How to Make an Amazingly Delicious Mexican Lasagna

Mexican lasagna, or Aztec pie, is one of my all-time favorite foods. It’s delicious, perfect for any dinner, and very easy to make. Take a look!

Follow my blog and fall in love with Mexico!

Click to tweet this post

Every weekend, I take my children over to my parent’s house so they can spend some time with Abuelita and Abuelito, grandma and grandpa.

My mom always likes to cook something yummy for everybody, so we go into the kitchen together and I help her make whatever she wants to cook for the family dinner.

One of my all-time favorite foods is Aztec pie or Mexican lasagna. I love it when Mom decides to make this!

It’s the perfect dish for a cozy family dinner, and it’s not that difficult to make. Plus, I’m pretty sure you’re going to love it.

Mexican lasagna or Aztec pie?

In Mexico, this dish is widely known as “Aztec pie”, although I think the name doesn’t fit the recipe.

The truth is the name “Aztec pie” is not a good match because the ancient Aztecs couldn’t possibly have cooked it.

I know this because chicken and cheese were completely unknown to the Aztecs, so they obviously didn’t come up with the dish.

Most likely, somebody later came up with the dish and called it “Aztec pie” because it had tortillas and poblanos in it, but that’s just a wild guess.

In any case, I think it’s better to call this a “Mexican lasagna” instead of an “Aztec pie”. What do you think?

Let’s stop the jibber jabber and start cooking!

How to make Mexican lasagna or Aztec pie

First, you have to roast a couple of poblano peppers. Then, put them inside a plastic bag and let them “sweat” for a while.

When they’re cool, peel off the skin as best you can and cut them open so you can remove the seeds and veins. Finally, cut the poblanos into long, thin strips.

Next, in a saucepan, saute the poblano strips with onion strips until the poblano turns bright green and the onion is transparent.

After that, pour at least two cups of tomato sauce over the veggies. Mom always uses more, at least 3 or 4 cups.

However, Mom and I always prefer to make our own tomato sauce for cooking. We simply blend 2 or 3 tomatoes, half an onion, a clove of garlic and 3 cups of broth or water. This is so much better than using canned sauce!

Let the veggies simmer in the sauce for about five minutes and then add about 2 cups of shredded chicken. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for about five more minutes.

Some people add corn to the mix, but I think that’s overdoing it. We’re already using corn tortillas, right?

There’s nothing Mom hates more than being stingy with food, so she always makes a big pot of everything!

Now that we have the filling, we’re going to set up this Mexican lasagna (or Aztec pie).

You’ll need about a pound of corn tortillas or more, depending on the size of the mold. And they need to be corn, this won’t work with flour tortillas.

In a small pan, heat about 2 or 3 tablespoons of oil. Then, grab a tortilla let it fry for a couple of seconds in the oil. Turn it over, and do the same on the other side.

The tortillas shouldn’t come out crispy, but soft. So it’s very important to do this quickly.

Mom likes to do turn the tortillas with an old fork, but I’ve found this makes them prone to tearing. So I use a spatula instead of a fork.

Gradually, cover the bottom of a greased lasagna mold with the tortillas. Then, put a layer of the chicken and veggie mix and cover with more of the softened tortillas.

You can do two layers of this or just one. Mom likes to make it with just one because she prefers to have more meat in it instead of layers of tortillas, but this is up to you.

Cover the lasagna with one final layer of softened tortillas and then cover with a layer of cream, grated cheese, and a bit more of the tomato sauce.

Pop it in the oven at 350°F for 25 minutes and let the cheese melt. Dinner is ready!

Mexican family dinner tradition

I’ve written before about how important and tight Mexican families are, and ours is no different.

Every weekend, the kids, my husband and I have a big family dinner with my parents and my sister. This is a very important tradition for us.

Over the years, our family has had its ups and downs. We’ve had good times and bad times, joys and disappointments. But no matter what happens, our weekend family dinner has been a rock solid date on the calendar.

I believe having traditions such as this one is very important to keep the family together. The kids can spend time with their grandparents and they grow up with a sense of belonging. Likewise, my parents get to know their grandchildren and spend some quality time with them.

The kids and grandpa

Most of our dearest memories are made on such occasions, and I know my kids enjoy it because they always look forward to spending the day with grandma and grandpa and having a delicious dinner.

I’m sure when they grow up and have families of their own, they’ll remember all those weekend dinners and they’ll appreciate the time spent with family. At least, I hope so.

I hope you have a nice family dinner and enjoy a delicious Mexican lasagna.

Buen provecho!

What do you think of this recipe? Do you have any such family traditions? Tell me about them in the comments!