Pastel Azteca

This Pastel Azteca is made with tortillas, salsa verde, carnitas, mozzarella and sour cream.

Other variations of this Pastel Azteca dish can be made with chicken or zucchini. The dish is sort of like a Mexican lasagna, but instead of the pasta, we use tortilla!

Pastel Azteca was one of my favorite dishes my mom used to make growing up. The key ingredients are the tomatillos to make the green sauce. Tomatillos can be used for a variety of dishes, my favorite being chilaquiles, a very traditional Mexican breakfast dish. Tomatillos are super similar to tomatoes, so you can treat them as such.

If you love this recipe, feel free to try my Mexican Fish Veracruz style or Mexican Poached Eggs.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Top tip
• Pastel Azteca
• Food safety

Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

• Carnitas
• Salsa Verde
• Roasted bell pepper
• Sour Cream
• Mozzarella cheese
• Tortillas
• Oil

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Fry the tortillas. In a large pan on medium heat, add ½ inch deep light olive oil and fry the tortilla for about 2-3 minutes on each side, until brown. Add the tortilla on a plate lined with paper towel.

Make the filling. Combine the salsa verde and the carnitas in a large bowl.

Assemble the casserole. Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with 5 tortillas. ( Hint: Cut three of the tortillas in half so they become a semi circles and place on the sides of the dish. Use two uncut tortillas for the center of the baking dish).Next layer will be the yummy filling! Like a lasagna, fill the baking dish with the carnitas, then half of the peppers, then half of the sour cream. Sprinkle with shredded cheese generously. Repeat this once more then top the casserole with cheese (as much as you wish).

Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese has completely melted.

Hint: Roast the bell peppers. At 400°F, roast the peppers for 20 minutes, occasionally turning with tongs. Place the peppers in a bowl covered with a clean towel or a plate for 20 minutes extra. The skin will blister off the pepper so then take the skin off, cut the pepper on one side and take the seeds out! Wash under the sink to get some of those difficult seeds out. Leave the stem on. Place them on a paper towel. When dry, cut the pepper into slices.

Substitutions

Carnitas: Instead of pork, you can use chicken as well. If you buy a rotisserie chicken, you can remove the meat off the chicken.

Salsa verde: You can use  store bought salsa verde or homemade salsa verde.

Roasted red pepper: Feel free to use store bought roasted bell pepper or homemade roasted peppers (see notes below)!

Sour cream: You can use sour cream or cream cheese.

Cheese: You will need any neutral cheese that melts easily. Oaxaca cheese is traditional for this dish, but if you cant find it, you can use mozzarella.

Variations

Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.

• Spicy - add chili pepper flakes into the salsa verde mixture for an extra spicy kick.
• Deluxe - add guacamole or refried beans as a layer.
• Kid friendly - add crushed tortilla chips on top.

Check out this Mexican Cauliflower.

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.

I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality. Get yourself a discount by clicking here!

Storage

This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, or frozen for up to three months.

Top tip

Feel free to cook everything else ahead of time before combining it all together.

Print

Food safety

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.