Do you like the combination of a sweet and savory meal? Then you must try this Puerto Rican Pastelón, a twist on a regular lasagna.
Puerto Rican Pastelón is one of the best Puerto Rican foods there is. It is a delicious true comfort food.
Some people call it the Puerto Rican lasagna. It is typically made with layers of very ripe sweet yellow plantains, a saucy and savory Puerto Rican ground beef, eggs, and cheese.
I learned how to make it by watching my grandma make it. The only difference is that she added green beans which I avoid because I don’t like them.
This was one of my favorite meals to make while in college along with a Puerto Rican style beef stew because they were the perfect meal prep to make on Sundays. I always serve this with simple white rice that is quickly made with the pastelon in the oven.
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Why This Recipe Works
- It is a freezer-friendly Puerto Rican casserole dish that makes the perfect meal prep dish.
- It can easily be customized to fit your needs by changing or adding some of the ingredients.
Recipe Ingredients
You’ll be able to find sweet plantains in big supermarkets or Latin or African stores. Maybe the stores don’t have ripe plantains but they have them green and wait for them to ripe.
- Yellow plantains- You’ll want to use very ripe plantains. You need them to be very sweet to achieve the desired combination of sweet and salty.
- Ground beef- I always use ground beef that is 70% lean and 30% fat. I like to use this high-fat meat because it makes it very juicy.
- Water- I always add water to make the ground beef so it can be saucy! No need to use stock.
- Tomato sauce- I use tomato sauce but you can use tomato paste if you prefer. Just use half of what the recipe calls for tomato sauce.
- Puerto Rican cooking base- As will almost all savory Puerto Rican recipes, this calls for the amazing sofrito with recao, the adobo to season, and sazón mix. This will be the base flavor for the meat.
- Cheese- I used mozzarella but in reality, I tend to use the cheese I have in my fridge. Sometimes I have cheddar so that’s what I use.
- Eggs- I used 2 eggs but you can add more if you like.
Substitutions & Variations
- Meat- While this is traditionally made with ground beef you can use ground chicken or turkey if you like. But my favorite meat to add is Puerto Rican style corned beef and the combination is so good.
- Vegetables- You can add corn or even a can of mixed vegetables. You can also add green beans like my grandma. Some people say that if this has green beans, it is called a piñon. I just call it pastelon.
- Egg- I sometimes like to make a tortilla with the eggs and just place it in between layers.
- Different ways of making- Other recipes are made with the same ingredients minus the eggs. There are canoas which are made with whole ripe plantains stuffed with beef and cheese. Then there are piononos which are spirals that are stuffed in the middle also with cheese and beef.
How To Make Pastelón
- Photo 1: Peel all the plantains. Cut each one lengthwise to about ¼ of an inch thick. This is about 4 pieces per plantain depending on how big they are.
- Photo 2: Fry all the plantains for 2 minutes on each side. Fry in batches until you finish. You don’t need to cook the maduros for long because they’ll finish cooking while baking.
- Photo 3: In a large pan add the meat, water, sofrito, tomato sauce, and all the seasonings. Break the meat apart while cooking so you won’t get big lumps of meat.
- Photo 4: Cook the meat for 12 minutes. Make sure to taste the meat when done to see if it needs more seasoning.
📓 Note: Make sure to preheat your oven to 350°F so it can be ready by the time you’re done assembling the pastelón.
- Photo 5: Add one or two tablespoons of the juice of the beef to your mold. This will help prevent the plantains from sticking to the bottom. Make a bed of plantains and cover any missing spots with smaller pieces.
- Photo 6: Add all the meat on top of the plantains. Make sure to press it down and lay it flat.
- Photo 7: Add a layer of cheese on top of the beef. If you are going to add more vegetables, add them now also.
- Photo 8: Make another layer of the maduros. Make sure you cover all the gaps in between.
- Photo 9: Beat the eggs and pour on top of the plantains. Spread it around with a spoon to try to cover everything. Sometimes I like to make an egg tortilla and just place it on top.
- Photo 10: Top everything with your favorite cheese and bake for 30 minutes.
Recipe Tips
- If you have a mandoline, you can use it to cut the plantains just put them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. You will get even stips in every cut.
- You can bake or air fry the sweet plantain strips if you want to avoid frying.
Recipe FAQs
Depending on who you ask, they’ll say it was invented in Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic.
Pastelón has a very unique taste. It has a delicious umami, savory flavor from the sofrito and sazon added to the ground beef. Combined with a burst of sweetness from the plantains. It is the perfect duo of salty and sweet.
Yes! You can freeze pastelon without baking first. All you have to do is tightly wrap it with plastic or foil to avoid catching any freezer smell. Then let it sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes and bake covered for 40 minutes at 350°F.
You want to store any leftovers in an airtight container or wrap it with foil or plastic wrapper. A freeze bag will also work. Keep in the freezer for 3 months and up to 2 days in your fridge.
Absolutely, frozen ripe plantains are just as good as fresh ones, especially for this recipe.
More Delicious Mains
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Puerto Rican Pastelón
Ingredients
Sweet plantains
- 6 ripe plantains (amarillos)
- 1 cup oil for frying
Meat
pastelon assembly
- 4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 eggs
Instructions
Cook the sweet plantains
- Peel the ripe plantains by cutting the ends, cutting through the skin lengthwise, and removing the skin. Cut each plantain into 4 long pieces.
- In a large pan add the oil over medium-high heat. Fry the plantains for 2 minutes on each side. This may take several batches to fry them all. Set them aside.
Cook the meat
- In a big pan add the ground beef, sofrito, tomato sauce, adobo, sazon, and water over high heat. Mix everything and cook the meat while breaking it apart to avoid any big lumps. Cook for 12 minutes and set it aside.
Preheat oven
- Preheat your oven to 350° F.
Assemble pastelon
- Take your baking pan and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the fat and juices of the meat to the bottom of the pan. Now make 1 layer of plantains on the bottom of your pan. Make sure you cover the spaces with pieces of plantain.
- Now layer all your meat evenly on top of the plantains. Press down on the meat to make sure is all compacted. Now spread half of the cheese on top of the meat.
- Make another layer of plantains and cover the empty spots with small pieces.
- Beat your eggs and pour them on top of the plantains. With the aid of a spoon, spread the egg around. Add the rest of the cheese.
Bake
- Bake the pastelon for 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
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Recipe Notes
- You can use a mandoline to cut the plantains. You just have to refrigerate them for at least 20 minutes so they can firm up.
- You don’t have to fry the plantains if you don’t want to. You can bake them or air fry them.
- Pastelon is usually made with ground beef but you can make it with chicken or corned beef.
- You can add onion, peppers, and any other vegetables you like to the meat.
- I used a 9×9 square baking pan. You can also use a loaf pan and make 2 long pastelones.
- You can get away with adding another layer of amarillos between the meat if you like. You will use the same quantity of cheese and meat. The only thing is that the meat layers will be thinner.
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