Enchilasagna
Lukas LeafLukas Leaf is an avid, passionate outdoorsman and chef born and raised in Minnesota and has spent the majority of his cooking career specializing in wild game and foraged ingredients. From weekends on the ice in his family's fish shack on Mille Lacs Lake to spring fishing trips in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, connecting with nature and our cherished wild places has long been cemented as a way of life. Lukas is a dedicated husband and father to twin girls and spends his free time fishing, foraging, hunting, camping, and cooking his way through the great outdoors. Lukas is the lead chef for Modern Carnivore, executive director at Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters, and a wild foods contributor for MeatEater.
Duration
2 hours
Serves
8
Chef’s notes
This dish is a beautiful mashup of global cuisine where Mexico meets Italy to create a combo you never knew you needed. You can practically put anything between pasta sheets, bake it, and call it lasagna—but it still has to taste good.
Making your own enchilada sauce brings this to a whole new level, but you could also use a nice store-bought enchilada sauce instead to save time. Make sure to serve this with various sides like fresh lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, queso, or just your favorite hot sauce.
Ingredients
Enchilada Sauce
- 4 cups stock
- 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 tbsp. tomato paste
- 6 tbsp. chili powder
- 2 tbsp. ground ancho chili
- 2 tbsp. ground guajillo chili
- 2 tbsp. ground cumin
- 2 tbsp. onion powder
- 2 tbsp. Mexican oregano
- 1 tbsp. ground coriander
- 1 tbsp. cracked black pepper
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- Two bay leaves
Enchilasagna
- 1 lb. ground venison
- 1 lb. lasagna noodles
- 4 cups enchilada sauce
- 1 cup green pepper, chopped
- 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 1 cup sweet corn
- 1(7 oz.) can green chilis
- 3 tbsp. Garlic, minced
- 1 (7 oz.) can green chilis
- 8 oz. queso quesadilla cheese
- 8 oz. Mexican blend or cheddar cheese
- 16 oz. small curd cottage cheese
- 1 (15 oz.) can refried black beans
- ¼ cup lard, duck fat, or bear fat
- Kosher salt
- Cracked black pepper
Also works with
Any ground meat
Preparation
- Make the enchilada sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large pot on medium heat. Whisk in the flour and dry spices. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until fragrant, then add the tomato paste and cook for one minute. Deglaze the pot with apple cider vinegar. Whisk in the 4 cups of stock, the can of tomato sauce, and bay leaf (adding another ½ cup of stock or water if the sauce seems too thick). Cover and simmer the sauce for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Cook the noodles. Boil the noodles until al dente in lightly salted water. Drain and set aside to cool.
- Cook the meat. Add the fat to a large skillet, brown the ground venison, then season with salt and pepper. Add the onion, green pepper, green chilis, and corn. Cook until the onion is translucent. Set aside to cool.
- Mix three cups of the enchilada sauce into the ground meat mixture. Reserve the remaining sauce for plating and layering. Chop the cilantro and slice the green onion. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Layer the lasagna. Press a thin layer of refried beans to the bottom of the baking dish. Lay the lasagna noodles over the refried beans to cover completely. Add the cottage cheese and cilantro on top of the noodles. Next, sprinkle a layer of shredded cheese and spoon the meat sauce over top. Repeat with two more layers. Add the fourth layer of noodles. Spoon plain enchilada sauce over the noodles and spread it evenly across. Sprinkle with the leftover shredded cheese and thinly sliced green onions.
- Bake the lasagna, covered at 375ºF for an hour or until hot in the center. Be sure to "tent" the tinfoil over the top of the lasagna so that the cheese won't come off with the tinfoil when you remove it. After 30 to 40 minutes, remove the tinfoil and cook uncovered to brown the top for the remaining 20 to 30 minutes. Let the lasagna rest for 15 to 20 minutes before cutting and serving with your favorite garnishes and accompaniments.
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Save this recipe
Enchilasagna
Recipe by:Lukas Leaf
Duration
2 hours
Serves
8
Chef’s notes
This dish is a beautiful mashup of global cuisine where Mexico meets Italy to create a combo you never knew you needed. You can practically put anything between pasta sheets, bake it, and call it lasagna—but it still has to taste good.
Making your own enchilada sauce brings this to a whole new level, but you could also use a nice store-bought enchilada sauce instead to save time. Make sure to serve this with various sides like fresh lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, queso, or just your favorite hot sauce.
Ingredients
Enchilada Sauce
- 4 cups stock
- 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 tbsp. tomato paste
- 6 tbsp. chili powder
- 2 tbsp. ground ancho chili
- 2 tbsp. ground guajillo chili
- 2 tbsp. ground cumin
- 2 tbsp. onion powder
- 2 tbsp. Mexican oregano
- 1 tbsp. ground coriander
- 1 tbsp. cracked black pepper
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- Two bay leaves
Enchilasagna
- 1 lb. ground venison
- 1 lb. lasagna noodles
- 4 cups enchilada sauce
- 1 cup green pepper, chopped
- 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 1 cup sweet corn
- 1(7 oz.) can green chilis
- 3 tbsp. Garlic, minced
- 1 (7 oz.) can green chilis
- 8 oz. queso quesadilla cheese
- 8 oz. Mexican blend or cheddar cheese
- 16 oz. small curd cottage cheese
- 1 (15 oz.) can refried black beans
- ¼ cup lard, duck fat, or bear fat
- Kosher salt
- Cracked black pepper
Also works with
Any ground meat
Preparation
- Make the enchilada sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large pot on medium heat. Whisk in the flour and dry spices. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until fragrant, then add the tomato paste and cook for one minute. Deglaze the pot with apple cider vinegar. Whisk in the 4 cups of stock, the can of tomato sauce, and bay leaf (adding another ½ cup of stock or water if the sauce seems too thick). Cover and simmer the sauce for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Cook the noodles. Boil the noodles until al dente in lightly salted water. Drain and set aside to cool.
- Cook the meat. Add the fat to a large skillet, brown the ground venison, then season with salt and pepper. Add the onion, green pepper, green chilis, and corn. Cook until the onion is translucent. Set aside to cool.
- Mix three cups of the enchilada sauce into the ground meat mixture. Reserve the remaining sauce for plating and layering. Chop the cilantro and slice the green onion. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Layer the lasagna. Press a thin layer of refried beans to the bottom of the baking dish. Lay the lasagna noodles over the refried beans to cover completely. Add the cottage cheese and cilantro on top of the noodles. Next, sprinkle a layer of shredded cheese and spoon the meat sauce over top. Repeat with two more layers. Add the fourth layer of noodles. Spoon plain enchilada sauce over the noodles and spread it evenly across. Sprinkle with the leftover shredded cheese and thinly sliced green onions.
- Bake the lasagna, covered at 375ºF for an hour or until hot in the center. Be sure to "tent" the tinfoil over the top of the lasagna so that the cheese won't come off with the tinfoil when you remove it. After 30 to 40 minutes, remove the tinfoil and cook uncovered to brown the top for the remaining 20 to 30 minutes. Let the lasagna rest for 15 to 20 minutes before cutting and serving with your favorite garnishes and accompaniments.