Pastelón is a Dominican & Puerto Rican version of a classic lasagna, featuring layers of Tillamook Farmstyle Swiss Cheese Slices, sweet plantains and ground beef.
55minserves 8
Ingredients
Picadillo:
1 1/2 lb of 80/20 ground beef
¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp homemade Sazon seasoning (below)
1 cup of tomato sauce
1 cup dry white cooking wine
⅓ cup spanish manzanilla olives, chopped
2 tbsp of chopped capers
⅓ cup of raisins
Sazon seasoning:
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin powder
½ tsp ground coriander
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground annatto
Pastelón:
9 sweet plantains, peeled and sliced in 3 long strips
Make your sofrito. To a large dutch oven, add your olive oil, onions, peppers and garlic, and cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until your onions are translucent and cooked through.
Mix together the ingredients for the Sazon seasoning.
Add in the ground beef to the sofrito and your seasoning mix, and stir. Using a wooden spoon, break down the meat and cook for 7 minutes over medium heat until the meat has browned.
Add in the tomato sauce, cooking wine, manzanilla olives, capers and raisins, and simmer for 20 minutes over low heat until your picadillo comes together. Taste for salt and adjust accordingly.
Chill it in the fridge for at least an hour.
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Slice your plantains in 3 pieces lengthwise and fry for 3-5 minutes at 350°F until they’re nice and golden brown, then place on a paper towel-lined sheet pan to absorb the grease. Set aside.
Assemble your pastelón. Oil a large baking dish and add in a layer of the plantains, then the picadillo, ½ of the egg mixture, then the Tillamook Farmstyle Swiss Cheese Slices. Repeat this twice, making sure the top layer is extra cheesy.
Bake for 20 minutes, then broil for 2 minutes or until nice and golden brown.
Serve warm and enjoy!
TIP: When the pastelón is done baking, broil it on high for 2 minutes to get that perfect golden brown color on the cheese. Always add two layers of cheese to make sure you get the perfect cheese pull!
TIP: If you don’t have ground beef on hand, you can also make this same recipe using ground pork, chicken or turkey instead.
Shop this recipe
Tillamook Swiss
Meet the chef
Mika Leon
Mika’s love of travel and seeing the world manifested in a similar desire to hit the streets of Miami with her food truck and unique Cuban tacos. In 2019, Mika put down roots in Coral Gables with the opening of Caja Caliente’s first brick-and-mortar. Concurrent to work in the restaurant, Mika has been cultivating a growing media career with recurring appearances on the Food Network’s Guy’s Grocery Store Games, Chopped and Beat Bobby Flay, among other television shows. She was a finalist for Eater’s Young Guns awards and has been featured in countless publications, both local and national.
