have slight OCD about certain things & this falls in that category.

 to get the pit out VERY CAREFULLY land your knife in the center of the pit, give a slight twist & lift the knife up pit included. Now some people will swear by saving the pit to put BACK in the guac to prevent browning BUT I have tried this & I find lemon or lime juice works better & gives it an extra layer of flavor.

 give your avocados a good mashing (go ahead, take out the days aggression on them, they can take it)

 see.... nice & mashed to perfection (told ya they could take the abuse)

 then dice up some fresh tomatoes (I used almost a whole one)

 then some red onion (I diced about 4 slices)

 squeeze in the very important lime juice or lemon if that is what you have (I used 1/2 a lime)

 NOW some recipes call for real garlic..I find that too harsh, I like garlic salt, it gives it the garlic flavor but also the saltiness it needs to pull it all together.  I don't measure this, I go by taste, just remember it is easier to add then take away, so start slow.

 mmmm  I know your mouth is watering for that tasty guac right now!

But that was it...Easy right?? I told ya

 The Mexican lasagna is ready.....oooh look at the melty cheese ~YUM!!

 I think I do like the chunks tomato in this dish better than salsa, look how nice the chunks look in there! Although I guess you could just use chunky salsa ~ I will have to remember that for next time

 Serving up some Mexican flavor is as easy is this, it only took me 45 minutes from start to finish (doing the dishes not included) but hey, that's pretty fast

 So here is to Mexican food at home, fast & easy.  Not to mention homemade guacamole!

And in case your wondering.... it did taste as good as it looks!

Happy Creating~