Easy Mexican Lasagna (aka Tortilla Casserole)

Name: Mexican Lasagna Recipe (aka Tortilla Casserole)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed; 1 14-ounce can stewed or diced tomatoes; 1 4-ounce can chopped mild green chilies; 2 cups frozen corn kernels, defrosted (10-ounce bag); 1 bunch scallions, chopped (set aside a handful to sprinkle on top); 1 teaspoon chili powder; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 12 6-inch corn tortillas; 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, cheddar cheese or your favorite Mexican cheese blend; Salsa; Sour cream or yogurt; Chopped scallions

Published: Mar 10, 2013 · Updated: Aug 12, 2026 · By Lisa Goldfinger · 36 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links

Jump to Recipe

This tortilla casserole is essentially a Mexican-style lasagna that uses corn tortillas in place of noodles. The filling is a mix of corn, black beans, tomatoes, green chiles, scallions, spices and cheese. It's an easy, satisfying 30-minute vegetarian dinner made mostly with pantry and freezer staples.

Slice of vegetarian tortilla casserole on a plate

This Mexican Lasagna was my first encounter with the genre of quick and easy recipes. It was given to me more than 20 years ago by my neighbor Nava Atlas, a vegetarian cookbook author and blogger.

She gave me her cookbook, pointed me to her favorite recipe in the book, and told me she loved it because it was easy, delicious and most of the ingredients were things I probably already had in my house. I was sold! I had three active, hungry little boys to cook for and not a lot of time to do it.

Ingredients for Mexican Lasagna

I've made this casserole countless times since then. It's saved me on many busy nights when I wanted a healthy, satisfying dinner without a lot of fuss. My kids, my husband and I loved it back then and we still love it today. It's one of those easy, universally loved recipes that everyone needs in their repertoire.

Black beans – Canned black beans make this recipe especially easy. Drain and rinse them before using.

Tomatoes – Canned diced or stewed tomatoes both work well here.

Green Chilies – A small can of mild chopped green chilies adds lots of flavor without making the casserole spicy. Feel free to use spicy chilies if you want some heat.

Corn – I usually use frozen corn, which can go right into the filling once it's defrosted. When corn is in season and you're not pressed for time, fresh corn cut from the cob is even better.

Scallions – These add fresh onion flavor to the filling. Save a handful to sprinkle over the finished casserole.

Spices – Chili powder, cumin and oregano give this tortilla casserole its classic Tex-Mex flavor.

Corn Tortillas – These take the place of noodles in this Mexican-style lasagna, and create the layers of the casserole.

Cheese – I like Monterey Jack, but cheddar also works. Use your favorite cheese or even a Mexican cheese blend. What's important is to use shredded cheese so you can spread it evenly over the layers for melted cheesiness in every bite.

How To Make Mexican Lasagna

This dish is incredibly easy to put together. For the prep you're mostly just opening cans and measuring spices — the only thing you have to chop is the scallions. The assembly is quick and pretty fun, too. Here's the basic process:

Make the filling: Combine the black beans, tomatoes, green chilies, corn, scallions and spices in a large bowl.

Want To Save this Recipe?

Share your email and we'll send it straight to your inbox!

mexican lasagna ingredients arranged in piles in a big bowl: black beans, corn, chopped tomatoes, chopped chilies, chopped scallions, spices, and salt.

Assemble the casserole: Arrange a layer of corn tortillas in the bottom of a 9 x 12 (or so) rectangular baking dish, overlapping them slightly and trimming them as needed to fit.

corn tortillas arranged on the bottom of a rectangular baking pan to form the first layer of a Mexican lasagna.

Baking pan fully lined with corn tortillas and a hand about to spoon in the first layer of bean, tomato and corn filling from a big bowl.

Top with half the filling and half of the shredded cheese.

Repeat the layers: Add another layer of tortillas, followed by the remaining filling and cheese.

Adding shredded Monterey Jack cheese to the first layer of a Mexican Lasagna, sprinkling it over the bean, tomato and corn filling.

Adding corn tortillas over the filling and cheese to create the second layer of the Mexican lasagna.

Bake: Bake the tortilla casserole until it's hot and the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Cut it into squares and serve it with salsa and sour cream and chopped scallions.

a slice of Mexican lasagna on a plate, topped with salsa, sour cream and chopped scallions.

Make This Ahead of Time

You can assemble the entire dish several hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate it until you're ready to bake it. Add about 5 minutes to the cooking time if you're baking it straight from the fridge.

More Delicious Mexican Recipes To Try

If you try this Mexican Lasagna recipe I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think!

Recipe

Mexican Lasagna Recipe (aka Tortilla Casserole)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 11 reviews

Author: Lisa Goldfinger
Total Time: 30 mins
Yield: 6 generous main dish servings 1x
Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

Description

This easy Mexican Lasagna is made with layers of corn tortillas, a flavorful black bean, corn and tomato filling, and plenty of melted cheese. It's a healthy, satisfying vegetarian dinner that's ready in just 30 minutes.