Puerto Rican Pastelón

Pastelón ain't yo mama's lasagna (unless your mama is Puerto Rican)! It's a glorious Puerto Rican comfort food made by stacking sweet, ripe plantains with savory picadillo, a rich, well-seasoned ground beef mixture simmered with sofrito-like seasonings, olives, garlic, and a kiss of soulful seasonings, including adobo and sazón.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe!

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 25

Bake Time: 5

Total Time: 45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Caribbean, Dominican, Puerto Rican

Servings:

Calories: 265kcal

Author: Shaunda Necole

Equipment

Large frying pan with a lid
Colander to drain the cooked ground beef
9x13 casserole or baking dish

Ingredients

Ingredients for the ground beef

¼ cup water
1 pound ground beef
1 cup yellow onion diced
½ teaspoon garlic minced
½ cup pimento green olives sliced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons Adobo seasoning
1 tablespoon Sazón seasoning 1 packet

Ingredients for the sweet plantains

1 cup water
4 plantains large & ripe (plantains are black in color when ripe)
½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon or 2 cinnamon sticks
½ tablespoon butter

Pastelón topping

2 cups cheese shredded cheddar (preferred) or mozzarella
¼ cup cilantro Optional, chopped to garnish

Instructions

Instructions for the ground beef

In a large pan over medium-high heat, combine the water, ground beef, onion, garlic, olives, and tomato paste.
As the meat begins to cook and changes from pink to light brown, add the adobo and sazón seasonings.
Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until the meat is browned.
After that, use a colander to drain the grease from the cooked meat and set it aside.

Instructions for the plantains

Grease the baking dish and set it aside.
Start by cutting off the ends of each plantain. Then, carefully score them lengthwise to remove the thick outer peel, ensuring you don’t cut too deeply into the plantain flesh.
Once the peel is removed, slice each plantain lengthwise into 1-inch strips, which should yield about 3 to 4 strips per plantain.
Next, place the butter in a pan on the stovetop over medium heat and allow it to melt. After the butter has melted, add water, the sliced plantains, brown sugar, and cinnamon to the pan.
Cover the pan and cook the plantains for 20 minutes.
Once the cooking time is complete, remove the pan from the stove to begin assembling your pastelón in the baking dish.

Assembling pastelón

First, arrange a layer of plantains in the prepared baking dish.
Next, spread an even layer of ground beef over the plantains.
Then, sprinkle a layer of shredded cheese on top of the ground beef.
Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 5-7 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
Once the pastelón is baked, remove it from the oven and optionally garnish with cilantro. Slice while warm, serve, and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Nutrition

Save it so you can make it!Pin this recipe to remember it later.