Pastelon de Platano (Plantain Meat Pie)

Pastelon de Platano (Plantain Meat Pie)

If there is one food that Puerto Rican love is Pastelon de Platano, translated to Plantain Meat Pie, it is similiar to lasagna but instead of using noodles we use sweet fried plantains, and add green beans. It's a very hearty meal and I suggest that if you are looking for side dishes to serve, go with a nice salad. Hope you enjoy and Buen Provecho!

Pastelon (Plantain Pie)

Makes about 6 servings

For Meat
1lbs of Ground Beef
1 tbsp of Adobo Seasoning
2 envelops of Sazon Goya with Saffron
2 tbsp of Tomato Sauce
1 tsp of black pepper
6 olives each sliced into 3
3 Tbsp of Sofrito (you can find all items in Spanish market or in the Spanish aisles at your supermarket, I recommend making it yourself, there is a recipe in my past post about Sofrito)
½ small onion chopped
1 tbsp of chopped fresh cilantro
1 can of French Style green beans

For Plantain Pie
5-6 large ripped plantains (buy three days before and store in fridge, the darker the skin on the plantain the sweeter it is), cut into long slices about ¼- ½ inch thick. (Its better to slice it with the skin on, and before frying, peel the skin off gently, this makes sure that the plantain won’t break in half when slicing)
cooking oil
 2 eggs beaten
Cheddar and Mozzarella cheese grated (optional)
1 tsp of olive oil or cooking spray for coating bottom of pan

Plantains are very large bananas with thick skin, for pastelon the riper it is the sweeter. I like to use them when the skin is all black.

Procedure
Brown meat, once brown, add adobo, black pepper, sazón, sofrito, tomato sauce, onions and olives. Cook for about 5-7 minutes. Turn off heat and add chopped cilantro to the meat. 

Fry plantain slices until light golden brown, don’t let burn (the sugar content in the plantains makes them burn quick).

Once all plantains are fried, drain them on a paper towel. 
Get a baking pan or glass pan about 9”x9”. Coat the bottom and sides with olive oil or cooking spray. Place a layer of plantains on the bottom of pan, put as many as you can side by side, don’t over crowd. 

Add a bit of beaten egg on the bottom (this is to make everything stick) add half of the meat, and half of the can of green beans, add a bit more egg and a handful of grated cheese, add another layer but this time place them opposite of the way you placed on the bottom (this is so it won’t break when you serve it) (vertical than horizontal) add the rest of meat, green beans, a bit more eggs, than a final layer of plantains (remember to place opposite from the last layer of plantain, one layer of plantain is vertical the next horizontal, and the final vertical again), add the rest of the beaten eggs and cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven until egg is fully cooked and cheese is melted or you can cook in a microwave from 15-20 minutes.

Let cool for about 15 minutes before serving.

Pastelon without Cheese