Tostada Pie

This is Mexican lasagna that builds itself in a Crock-Pot while you do literally anything else.

Buttered corn tortillas get stacked in layers with a spiced ground beef and tomato sauce loaded with black olives, then buried under mountains of shredded Monterey Jack.

One hour on high and the cheese is molten, the tortillas have softened into the meat sauce, and the whole thing lifts out of the slow cooker on foil handles like a layered pie that slices into clean wedges.

Top with sour cream and minced green onions, and you’ve got a crowd-feeding dinner that took maybe 40 minutes of actual hands-on work.

Kitchen Tips

• Make foil handles before you start layering. Three strips of heavy foil crossed in a spoke pattern on the bottom of the Crock-Pot let you lift the whole pie out in one piece.
• Butter each tortilla lightly on one side. It adds richness and helps the layers separate cleanly when you slice.
• Brown the beef thoroughly and drain the fat before adding tomato sauce. Greasy meat makes the tortilla layers slide apart.
• Let the pie rest 5 minutes after lifting it out. It firms up just enough to hold together when you cut it.

Variations

• Use ground turkey or shredded chicken for a lighter version.
• Add a can of diced green chiles to the meat mixture for more heat.
• Layer in some refried beans between the tortillas for extra body and protein.