Pastelón (Sweet Plaintain “Lasagna”)
June 1, 2009 by Meseidy
Filed under In My Kitchen, Main Course
Pastelón (Sweet Plantain "Lasagna")
Every once in a while I just have to go back to my roots. I just have to do some down home cooking. This is how Puerto Ricans do lasagna….Oh Yeah! When I was in Florida my mother-in-law had suggested that I make a patelón to post on my site. Why I haven’t thought of it sooner is beyond me, because it has to be one of my favorites. It has the perfect combo of savory and sweet, of juicy and cheesy, of wanting to lick your plate and then lick your face………………………………………Sorry went into a trance of savory memories. Ohhhh so good.
This a disclaimer, I take no responsibility for enlargement of waist lines, addition of dimples to the thigh and buttocks area or lectures from your cardiologist. Proceed at your own risk.
You need 1 lb of ground beef. I guess you can get the lean ground beef but why deprive yourself of all the juicy tastiness.
Mince 3 cloves of garlic, dice 1 onion, 1 green pepper and 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro.
Toss it all into the bowl with the ground beef. I just love the green in this picture.
Add 2 tsp of adobo, 2 tsp of oregano, 2 Tbs of vinegar and 1 envelope of Sazón. You can find Sazón in an Latin grocery or in the ethnic aisle of your grocery.
Mix it all together………
Heat a heavy skillet at a medium-high heat with 2 Tbs of olive oil.
Toss in your beef. There’s the beef baby!
When the beef browns and you get some juiciness add 2 bay leaves, 8 olives cut in half, 1/2 cup of raisins and 1/4 cup of tomato sauce.
Combine well and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Then remove from heat and set aside.
Now step 2. Get yourself 4 really ripe plantains. They look like they are going bad don’t they? Well this is how you want them, because this is when they are at their sweetest.
Peel your plantains. Don’t know how go here. See how golden yellow they are.
Slice them into long strips.
Heat a large skillet with vegetable oil, just enough to cover the bottom of your pan. Fry the plantains till they are a golden and just a little crispy.
Mmmmmm, resist the temptation to eat them because you will need them soon. Ok just one.
Now take a square pan and butter it up.
Your first layer is plantain.
Then toss some ground beef over the plantains.
Then a fist full or about 1 cup of a white cheese, I used Monterrey jack.
Repeat the process, you want to finish with cheese and plantains on top.
Then take 3 eggs and beat them with 2 Tbs of milk. Pour the egg evenly over the the dish, let it sit for a few minutes allow the egg to soak in. If you want sprinkle some more cheese on top.
Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
TA-DA! Deliciousness is before you. Go ahead reach out and touch it, it won’t hurt you…..well it won’t bite.
That is how a Puerto Rican does lasagna *puff out chest, beating chest* Hoo-ra! You know y0u want some!
Pastelón
- 1 lbs ground beef
- 1 onion,minced
- 3 gloves garlic, minced
- 1 green pepper, minced
- 1/2 chopped cilantro
- 2 tsp adobo
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 Tbs vinegar
- 1 envelope sazón
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 green stuffed olives, halved
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce
- 4 plantains, peeled and sliced into strips
- 3 eggs
- 2 Tbs milk
- 2 cups white shredded cheese
- vegetable oil
- salt
Preparation
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter square pan with 1 tbs of butter.
Combine, beef, onion, pepper, garlic, cilantro, adobo, oregano, vinegar and sazon. Mix well.
Heat a large skillet at medium-high heat with 2 Tbs of olive oil, add meat mixture.
Cook beef until brown and of the juices bubble up, add bay leaves, olives, raisins and tomato sauce. Mix and let simmer for 10 minutes, set aside.
Heat a large frying pan with vegetable oil, just enough to coat the bottom. Fry plantains for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden and slitely crispy. Drain on a plate with paper towel, set aside.
To assemble pastelon: Take your prepared square pan, start with a layer of plantains, then beef, then a fistful of cheese, repeat. You want to finish with cheese and plantains. Beat 3 eggs with 2 Tbs of milk, pour over the pastelón. Let it sit for a minute allowing the egg to soak in. Top off with just a bit more cheese.
Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Eat like a pig, scarf it down, don’t share with anyone and enjoy!
I love this. I’ve been thinking about doing a cuban lasagna, now I’m inspired!
Mil Gracias, Merseidy!
I love, love, love pastelon. You’re step by step recipe will make it easier for me to try making this wonderful meal.
Your dishes and pics are great! I am from Puerto Rico, but must say, I have never made Pastelon…but my mom has. It is delicious! Now its my turn to try.
I also like your section on ‘Photography’.
This looks really interesting. The plantains might be a little too sweet for me – I’m really not into a lot of sweetness – but I bet my husband would be all over this.
WOW! Thank you for posting this recipe. When I was little my aunt used to call me ” Mister Tajada”. Tajadas are what we call slices of ripe plantains in Manizales, Colombia.
This looks like the most unbelievable masterpiece dish. I will definitely try this out before jogging about 15 hours to burn it off.
I’ve recently experimented with unripened plantains to create these little delights: http://www.beyondburritos.com/2009/05/dinner-tonight-mini-plantain-steak.html
Whoa, what an interesting recipe! I’ve never heard of anything like this before. I’m definitely saving this one!
Oh my gosh! How didn’t I find this sooner?! This would TOTALLY be worth the extra cellulite!!! I’m going to try this for sure. I love fried plantains, they are a staple of my homeland’s cuisine as well.
I’m sure I could live on this lasagna. Other than water this would be all I needed!
Hi Mese!!
Wow, that looks delicious. Mami always puts a layer of green beans
. I always request that the green beans be left out of 1/2 of it for me 
. I thought this dish was called pinon.
Beautifull website prima!
Love,
Carlos
Hey Cuz!
I think you mean piononos. It is pretty much the same except pinons are individual size. You make a beef patty and wrap the plantain around it. Same flavors just different package.
Thanks for the visit!
Carlos:
The version of this recipe with the green beans in it is called piñon. Pastelon is this one.
Hey again! i’m making this tonight and I was just wondering about hoe much cheese and what kind did you use… it’s not listed in the ingredients
Thanks!
I used 2 cups of cheese. It only had 2 layers of cheese so I used about 1 cup on each layer. I reserve just a bit to sprinkle on top when I was all done.
Have fun! I hope you enjoy it!
Saw this and had to say YES! This sounds awesome. You’d make a little Duo very happy by serving this.
Wow…Tulsa, OK is very different than P.R. or FL. Glad to see you’re trying to preserve your roots with this pastelon and some of your other posts.
I’m thrilled that you published this recipe. I saw this dish featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” (Food Network) the other day and wanted to make it. Thanks much!
I made it. Last night. Fantastic!
I am so glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you for the yummy Pastelon recipe-mine would’ve been perfect except for the fact that now that I came back and looked at your pictures, I see that I forgot the tomato sauce!! Mine was a bit dry without it but still delicioso! Next time I will remember
Kate
Loved this version of your pastelon. My Mami used to make it with velveeta. Equally as yummy. Will be trying your’s soon. See my comments to your cousin Carlos Yanes.
Meseidy – I’m going to a fantastic restaurant in the Baltimore area called Restaurant Sabor. The talented chef is also from Puerto Rico. According to the menu on the restaurant website, today’s special is Pastelón. I googled to see what that was, and your Noshery blog popped up (GREAT blog name, by the way!) I just love the photos and description you provided. Thanks to you I’m going to order Pastelón tonight and I can’t wait!
So how was it? Isn’t it the best?
I’ve been looking for this recipe for the longest and I am so glad i found it thank you
Que rico Meseidy! Voy a preparar esta receta esta noche para mi esposo. Gracias por todas tus recetas. Todas las que he hecho hasta ahora han sido fabulosas.
Do you put anything on the plaintains when you fry them??? I saw this dish on the food network a few days ago and it looks delicious! I absolutely love Latin food and have been searching for a good recipe. I really appreciate your pictures!
No, the plantains are just sliced and fried in the vegtable oil. The trick is to use plantains that are nice and ripe, like the ones in the picture. This is one of my favorite dishes. If you make it come back and tell me how it went.
I am sure you will love it.
This was FABULOUS! I’m glad I bought extra plantains – my kids were eating them up as fast as I could cook them! The last batch I put brown sugar and cinnamon on them and they put them over vanilla ice cream after dinner. And speaking of the dinner…my family loved this as well – there were barely any leftovers! It was delicious! Thank you so much!
i always like to overcook (slightly burn) when I cook ripe plantains with cinnamon…and love it with icecream-to me it tastes like apple pie!
I just learned this from someone at my job and we use a slight variation to it. We use Sofrito (which combines green peppers, onions, cilantro, garilc, in olive oil) and instead of slicing the plantains, we mash them with a little butter, then layer it. The taste is the same and it is the most wonderful dish I have made!
I’ve tried this 3 times now including for a recent & party everyone liked it. I love plantains, a staple in Jamaica so this was a great way to combine it with something else other than a side treat. Yummm!
This recipe is simply awesome. I first learned of it of on an episode of “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” on the Food Network. I am not really a fan of beef, but the plantains added a nice sweet balance to the dish. I had to stop myself after a second serving. I am fan of anything Italian, and trust me when I say that this P.R. dish is as tasty as the best Italian lasagna.
Made this lasagna tonight…it was fabulous!! Loved your recipe!! I saw this made on a food network show and have been wanting to recreate it ever since. My hubby and I loved it…and your recipe was so easy to follow, especially with the pictures. Thanks!!
So, I thought I would share that I just biked 4 miles in the rain to get the ingredients to make this dish again. It is THAT good.
At least you got a work out.
Hola Chica,
I was introduced to plaintains last year at a fiesta. I got to try them and they were so good. I saw your recipe and I had to try it.
It was excellent thanks for sharing this wonderful dish.
Marie aka Moreno
OMG, thank you for posting this recipe!! I’d also seen it on the Food Network and had been craving it for about a month now. I made it today after finally finding adobe and sazon after scouring most of L.A. (I came this close to having my mom in Jersey mail me some).
I substituted ground turkey and soy cheese since I don’t eat dairy or red meat. I also used a red pepper instead of green. And mashed the plantains which I bought pre-cooked at a nearby Cuban restaurant and made one layer. It was soooooo good. I’ve already had two servings. And wanted to post a comment to say thanks!! And to distract myself from having a third piece.
Searching the web I found your website.. let me say this is the best recipe website to date.. step by step is what I need and the pictures are a great help. I made a Pastelon last night and IT WAS GREAT. Family loved loved.. Thank you.. Going home to make Garden Pork chops YAY!
This recipe is wonderful and the photos are fantastic! I know my Boricua friends would roll their eyes at my adaptation, but sometimes in the fall I make this recipe and substitute roasted squash for the amarillos. It isn’t the “right” way to do it, but when squash is in season and I need a slightly lower fat version, it is delightful!
I was taught to make pastelon by puerto ricans and domincans and wondered why the rest of latin america doesn’t utilize plantains in this manner. in experimenting with recipes-i found that mexican chorizon and/or a hint of chipolte can make a great alternative to the beef- for a sweet and spicy snack. also have used goat cheese as well which added nice flavor and texture
what kind of cheese was used in this Puerto Rican lasagna?
In the post I used monterey jack but you an also use swiss.
Thanks so much for this! My dad is from Puerto Rico, so I love making these sorts of dishes. I did a quick search for a recipe and your site came up– bookmarked you! Thanks again.
Hi Meseidy! I was looking for a calorie count for Pastelon when I came across your site. So nice to know there is another Puerto Rican living in Tulsa, OK! My Mama is visiting from PR right now and just took TWO pastelones out of the oven with plantains she brought over here from the island! I’ve already scarfed down a piece.
Hi Meseidy,
What is pastelon usually served with?
I always serve it with rice. Either a yellow saffron rice, or rice and beans or rice and piegeon peas. Search “arroz con gandules” or a rice and piegeon pea recipe or if you want white rice and beans serch “habichuelas guisadas” for a bean recipe.
Enjoy!
I had been trying to find this recipe for years! I made it last night and it was a hit. The only problem that I had was slicing the plantains…
Thanks so much for posting this recipe. I’m half puerto rican and trying to learn how to cook spanish food. The step byt step pictures were a big help. It was delicous! I used yellow peppers since my husband doesn’t like then green peppers. I had some trouble cutting the plantains long ways so I ended up just slicing them like banana chips. Still turned out yummy! Can’t wait for leftovers.
Hola Meseidy!
I so wanted to thank you for posting this! I am not Puerto Rican (I’m Jamaican and my husband is a gringo lol) but my best friend is Puerto Rican and through high school and college we ate at each others houses on the regular. Her mother made Pastelon for the rehersal dinner for her wedding…that was the first time I ever had it (of course because this was a huge meal there was Pernil and a miriade of other tastey goodies). Anyway I have not had Pastelon since then and my best friend lives a good 4 hours from me so our meals together a limited (we live in Florida by the way). I’m going to attempt to make this over the weekend, but I wanted to thank you again in this wordy message for bringing back happy memories…isn’t it great how food does that?!?!?! I will be a devotee to the Noshery from now on!!
Take care!