Puerto Rican Pastelón

5 from 2 votes

A taste of sweetness from the plantain and savory from the meat make the ultimate meal. It is like a sweet plantain lasagna.

Prep Time16

Cook Time54

Total Time1 10

Course: Dinner, main meal

Cuisine: puertorican

Servings:

Calories: 458kcal

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.

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.

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.

Amarillos-

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.

Additions:

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.

Tips:

I used a 9x9 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.