Where does Pastel Azteca come from?

Pastel Azteca comes from the ancient Aztec civilization in pre-Columbian times. It is a homemade casserole dish for family dinners that is rarely found in restaurants.

What temperature do you bake pastel Azteca?

The Aztec cake takes some time. The ideal temperature to bake the pastel Azteca casserole is between 350F-400F. Bake the lasagna casserole for about 10-12 minutes or until the cheese melts and brown blister bubbles are formed.

Mexican Pastel Azteca Loaded With Cheesy Layers July 24, 2025

Description

Pastel Azteca or pastel de tortillas is a kind of Mexican lasagna that is rich in Mexican flavors. Have you ever imagined lasagna made with a fusion of salsa, cheese, corn tortillas, and smoky poblano sauce? If not, then it is your turn to make this at home.

Italian lasagna has layers of pasta sheets, while this Mexican lasagna has layers of corn tortillas. Pastel Azteca came from the ancient Aztec civilization in pre-Columbian times. This is the dish you rarely find in restaurants because it is a homemade casserole dish for family dinner. Although there are many variations to this dish, the sauce may be red tomato-based or poblano green chile-based. Mozzarella, Manchego, Pecorino Romano, Parmigiano-Reggiano, aged Cheddar or any Mexican cheese are stuffed in between layers for nice cheesy layers. The poblano pepper is the heart of this lasagna

Ingredients

Scale

18 Corn tortillas
1 cup oil for frying
1 ½ cups Manchego cheese shred

For creamy poblano sauce

½ medium white onion, diced
1 cup white onion, sliced
2 cloves roasted garlic
5 poblano pepper
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups Heavy whipping cream
1 cup cream cheese
1 cup cilantro
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

For chicken filling

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp garlic minced
3 cups chicken, Cooked and shredded
1 cup poblano pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup yellow corn, canned

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Instructions

Make Poblano Sauce: Add diced onion, roasted garlic cloves, roasted poblano pepper, chicken broth, heavy whipped cream, cream cheese, salt, black pepper, and cilantro to a blender. Blend for about 1-2 minutes until you get a creamy, smooth poblano sauce.
Make Chicken Filling: Cook onions in vegetable oil until translucent. Add garlic, shredded chicken, chopped poblano pepper, and canned yellow corn. Mix all the ingredients well and add half of the poblano sauce that we prepared. Mix and cook the chicken filling for 5 minutes on medium-low heat until it is cooked and reduced.
Fry Corn Tortillas: Heat vegetable oil in a pan and fry all the corn tortillas for a softer and tender lasagna base. We will not fry for long, but each tortilla should be fried for 30 seconds until it is soft and moist.
Assemble Mexican Lasagna: Divide the corn tortillas and cheese into three parts and the chicken filling into two parts because we must create three layers of Mexican lasagna. Layer 6 tortillas on the base of a 9×13-inch deep casserole baking dish, then layer the chicken filling and shredded Manchego cheese. Repeat the process to create a second beautiful layer. Layer the third layer with tortillas. Spread the remaining poblano sauce on top and decorate it with lots of cheese.
Bake: Set the oven at 400°F and bake the layered pastel Azteca for about 10 minutes or until cheese on top is brown and bubbly. Serve this with a lot of poblano sauce, avocado slices, corn, cheese sprinkle, or cilantro leaf for a nice presentation. Enjoy this homemade Mexican lasagna.

Notes

Tortillas are the base of lasagna, and they do the same job as lasagna sheets. We fry our corn tortillas for a few seconds to make them soft and moist. Frying for too long will make them crispy and crunchy, so don’t do that because we want soft corn tortillas for layering lasagna.
Blend the green sauce for 1 minute. The blending time may vary based on how powerful your blender is. Just make sure that you achieve a smooth consistency.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Category: Meal