As a mother of two teens, I am often feeding hungry groups of their friends. A quick way to fill them up is with this taco lasagna.

For the taco meat, you can prepare your own or take a shortcut and purchase ready-to-serve beef filling for tacos at the supermarket. I make my own with extra lean ground beef (less than 7 percent fat). I usually buy a large quantity of beef when it is on sale and brown it and freeze it in meal-size portions for later use.

Substitute chicken filling for the beef for a nice change of pace. Prepared chicken filling is available at the supermarket, but it is easy to make in a slow cooker. Just place three pounds of frozen boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (straight out of the bag) into the slow cooker, sprinkle with a packet of taco seasoning and pour in a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies or a 16-ounce can of tomato sauce. Cover and cook on low all day.

The lasagna makes a nice entree for a Mexican-theme graduation party. A tossed salad and packaged Mexican rice can complete your menu.

TACO LASAGNA

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped

2 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies or mild Rotel tomatoes

1 4-ounce can diced green chilies

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 package prepared taco beef

1 14-ounce can fat-free refried beans

12 corn tortillas

2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

Sour cream, diced avocado and chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with nonstick spray.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper and saute until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, green chilies and oregano and simmer for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

Place refried beans in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave to soften and warm slightly, about 2 minutes.

Arrange 4 tortillas in the bottom of the prepared baking dish, overlapping slightly. Spread half of bean mixture evenly over tortillas and top with half of the meat. Sprinkle one third of the cheese over the meat and spread one third of the sauce over the cheese.

Repeat layering of tortillas, beans, meat, one third of the cheese, and one third of the sauce and then top with remaining 4 tortillas. Cover with remaining sauce and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 5 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Top each serving with a dollop of sour cream, and some of the chopped avocado and cilantro. Makes 8 servings.

COMING NEXT WEEK: Garlic-flavored teriyaki sauce flavors an Asian-inspired sesame chicken and rice salad.

Write to Karin Calloway in care of The Augusta Chronicle Newsroom, P.O. Box 1928, Augusta, GA 30903, or send e-mail to karin.calloway@comcast.net. Find previous recipes through the online archive at augustachronicle.com/karin.