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    Home » Puerto Rican Recipes » Pasteles al Caldero

    Published: Apr 28, 2020 Modified: Jun 8, 2023 by Catherine Arena 2 Comments

    Pasteles al Caldero

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    Puerto Rican Pasteles al Caldero Pinterest image.
    Puerto Rican Pasteles al Caldero Pinterest image.

    If you love Pasteles then this recipe is certainly going to become a favorite! Pasteles al Caldero (Pasteles in a Pot) is all the delicious flavors of a Pastel, without all the work! Don’t forget the hot sauce!

    Pasteles al Caldero in a bowl served with a side of white rice and avocado slices.

    First things first! What is a Pastel?

    If you are not familiar with pasteles, they sort of resemble a tamal, but taste very different.

    Where a tamal is made of a corn masa, the masa of a pastel is made of green plantains, green bananas, yautia (taro root) and pumpkin.

    Once the “masa de pasteles” is prepared, it is then filled with a savory and highly flavorful pork mixture. The pastel is then wrapped in plantain leaves and boiled in water for 45 minutes to an hour to fully cook.

    Just like mofongo is a quintessential dish of Puerto Rico, so are pasteles.

    A true Puerto Rican Christmas is not Christmas if pasteles are not part of our dinner table.

    Pasteles al Caldero in a bowl served with a side of white rice and avocado slices.

    For my fellow foodies that love and miss having pasteles whenever the mood strikes, here is a delicious alternative! Enjoy all the flavors of Puerto Rican Pasteles, in a stew!

    Ingredients 

    Ingredients to make pasteles al caldero on a wooden cutting board.
    • 5-6 green plantains, peeled and grated
    • 1 pound boneless pork, rinsed and cut into 1 inch cubes
    • 2 envelopes of Sazón with Culantro and Achiote (found in the Latin section of supermarket or online)
    • 2 envelopes of powdered chicken bouillon or 2 cubes
    • 1 tablespoon cumin
    • 6 garlic cloves, minced
    • 2 tablespoon sofrito
    • 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
    • 4 tablespoon pimiento stuffed olives, cut in half
    • half a can or full can of chick peas (optional) if using, drain water from can
    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • 8 cups of water

    Marinade for Pork

    • 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • 1 tablespoon dry oregano
    • 1 teaspoon adobo

    Optional: Handful of fresh chopped cilantro and hot sauce to serve.

    Pasteles al Caldero in a bowl served with a side of white rice and avocado slices.

    How to Make Pasteles al Caldero

    Make Pork Marinade

    1. Add garlic, oregano and adobo to a mortar and pestle. Mash finely. (Finely mince garlic if you do not have a mortar and pestle)
    2. Add oil to mortar. Mix together with a fork.
    3. Add garlic and adobo mixture to the cubed pork and incorporate well.
    4. Let pork marinate for 15 minutes.
    5. After pork has marinated, add oil to a caldero or large pot over medium heat.
    6. Add pork chunks, sofrito, cumin, sazon, chicken bouillon and garlic.
    Pork chunks marinating in garlic.
    Pork cubes cooking in a caldero with seasoning.
    1. Mix all ingredients together and cook pork for 10 minutes.
    2. Add olives and potatoes.
    3. Lower heat to medium low and begin working with the plantains.
    Pork chunks cooking with seasonings in a caldero. Olives added now.
    Pork chunks cooking with seasonings in a caldero. Potatoes added to pot.
    1. Using a knife, cut the ends off the plantains and peel.
    2. Grate all the plantains using the finest side of the grater.
    Green plantains being grated inside a bowl.

    NOTE: I was moving quickly when I grated my plantains and didn’t realize I used a different side on my grater than I intended to use, so my plantains looked finely shredded instead of a plantain puree, which is what we want. Of course it still was delicious, it just took my stew a little longer to cook. You want to use the finest side of grater so the plantains are grated more into a puree. (Please follow image to note which side to use and not to use)

    How to grate green plantains on a grater.
    1. Add the grated plantain puree and 8 cups of water to pot.
    2. Add salt and pepper to taste.
    3. Raise heat to medium and cook pasteles al caldero for 40 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes so the plantain doesn’t stick to bottom of pot or clump up.

    Pasteles al Caldero are done.

    Serve immediately in bowls.

    Optional: Top with freshly chopped cilantro and hot sauce.

    Pasteles al Caldero in a bowl served with a side of white rice and avocado slices.

    What to Serve with Pasteles al Caldero

    This is a meal all on its own but even better with a side of arroz blanco (Puerto Rican white rice) and avocado slices.

    For more delicious Puerto Rican Dishes, you will also love these:

    Arroz con Gandules (Pigeon Peas and Rice)

    Puerto Rican Rice and Beans

    Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice (Arroz con Pollo)

    For a full list of all Puerto Rican dishes, click Puerto Rican Recipes

    Did you try this recipe? Please leave a ⭐ review below!

    Click any of the images in the post to PIN this Recipe and don’t forget to follow along on Pinterest and Facebook.

    📖 Recipe

    Pasteles al Caldero in a bowl served with a side of white rice and avocado slices.

    Pasteles al Caldero

    If you love Puerto Rican Pasteles, then this recipe is certainly going to become a favorite! Pasteles al Caldero (Pasteles in a Pot) is all the delicious flavors of a Pastel, without all the work!
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizer, Dinner
    Cuisine: Puerto Rican
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 55 minutes minutes
    Servings: 10
    Calories: 217kcal
    Author: Catherine Arena

    Ingredients

    • 5-6 green plantains peeled and grated
    • 1 lb boneless pork rinsed and cut into 1 inch cubes
    • 2 envelopes Sazón with Culantro and Achiote (found in the Latin section of supermarket or online)
    • 2 envelopes powdered chicken bouillon or 2 cubes
    • 1 tablespoon cumin
    • 6 garlic cloves minced
    • 2 tablespoon sofrito
    • 2 potatoes peeled and cubed
    • 4 tablespoon pimiento stuffed olives cut in half
    • half a can or full can of chick peas (optional) water drained
    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • 8 cups water

    Marinade for Pork

    • 2 garlic cloves
    • 1 tablespoon dry oregano
    • 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 1 teaspoon adobo

    Optional

    • handful of fresh chopped cilantro to serve
    • hot sauce to serve

    Instructions

    Marinate Pork

    • Add garlic, oregano and adobo to a mortar and pestle. Mash finely.
      (Finely mince garlic if you do not have a mortar and pestle)
    • Add oil to mortar. Mix together with a fork.
    • Add garlic and adobo mixture to the cubed pork and incorporate well.
      Let pork marinate for 15 minutes.

    Start Cooking Pork

    • After pork has marinated, add oil to a caldero or large pot over medium heat.
    • Add pork chunks, sofrito, cumin, sazon, chicken bouillon and garlic.
    • Mix all ingredients together and cook pork for 10 minutes.
    • Add olives and potatoes.
      Lower heat to medium low and begin working with the plantains.

    Grate Plantains

    • Using a knife, cut the ends off the plantains and peel.
    • Grate all the plantains using the finest side of the grater.
    • Add the grated plantain puree and 8 cups of water to pot.
      Add salt and pepper to taste.
    • Raise heat to medium and cook pasteles al caldero for 40 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes so the plantain doesn't stick to bottom of pot or clump up.
      Pasteles are done.
      Serve immediately in bowls.
      Optional: Top with freshly chopped cilantro and hot sauce.

    Notes

    NOTE: Use the finest side on grate to grate plantains. 
     

    Nutrition

    Serving: 10 | Calories: 217kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 172mg | Potassium: 634mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 1029IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Click the stars above or below to rate or leave a comment down below!

    More Puerto Rican Recipes

    • Empanadillas de Guayaba on a gray plate.
      Empanadillas de Guayaba
    • Alcapurrias de Yuca (Cassava Fritters) sitting on top of plantain leaves with a side of hot sauce.
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    • Flancocho (Vanilla Flan Cake) served on a white transparent platter with a serving on the side.
      Puerto Rican Flancocho
    • Alcapurrias (alcapurrias puertorriqueñas) served on a white platter with hot sauce.
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    Comments

    1. Sandie says

      June 18, 2021 at 2:06 pm

      Am I able to add yucca to this recipe? If so, how?

      Reply
      • Cathy says

        June 20, 2021 at 5:09 pm

        Hello Sandie! Yes you can! You can pretty much add any root vegetable you like! If you’re planning on using frozen yuca, let it thaw for a few minutes, rinse and cut into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces. If using fresh yuca, peel yuca and cut into pieces. In a saucepan, add about 3 cups of water, add a little bit of salt (optional). Bring water to a boil, add yuca pieces and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until fork tender. Once yuca has cooked, rinse water and add cooked yuca to stew in the last 10 minutes of cooking. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions! 🙂

        Reply
    5 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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