Topless Taco Lasagna

Tender flour tortillas, nestled between taco-seasoned beef and melted cheddar cheese. Add the crunch of tortilla chips (and more cheese) on top and you've got one incredible, family-friendly meal.

What to prep ahead: The dish can be assembled up to 2 days in advance. Cover the dish with foil and refrigerate until ready to bake. Pull from the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking.

About the tortillas: I used soft flour tortillas for the layering because I wanted the awesome combination of soft tortilla and crunchy chip; don't worry - I added just enough chips to add pizzazz and crunch, not enough to create an unhealthy meal. Since tortillas come in a variety of sizes, start by slicing the minimum amount you think you'll need for the dish and slice more if needed (first, you'll cover the surface of your pan, and they you'll cover the first layer of beef).

Why topless? Because, unlike lasagna, I didn't cover the last layer of filling with more tortillas. I knew it would be "too much" tortilla; meaning the ratio of tortillas to beef filling would have been off!

Topless Taco Lasagna

Cooking spray
1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup taco seasoning
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup ketchup
6-7 small (fajita-size) flour tortillas or 3-4 medium (burrito-size) flour tortillas, cut into 6 pieces each
1 cup crumbled tortilla chip pieces (yellow or white corn, or a combination)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Serve with (these are just suggestions):
Salsa or picante sauce
Sliced avocado
Shredded lettuce
Black olives
Sour cream
Hot sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat the bottom of a shallow baking dish with cooking spray.
Brown the beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Add the taco seasoning and stir to coat. Add the broth and ketchup and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes (mixture will be liquidy - more liquidy than taco meat).
Arrange half of the tortilla pieces in the bottom of the prepared pan, slightly overlapping the pieces to cover the bottom. Top with half of the beef mixture and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Top with the remaining tortilla pieces and remaining beef mixture. Top with the chips and remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.
Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes, until the cheese melts.
Cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Serves 4