Pastelón from Puerto Rico • casserole with minced meat and plantain

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Pastelón is also sometimes referred to as Puerto Rican lasagna. It has a base of a spicy minced meat mixture (picadillo) that is alternated with slices of ripe plantains. A mixture of cheese and eggs goes on top to complete the pastelón. So there is no pasta or flour in it and that makes the dish completely gluten-free!

Different versions of pastelón

Just like lasagne there is no official fixed recipe for the pastelón. That is why you see that everyone gives their own twist to the dish. For example, some people add beans or raisins to the ground beef mixture. Others choose not to use plantain slices, but to mash the bananas first (possibly with cassava) and then process it as a puree in the dish.

Another name for this dish is piñon. A version of pastelón or piñon is also eaten in the Dominican Republic. In this recipe we use the most common version from Puerto Rico - the one with plantain slices. That is not only tasty, but also looks super festive!

Dthis recipe is for 6-8 servings (Tip: keep the portions a bit smaller than with lasagna, because pastelón is a powerful dish!)

pastelón piñon puerto rico lasagna lasagna casserole recipe

Ingredients:

4 ripe plantains*
1 tbsp sunflower oil

For the Picadillo

1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 tl cumin powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tl dried oregano
a pinch of ground coriander seeds
1 red pepper, diced
2 tomatoes, cubed
2 tbsp tomato paste
500 gr minced beef
1 can (400 g) black beans, drained
a good pinch of salt
1 stock cube (chicken)
freshly ground black pepper to taste
10 green olives, sliced
2 spring onions, in rings

And further…

200 gr grated mozzarella or young cheese
3 eggs, beaten
parsley and coriander, to sprinkle

*I prefer to use plantains that are almost fully ripe for this recipe. You can recognize them by the yellow skin with some black spots on it. If the skin is already completely black, they are too soft and sweet for this recipe. Then you can do better banana hasa to make of.

Preparation of pastelón from Puerto Rico

Peel the plantains and cut them lengthwise into 4-5 thin slices. Heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan and fry the banana slices until they start to color on both sides and soften slightly. Then place the slices on a plate until it's time to assemble the pastelón.

Making Picadillos

Now you can make the picadillo. Heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan and add the pieces of onion, garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, oregano and coriander. Stir well and fry the onion until it is translucent.

Then add the bell pepper cubes, diced tomatoes and tomato puree and stir well again. Let it simmer together for about 5 minutes. Then put the minced meat in the pan and turn up the heat. Cook the minced meat while stirring well. When the mincemeat is well cooked (usually after about 8-10 minutes), add the drained beans to the pan.

Crumble the stock cube over the meat mixture and season with salt and pepper. Is the filling of the pastelón too dry? Then you can add a few tablespoons of water to make it a bit smoother.

Finally, add the olives to the mixture and set it aside.

Putting together and baking pasta

Preheat the oven to 175°C.

Take a large baking dish and grease it with butter or baking spray. Then cover the bottom of the baking dish with slices of plantains. You can put a layer of the picadillo on top of this, just like you would with lasagna. Then another layer of plantains and so on until the banana and the picadillo are gone. Finish with a layer of plantains.

Tip: You can choose to sprinkle some grated cheese over the layers of plantain first

Now beat the eggs and pour them over the pastelón. Then sprinkle the dish with the grated cheese. Bake the pastelón for 25-30 minutes until done and golden. The eggs are now solidified and the cheese has made a nice crispy layer.

Let the pastelón cool slightly (10 minutes is enough), sprinkle the dish with chopped parsley and/or coriander and then serve it in slices. Enjoy your dinner!