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one thick slice of lasagna with clear pasta-sheet layers, fine ground turkey, whole black beans, deep red ancho-tomato sauce and melted Monterey Jack on an ordinary plate, without tortillas or garnish
Andre Lewis

Crockpot Enchilada Lasagna

Use actual lasagna sheets here, with an ancho-tomato sauce carrying the enchilada flavor through the layers. Turkey and black beans make a firm filling that stays between the noodles, while Monterey Jack melts without covering the chile flavor. Remove the ancho seeds before soaking and blend the skins thoroughly so they don’t leave leathery pieces in the sauce. Rest the lasagna before cutting, because melted cheese and bean-filled layers need a little time to settle into a portion you can lift.
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Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 55 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 3 dried ancho chiles stems and seeds removed
  • 2 cups boiling water for soaking
  • 1 can 15 oz plain tomato sauce
  • 2 cups unsalted chicken broth
  • 2 garlic cloves peeled
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion finely diced
  • 1 1/4 lb ground turkey
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt
  • 1 can 15 oz black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tsp butter for the cooker
  • 9 oz dry oven-ready no-boil lasagna sheets
  • 8 oz Monterey Jack cheese shredded

Method
 

  1. Soak ancho chiles in the boiling soaking water for 15 minutes. Blend softened chiles with 1 cup soaking liquid, tomato sauce, broth, garlic, cumin and oregano until completely smooth; discard remaining soaking liquid.
  2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat and soften onion for 5 minutes. Add turkey and salt and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking the meat into fine crumbles, until 165°F; fold in drained black beans.
  3. Butter a 6-quart slow cooker and spread 3/4 cup ancho sauce over the bottom. Divide dry lasagna sheets into three groups and break them to fit with only small overlaps.
  4. Layer one group of noodles, one-third of the turkey-bean mixture, one-third of the remaining sauce and one-third of the Jack. Repeat twice, keeping all noodle edges covered.
  5. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, checking at 2 1/2 hours, until the center sheets are tender and the filling reaches 165°F.
  6. Switch off, uncover and rest for 20 minutes. Cut into eight portions with a wide spatula; no tortilla substitution or separate pasta boil is needed.