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Let’s make Pastelón, a traditional Puerto Rican lasagna-style dish made with layers of fried sweet plantains, sofrito, ground beef picadillo, pimento olives, and mozzarella cheese. My family lovingly refers to this as ‘plantain lasagna’ because of the cheesy, beefy layers.

This Puerto Rican pastelón combines fried sweet brown plantains (also known as maduros) with layers of this classic picadillo ground beef filling and lots of shredded cheese for an incredibly satisfying end result.

It’s a cozy, hearty dish that’s often referred to as ‘Puerto Rican lasagna’ due to it’s baked layers of meat and cheese.

It comes out of the oven piping hot, so be sure to give it some time to set and cool properly before diving in.

A slice of pastelon on a plate.

Step by Step Instructions

A pot of Puerto Rican picadillo.
Cook onions and peppers in oil over medium heat for a few minutes. Add sofrito, ground beef, and spices. Break up the beef as it browns before adding the tomato sauce and olives. Lower, cover, and cook for 10 minutes before adding salt to taste.
Brown plantain slices frying in oil.
Peel and slice the plantains into strips. Fry the strips in hot oil until they are all deep golden brown on both sides.
A pastelon being assembled.
Preheat the oven spray a loaf pan with non stick spray. Layer picadillo at the base of the pan, top with strips of plantain, some beaten eggs, more picadillo and mozzarella.
Pastelon ready to be baked.
Repeat these steps until you run out of ingredients. Finish with a layer of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, then broil until the cheese is bubbly.
Pastelon with a slice removed.
Let the pastelón cool for at least 10 minutes so that everything settles before slicing. Serve with ensalada verde or pique.
Sliced brown plantains on a cutting board.

Picking the Right Plantains

Picking the right plantains is a very important step in getting pastelón right.

Make sure the plantains you are using are yellow, with brown spots. They should be soft to the touch, like a ripe banana.

This will ensure they provide that signature sweet plantain flavor & texture we want.

A slice of pastelon on a plate.

Buen provecho,

Salima written in cursive
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a baking dish of pastelón on a counter

Puerto Rican Pastelón (Beef & Plantain Lasagna)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Salima Benkhalti
  • Prep Time: 1
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 2 hours
  • Yield: 9 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner, Entree, Lunch, Main Dish
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: Puerto Rican
  • Diet: Gluten Free
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Description

Let’s make Pastelón, a traditional Puerto Rican lasagna-style dish made with layers of fried sweet plantains, sofrito, ground beef picadillo, pimento olives, and mozzarella cheese. Often called a sweet plantain lasagna, this baked dish is the perfect combination of crispy, creamy, sweet and salty.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/3 cup sofrito
  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 1 tsp sazon seasoning
  • 1 tsp adobo seasoning
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • 1/3 cup pimento olives, sliced
  • salt to taste
  • 4–6 brown plantains
  • 2 cups oil for frying
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • Nonstick spray

Instructions

  1. Make the picadillo. Sauté onions and peppers in olive oil over medium heat until the onions become translucent. Add sofrito, ground beef, and spices. Break up the beef as it browns before adding the tomato sauce and olives. Lower, cover, and cook for 10 minutes or until beef is fully cooked. Add salt to taste.
  2. Slice & fry the plantains. Start by peeling the plantains and slicing thinly lengthwise to create long strips. Fry the strips in batches in hot oil until they are all deep golden brown on both sides. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
  3. Layer & bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a square pan with non stick cooking spray. Beat the eggs in a bowl. Layer some picadillo in the base of the pan, top with strips of plantain, brush with egg, add picadillo and shredded mozzarella. Repeat these layers until ingredients run out, finishing with a layer of plantains and cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes, broiling for a minute so the cheese gets golden brown.
  4. Serve. Let the pastelón cool for at least 10 minutes so that it can set before slicing and serving. Buen provecho!

Equipment

Notes

Make Ahead Tip: You can make the picadillo filling up to 3 days in advance, which makes the process of assembling this dish much faster.

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