Plantains Lasagna aka Pastelon is a Latin- Style (Puerto Rican) lasagna that is a combination of sweet and savory, with spiced beef, sandwiched in layers of plantains, and topped with cheese and or eggs. Have I picked your interest yet?
Are you still on the fence about plantains? Wait; are you trying to tell me you have never tried plantains before? Why not? They are all over the place these days, and they are readily available.
This plantain lasagna will make you hop over the fence- and join the team of these amazing starchy vegetables. And if you are fan already, then here is another recipe to widen your plantain taste buds.
This is one recipe; I kept trying over and over again. Can you tell looking at the pictures? Some of them look different. It leaves room for so many variants and can easily be made Paleo – simply leave out the cheese!
You just can’t go wrong with this, so grab a few plantains and lets get started.
Pick fairly ripe plantains, the darker the skin the sweeter the plantain. I usually go with moderately ripe, plantains. They don’t fall apart or soak up tons of oil. You can deep-fry, pan fry or bake them.
There are a variety of protein you can use – ground beef, chicken or beans or combine protein and beans. They all get he job done.
Spice it up with cumin, garlic, smoked paprika, oregano or thyme. I like some heat in these, so I add cayenne pepper.
To cheese or not to cheese? With or without cheese this plantain lasagna taste good- Top it with eggs.
Play around with the ingredients and choose which ones work best for you. I left out the raisins because did not want the extra sweetness that comes with raisins.
However, you make this the end result will be sweet, savory and tasty.
Simply put, it’s like no other lasagna you’ve ever tried before!
Enjoy!!!
Plantains Lasagna aka Pastelon is a Latin- Style (Puerto Rican)lasagna that is a combination of sweet and savory, with spiced beef, sandwiched in layers of plantains, and topped with cheese and or eggs.
- 3-4 Large ripe plantains
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 red/ green bell pepper chopped
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon cumin spice
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano thyme
- ½ -1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tomatoes chopped or 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 pound ground beef/chicken
- 1 16 ounces black beans drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup sliced olives
- 2 -3 green onion chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 cup shredded cheese
- 1 packet sazon or 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
- 2-3 Tablespoon parsley chopped
- 2-3 large eggs
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Using a sharp knife cut both ends off the plantain. This will make it easy to grab the skin of the plantains. Slit a shallow line down the long seam of the plantain; peel only as deep as the peel. Remove plantain peel by pulling it back. Slice the plantains horizontally into 4-5 pieces depending on plantains. You may either fry or bake the plantains. I prefer frying.
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Heat up a large skillet or cast iron with oil up to ½ inch- medium-high heat until hot but not smoking.
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Fry the plantain in batches, turning once, until lightly brown, about 5 minutes. Do not overcrowd the pan (it will make the plantains to be soggy and absorb excess oil)
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Use a slotted spoon, transfer the fried plantains and drain on paper towels.
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Spray a baking sheet and place plantains on them in a single layer; spray lightly over the plantains using the canola oil spray and bake at 400 degrees F, turning over slices, after 8 minutes for about 12- 20 minutes or till plantains turn slightly brown.
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Next add about 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet followed by onions, garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne, oregano, sweat for about a minute.
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Then add bell pepper, tomato sauce, bring to a simmer, add ground meat, beans and cook for about 7-10 minutes, while stirring frequently to prevent burning burn add about broth or water as needed. Season
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with salt, chicken bouillon or sazon.
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Finally add olives , green onions and parsley, adjust for seasoning. Remove and set aside
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Spray a deep 8x8 pan with cooking spray or rub with butter/oil.
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Line the bottom of the baking pan with the fried plantain. Make sure there is no space between the plantains.
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Add enough of the beef mixture to make a layer, just like you would prepare lasagna. Alternate rows of plantains and meat until both are used up. Add cheese in between if desired
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In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and pour over the Pastelon. Making sure to cover the entire thing.
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Add cheese if desired, or only use cheese
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Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until all the egg has cooked through and the cheese are bubbly.
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Let it cool then serve warm
- I usually go with moderately ripe plantains. They don’t fall apart or soak up tons of oil. You can deep-fry, pan fry or bake them.
- You can use – ground beef, chicken or beans or combine protein and beans.
- Add cayenne pepper if you want some heat in it.
- With or without cheese, this plantain lasagna still taste good.
Oh my. I’ll try this, and then look at Jerking it up. Especially thinking of your Jerk Seasoning. Woo hoo.
Oh Boy! This would taste even better with Jerk Seasoning- What a great idea Greg. Please do tell when you make it! Thanks
This is interesting…Do I have to fry the plantains before baking them?
Hi Uneku! Yes you do. You can fry, or bake the the plantains in the oven before doing the layering.
Wow, this is fascinating, never imagined that. I can’t wait to tuck into it.
Hi Rose! Let me know how it works for you !!!
YES you have piqued my interest! I jumped on this as soon as I saw it. I love this! It’s so unique – and yet so familiar, if that makes sense??
Hello Imma,u are incredible. Pls can I use red kidney bean to replace d black beans?
You sure can!
Hello Imma,how u doing? Pls can I omit cumin spice & olive cos there’s no where to get them at my place or what I can substitute for cumin & olive.tnx
Yes, you sure can. I have made this without cumin or olive.
My dearest Imma I can’t thank u enough,its so delious . I doubled d ingredients cos of d population of my family oh! My gosh! My husband n his friends kept on eating n eating n even wants some but have finished.oh Imma they were praising me even give me some money for giving them a wonderful dish like that. Thanks a million
Wow! Juliet, I can share your excitement the first time I made it . Hubby ate half of it , then turned around and accused me of making him put on some extra calories. Can you believe it? Not a dime for me.
I tried this recipe and I think next time I am going to steam the plantain, I baked them and it was to dry. I used ground turkey, but I loved it and can’t wait to make it again.
Hi Karol! Next time make sure you bake use plantains that are plump and really ripe. Glad you liked it enough to want to make it again. And thank you for taking the time to leave feedback!
Got really excited for the recipe, glanced over ingredients and rushed to store to get them. Didn’t realize until I was in too deep that this recipe is incredibly confusing!! You list 3 different types of tomato, when really you only need one I gathered?? You listed to bake plantains but then to fry them, but I’m thinking you either do one or the other?? You don’t list what temp to cook the plantains. I love the idea of this recipe, just wanted to reach out and suggest that you tighten up the ingredient list and give better instructions for future people like myself who’ve never made this before! Thanks!
Recipe updated!
Hello Imma, this recipe looks tasty so I wanna try it. But I have 2 questions: how many plantains should I buy more or less to make this? And does this recipe keep well in the fridge like lasagne or is it better to eat when cooked? I’m asking because I want to bring this to a party.
Thank you for posting these tasty and unusual (for me) recipes
Hi Angorinie!I would say it’s best when made the same day because of the plantains. Plantains are very tricky-some would come out fine but others are very stringy.Be sure to pick out those that are plump and really ripe- just like in the picture. You can prepare everything else and refrigerate. Then just fry the plantains the day of the event, layer and bake. You should buy 4 or more plantains. I usually get about 1 or two extra just in case . Let me know how it works out for you. Happy Cooking
Thank you for the answer Imma, you explained it very well and were very sweet. I’ll be making other recipes from your blog because I love plantains and coconut too.
Can’t wait to try it!
However, I would like to leave out the meat, as I am a vegeterian. Any recommendations of a substitution for the beef? Or could I just leave it out altogether?
Thanks!
I would just leave it out all together.Sub with extra beans and vegetables.
Can’t wait to try the plantain I’m from jamaica and plantains are my fav’ fried’ baked or boiled
Me Too! Just LOVE It!
The picture of this pie is one of the most appealing I have seen for this particular dish. I hope to try the recipe for a Christmas meal.
Thank you so much Paulette! You are going to love it .
Merry Christmas!!!
My family loved this recipe! I will be making it again. Thank you!
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback!!!