Evan and I work opposite schedules and at best we will have dinner together a couple of times a week. More often than not consists of a quick late night dinner after I get home from work and then he promptly falls asleep within half an hour since he has to be up at 6:30am. We make it work for us because when we do get a day off together we really make an effort to enjoy our time together. We always say that we’d rather miss each other than be sick of each other. Although I am looking forward to not having to work any more and spend more time with him…but in the meantime this will do to pay the bills 🙂
Yesterday we only saw each other in passing of coming home and going to work. I thought I would make him some yummy dinner before I went to work so that even if I couldn’t be home, it would be a dinner made with love by yours truly. Trust me, the way to a mans heart is definitely through his stomach. And they can taste it when it’s made with love.
Mexican Lasagna
My mom used to make this for my sister and I when we were kids. It’s fast and easy to make plus its super yummy. You can spice it up any way you like and feel free to grate vegetables like carrots and zucchini into the sauce, the kids will never know!
6 medium tortilla shells
1 cup Montrery Jack Cheese, grated
1 cup light Cheddar cheese, grated
2/3 cup frozen peas
2 turkey sausages, sliced
2 cups marinara sauce with 2 meatballs
** I made the marinara sauce and the meatballs a while ago and froze them. You can use your favourite recipe or your favourite store bought sauce. I broke up the meatballs once it thawed so I advise that you just use ground beef or pork if you are making your sauce from scratch.
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 tablespoons Tex-Mex seasoning
1 tablespoon chili flakes (we like it spicy)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Preheat your oven to 375F. In a large sauce pan on medium cook the marinara sauce with the garlic, onion, Tex-Mex seasoning and chili flakes. Break up the meatballs (if you are using ground beef or pork cook it before you add the sauce) and then add the turkey sausages (the ones I used were already cooked, if you are using raw sausage pre cook it before adding it to the sauce). When the sauce is nice and hot and bubbly add the cilantro and the peas. Don’t worry about fully cooking the peas because they will finish cooking in the oven. In a pie pan put a little bit of sauce on the bottom so the tortillas don’t stick. Layer 1 tortilla with about 2/3 cup or so of the sauce and 1/6 of the cheese. Continue to layer: tortilla, sauce, cheese, repeat. On the last layer of the tortilla just top with cheese. Cover with foil and bake for about 10-15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese on top is nice and bubbly and the tortilla is golden brown on the edges.
Evan had his with sour cream and he said it was delicious. What a great way to show him how much I love him than cook him some yummy dinner. Try this easy dinner in your own homes and put your own special twist on it. Add your families favourite cheeses or spices to adapt it to their own tastes, and don’t forget the love!
Cheers