Mexican tortilla bake
This all-in-one dish is so quick to make. Think Mexican lasagne using ready-made tortillas instead of sheets of pasta. Utterly delicious and very moreish!
For this recipe you will need a 1.5 litre/2½ pint wide-based (preferably round), shallow ovenproof dish.
Ingredients
For the mince
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 500g/1lb 2oz beef mince
- 1 mild red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and diced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1–2 tbsp mango chutney
- 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
- 1 small bunch fresh coriander, chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
To assemble
- 3 large flour tortilla wraps
- 250g/9oz full-fat mascarpone
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú mozzarella, grated
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú cheddar
Method
Preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3.
Pour the oil into a large ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat, add the onions and fry for 3 minutes. Turn up the heat, add the mince and fry until brown, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally.
Add the chilli, red pepper, garlic and spices and fry for 5 minutes, or until all the moisture has evaporated and the mixture is quite dry. Stir in the tomato purée, mango chutney, tinned tomatoes and salt and black pepper. Cover with a lid, bring to the boil and transfer to the oven to simmer for an hour.
Remove from the oven and stir in half the coriander. Increase the oven temperature to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
Spread a third of the cooked mince beef mixture over the bottom of the ovenproof dish and lay one tortilla wrap on top. Spread a third of the mascarpone (see tip) over the tortilla and sprinkle with a third of each of the mozzarella and Cheddar cheeses. Repeat twice more so you have 3 layers.
Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes until golden-brown and bubbling. Set aside for 5 minutes before serving and garnish with the remaining coriander.
Recipe Tips
If your mascarpone is firm, you might find it easier to spread the mascarpone on each tortilla first before adding to the dish.
If covered and chilled in the fridge, you can assemble this dish up to 6 hours ahead. Simply bake at 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 for 25 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.
If uncooked and covered, this dish freezes very well.
