Pastelón de Plátano Maduro

Close-up of a slice of pastelón on a white plate showing the mashed plantain crust and seasoned picadillo filling, served alongside black beans.

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Pastelón de Plátano Maduro

Shepherd's Pie meets Lasagna in Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. Made with sweet ripe plantains (maduros) and filled with cheese and savory ground beef. This recipe will soon become one of your new favorites.

Servings: servings

Calories: 476kcal

Author: Zoé Forestier

Equipment

1 9x13 Baking dish for 6-8 plantains (serves up to 10 people)
1 8x8 Baking dish for 4-6 plantains (serves about 4 people)

Ingredients

For Picadillo

1 lb lean ground beef
1 onion peeled and chopped
3 sweet chili peppers seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon sofrito
2 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
6 olives
1 teaspoon capers
1 tablespoon adobo powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
¾ cup tomato sauce

For Mashed Plantain

6 cups water
2 teaspoon salt
6 large ripe plantains amarillos
1 egg
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon adobo powder
8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup shredded cheese
¼ lb Swiss cheese sliced

Instructions

Ground Beef filling

In a caldero or heavy kettle, brown the ground beef.
1 lb lean ground beef
Add the onions and sweet chilies and cook until vegetables are translucent.
1 onion, 3 sweet chili peppers
Add the garlic and sofrito and cook until the garlic is tender.
1 tbsp sofrito, 2 cloves garlic
Add olives, capers, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato sauce. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes or until the meat is tender and flavorful. Set aside or chill overnight to use the next day.
6 olives, 1 tsp capers, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, ¾ cup tomato sauce, 1 tbsp adobo powder

Boiling Plantains and Assembling Casserole

Prepare the Plantains. Bring the water to a boil, then add salt to season the plantains. While we wait for the water to boil, trim the ends of the plantains, score the skin lengthwise, and cut them in half. Place the plantain pieces in salty water while we wait. (Use more water if you need to cover the plantains)
3 cups water, 1 tsp Salt, 6 large ripe plantains
Boil the plantains. Place the ripe plantains, with their peels on, in the pot and boil them in lightly salted water until fork-tender, about 15–20 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
3 cups water, 1 tsp Salt
Mash with egg. Remove the skin from the plantains and mash them while still hot. Beat one egg and mix it into the mash until fully incorporated. Season lightly with salt. The mixture should be mostly smooth with some texture, not chunky. If it is too soft, add a tablespoon of flour to tighten it.
1 egg, 1 tbsp flour
Prep your pan. I like to line a baking pan with parchment paper to add half of the plantain mixture. I press this into the pan, then use the sides of the parchment to lift the half off the pan. This half will be used to close the casserole. Then, I butter or oil the baking dish and add the second half of the mixture.
Cheese Mixture. Mix cream cheese with shredded cheese and powdered adobo.
8 oz cream cheese, 1 cup shredded cheese, 1 tbsp adobo powder
Start building the casserole. On to the bottom layer, spread the cream cheese mixture.
Add meat filling. Spread the meat filling over the cream cheese.
Second layer of cream cheese. In retrospect, spread the second half of the cream cheese on the plantain top layer. It is significantly easier.
Add Swiss cheese. Add Swiss cheese or your favorite melty cheese on top of the meat layer.
¼ lb Swiss cheese
Close the casserole. Using the parchment paper, flip the second half of the plantain onto the casserole. Press lightly to close it. The egg in the plantain and the cheese mixture will seal the dish in the oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the thermometer reads 165℉.

Notes

The Secret to Perfect Mash

Drain the plantains, but don't let them cool down before mashing or ricing. Hot mash is easier to work with than letting the plantains (or any vegetable that would be mashed) cool down before mashing. The reason is steam; it helps release moisture from the plantain, which prevents the starches from gelatinizing and turning hard.

Expert Tips

Salty water: Placing the cut plantains in salty water before boiling them helps minimize oxidation and neutralize the sap in the plantains.
Peels on: Leaving the peels on the plantains keeps the plantains' meat bright and colorful.
Boil, don't fry: The defining technique of pastelón is boiling the plantains before mashing. This keeps the base soft and spreadable, and the natural sugars concentrate without caramelizing into spots that could crack or separate.
Mixture too loose: Because ripe plantains have higher sugar content, you might end up with a looser mixture that might not set when assembled. Add a tablespoon of flour to the mash mixture to tighten it. The mixture should be soft but hold its shape.
Make the picadillo ahead: Picadillo reheats well and benefits from sitting overnight. Prepping it the day before means assembly on cooking day is straightforward: mash, layer, bake, enjoy!
Check ripeness carefully: For pastelón, you want plantains that are sweet all the way through. A green-tinged plantain will produce a starchy, dense mash that won't sweeten properly. Hold out for fully ripe ones with heavy black spotting, or make the pastelon with "pintón" plantains (not quite ripe, yet not green plantains). The casserole will not be as sweet, but it is an alternative.

Nutrition