Plantains are a staple ingredient in Puerto Rican food as well as other Caribbean and tropical cuisines. Most people know of sweet plantains, but you can eat and cook with either ripe plantains (sweet) or green plantains. Both are delicious.

I’ve wanted to share a recipe for pastelón, a dish akin to lasagna that I love, for a while now. Just about everyone I know that tries it also loves it. When provided the opportunity by Walmart to share information on Chiquita’s plantains, I immediately knew that this pastelón recipe would be perfect to accompany it!

First, let me share a quick explanation of plantains. Plantains are not bananas, but they are like cousins. There are green ones, yellow ones, and those that lean towards black. Green plantains are not sweet and are used in Puerto Rico to make dishes like tostones (fried green plantains) and mofongo. Yellow plantains are ripe and have a sweet taste. They are the ones used to make amarillos (or maduros in some countries), which are fried ripe plantains. The black-ish plantains are even more sweet and their texture is very soft. For pastelón, you want very ripe plantains, so try to pick out black plantains mostly when making this dish. Chiquita also offers the following advice for picking out plantains and what you can do with each type: if green, fry them; if yellow, grill them; if black, bake them. A quick note: not all Walmart stores carry plantains, but hopefully you can find some in your town since they’re so very delicious and I wouldn’t want you to miss out!

Now, let’s get to the recipe for pastelón, which I just know you’re going to love! Be sure and tell me if you try this, ok?

Pastelón (Plantain Lasagna) Recipe

Ingredients:

• Ground beef, about 2 lbs.
• Adobo
• Meat tenderizer
• 1 tbsp. white vinegar
• Sazón, 1 packet
• 3 tbsp. tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 tbsp. sofrito
• Spanish olives, 5-6 diced
• Salt, as needed
• Vegetable oil (for frying)
• Ripe plantains
• 3-4 eggs

Steps:

Cook Ground Beef

You will need to make a sofrito as a base for the ground beef. To see pictures and links for the basic ingredients used in Puerto Rican sofrito, click on over and read 5 Must-Have Ingredients for Cooking Puerto Rican Food. As with previous recipes I’ve posted, I apologize for the lack in detail with the ingredients and the steps, but it is true to how I and everyone in my family cooks. We do not measure and just go along pouring items into the pot.

1. Season ground beef with adobo and meat tenderizer.
2. Add vinegar, sazón, tomato sauce, tomato paste, sofrito, and olives.
3. Brown the beef and cook until well done.
4. Keep on low heat until ready to use.

Peel and Fry Plantains

1. Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan.
2. Peel each plantain by cutting off the ends, then carefully slicing down the skin length-wise. Separate the plantain from the peel. (See image above for example.)
3. You will need to slice each plantain into layers by cutting length-wise across the plantain. Each layer should be thin, but thick enough to pan-fry. (See image below for details.)
4. Carefully place each plantain layer into your frying pan. You want the plantain to have a golden-brown color, turning each layer halfway-through so that both sides get a nice color.
5. Once both sides of the plantain are golden-brown, remove from oil and place on a paper towel covered plate so the oil is absorbed.
6. Repeat steps 4-5 until all your plantain layers are fried.

Assemble and Bake Pastelón

1. Using a lasagna dish, layer the fried plantains to cover the bottom of the dish.
2. Spread cooked ground beef on top to cover the length of the dish.
3. Repeat steps 1-2, creating alternating layers of plantains and ground beef.
4. Crack open your eggs into a bowl and beat as you would for scrambled eggs.
5. Pour the egg over the top of the pastelón, making sure to get some into the corners, sides, and middle. This helps seal the pastelón, so it doesn’t break apart as much when serving.
6. In a microwave oven, cook the pastelón on high heat for about 6-8 minutes. Check to be sure egg has cooked thoroughly. You could probably also bake the pastelón in a conventional oven, but my mother always uses the microwave when she makes pastelón, so it’s what I learned.

That’s it! You now have a delicious pastelón ready to serve and enjoy. This goes great with a side of white rice, but a salad would be good too if you prefer. I hope you try this recipe that is popular in Puerto Rico and love it as much as I do!

Have you ever cooked with plantains? What’s your favorite plantain dish?

Disclosure: ModernMami.com and its owner, Melanie Edwards, is a member of the Walmart Moms program, resulting in compensation for this post.