This post is also available in: Spanish
From the kitchen of Pedro Fernandez
From Wikipedia: Pastelón and its variant “piñón” from Puerto Rico is a casserole dish layered like Italian lasagne made with sweet plantains, ground beef, tomato-based sauce and cheese. This dish is also a copy in the Dominican Republic.
Ingredients:
- 10 plantains (yellow)
- 1 1⁄2 pounds of ground beef
- 1⁄2 cup Carnation evaporated milk
- 1⁄4 cup butter
- 1 small Spanish onion
- 1⁄4 pound of shredded cheddar cheese
- 1⁄4 pound of shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1⁄2 cup of tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- 1⁄2 tablespoon of salt
Preparation:
- Place plantains, peeled and broken, along with salt into a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until plantains turn a darker yellow color. Add 1 cup water to the pot, return to a boil, and continue to cook until tender, approximately 20 minutes. Drain.
- Mash plantains, milk, and butter together in the pot until a smooth consistency is achieved. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown ground beef, stirring in onion, tomato sauce, garlic, and chicken bouillon, adding water if mixture gets too dry. Continue until beef is browned and cooked through and onions are tender, approximately 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread 1/2 of the mashed plantains into the bottom of the buttered baking dish. Pour meat mixture over the plantains and top with cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Spread remaining mashed plantains over the cheese. Bake until plantains are golden and filling is bubbling, approximately 15-20 minutes.