Mexican Lasagna

Original recipe from American Profile: Hometown Cookbook: A Celebration of America's Table
By Mary Carter, Susan Fisher and Candace Floyd.
I changed the recipe quite a bit but the basic idea was the same.

I made the full recipe but split it into 2 dishes, one to freeze for later. The lasagna was delicious, though it turned out a little dry. Next time I will probably bake it for only 45 minutes (as opposed to an hour) and possibly add a little more liquid (whether in tomato form or water).INGREDIENTS

2 lbs ground chuck (I used 1 lb)
3/4 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 (16 oz) can refried beans (I used 2 cans of pork and beans)
5 plus 5 plus 5 lasagna noodles, uncooked (I used 3 noodles for each layer, cutting them to fit the smaller pan and using the ends for the last row. I only did 2 layers of the lasagna noodles, instead of the said 3. This filled the dish to the very top).
1 (16 oz) jar chunky mild salsa
2 cups water (or 1 salsa jar full)
2 cups sour cream (omitted since Ryan hates sour cream)
1 (6 oz) can sliced black olives (omitted.. again since Ryan hates black olives)
3/4 cup chopped green onions
8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease a 13x9-inch baking dish, or 2 8x8-inch dishes
Brown the beer in a skillet.
Drain the meat and return to the pan.
Add the garlic, oregano and cumin.
Mix well and stir in the beans.

Layer lasagna noodles over bottom of the prepared dish.
Spread one-third (or 1/2) of the meat mixture over the noodles.
Add noodles and meat mixture. Repeat layers.
Pour the salsa evenly over all.
Fill the empty salsa jar with water and pour it over the top.
Cover the lasagna with foil and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the noodles are tender.

(to freeze, save this last part for after dethawed)
Mix the sour cream, olives, and green onions together.
Spoon this evenly over the lasagna.
Top with the cheese.
Return to oven and bake until the cheese is melted.