Pastelón (Puerto Rican Plantain “Lasagna”)

Pastelón is a classic Puerto Rican recipe sometimes referred to as Puerto Rican Plantain Lasagna.  Delicious and simple to make.  Serve by itself, with a salad, avocado slices or with yellow rice.

Pastelón (Puerto Rican Plantain “Lasagna”), is a delicious classic Puerto Rican dish made with ground beef, ripe plantains and cheese.  If you have never had it and you love plantains especially ripe plantains, then you will love this dish.

You will sometimes hear this dish called the “Puerto Rican Lasanga.”  This is because you have 3 layers of plantains, beef and cheese.

The plantains sort of take the place of lasanga noodles!

The ground beef is prepared with onions, peppers, olives, garlic, spices and then cooked in a tomato sauce creating a delicious savory Puerto Rican picadillo.

Some Puerto Ricans like raisins in their picadillo.  I’m not one of them.  🙂  But if you love raisins and that’s your kind of thing, feel free to add some raisins to your picadillo.

You will also find that some Puerto Ricans do not add cheese to their pastelón.  I grew up eating pastelón always with cheese so again this is a personal preference.  I highly recommend you add cheese to yours.

Picking Plantains for Pastelón

If you have never tried this dish, I know at first just hearing that the main ingredients are ripe plantains, beef and cheese sounds awfully weird and maybe even not that appealing or tasty, but you will have to just trust me that it all works deliciously well.

You may be familiar with green plantains and maybe not so much with ripe plantains.  However, picking ripe plantains for this dish is crucial.

At first glance, ripe plantains may seem spoiled and appear to have gone bad because they are mostly black with few yellow areas.  Do not be alarmed because this is how they are suppose to look.  The plantains must also feel tender to the touch but not mushy.

Note:  If you can only find green plantains in your local supermarket then buy them and let them ripen for a few days on your kitchen counter.

How to Make Pastelón

Start with making the ground beef.

While the ground beef is cooking, peel and cut the plantains.  Here you have two options.  Once the plantains are peeled you can cut plantain in half and then into thin slices or you can just keep the plantain whole and cut thin slices straight down the whole plantain to make long plantain strips.

I prefer to cut them in half and then cut them into thin strips because I find it a bit easier.

Then go on to frying the plantains and drain on paper towels.

Note:  If you are hesitant about “frying” the plantains, you can also boil them whole and then slice the plantains.

Next, in a lightly greased square dish (I used a meatloaf pan but normally you will see pastelón prepared in a square cake pan or large casserole) layer the first layer of plantains.

Then add the first layer of picadillo.

Now add a layer of shredded cheese and repeat the process of plantains, beef and cheese and finally top with a last layer of plantains.

After doing the last layer of plantains, pour whisked eggs on top of the casserole.  This will keep everything together once cooked.  Then top with more cheese.

Place the Pastelón in a 350 F oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Now your delicious Puerto Rican dish is done and ready to eat.

Serve Pastelón by itself or with a salad, avocado or yellow rice.  Traditionally you will find pastelón served with arroz con gandules as well.

Hope you love this dish as much as I do!  Enjoy!

For more delicious Puerto Rican dishes, you may also like:

Arroz Mamposteao (A special Puerto Rican blend of rice and beans)

Rellenos de Papa (Stuffed Potato Balls)

Coquito Recipe-Coconut Eggnog Recipe

📖 Recipe