Vegetarian Mexican Lasagna

I got this recipe from my friend, Jen's blog, and it is seriously so good!  So good, I made it every week for a month back in the summer with the cilantro from my garden!!  Even Jonah (then 1 yr. old) LOVED it! 

Trust me, the picture above does not do it justice!  It is so good!!!!! 

It is also a very forgiving recipe, I've made it different almost every time to experiment, and it always tasted good!  I've doubled this recipe quite a few times, because leftovers mean I don't have to cook as often!!

Here is the recipe with a few different things I tried in parenthesis:

Vegetarian Mexican Lasagna

1. c. fresh cilantro leaves
4 scallions, coarsely chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
10 oz. baby spinach (I also used a 6oz. bag once because that was on sale at the store)
8 (6 inch) tortillas (we actually use more, in fact I gave this recipe to John to make and he used the whole bag, 20!)
2 cans (15.5 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
2 c. prepared salsa (whatever heat you like)
8 oz. pepper jack cheese grated (about 2 c.)  (I also tried different cheeses so my other kids might like it more, because they thought it was too spicy.  They were all right, but pepper jack was definitely my favorite)


Preheat oven to 425.  In a food processor combine cilantro, scallions, salt, pepper, and as much spinach that will fit.  Pulse, add remaining spinach until all coarsely chopped. 

Grease an 8 inch square baking dish.  Lay 4 tortillas in bottom of dish (overlapping slightly).  Layer with half of beans, salsa, spinach mixture, and cheese; repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with cheese and pressing gently. 

Cover dish with foil; place on a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake until bubbling, 25-30 minutes; remove foil, and continue baking until golden, 15-20 minutes more. 

(I wasn't paying attention the first time I made it and added the salsa to the spinach mixture.  So, I do that every time now. We also have more layers because we use more tortillas.   If you double it, you'll use a 9x13 pan.  But, I actually use the crock pot to cook it the most.  The only thing with the crock pot is to not over cook it, because then it becomes way mushy.  Still good, but mushy.  I've also frozen it.  I actually didn't try it after I froze it, buy my sister said it froze and cooked up fine.)