Hold the phone. Invite your neighbors. Get your tupperware ready because today I’m sharing my Pastelon de Platano Maduros Recipe which is essentially a Sweet Plantain Lasagna. Yes… you heard that right. We are building a Lasagna with Sweet Plantains and Ground Beef. This dish is very popular amongst Dominicans & Puerto Ricans and it’s a dish that always present during the holidays. If you’re lucky, this is also a dish that’s around during family gatherings and parties. Now there are a million and one ways to making this dish and today I’m going to share my favorite way of making it.
First we’re going to season and cook the ground beef and you can find that recipe on my blog and on my YouTube Channel: Chef Zee Cooks! Then we’re going to fry the sweet plantains and create magic.
Don’t miss out on my easy to follow video on How to Make Pastelon de Platanos Maduros | Sweet Plantain Lasagna and don’t forget to also check out my video for How to Make Carne Molida | Picadillo
Keep in mind that you’ll also need about 8oz (1cup) of your favorite Marinara Sauce. Feel free to check out my Homemade Tomato Basil Recipe right here.
…And now for the recipe!
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Carne Molida / Ground Beef Cooked
- 8-10 Sweet Plantains
- 16 oz Mozzarella Cheese
- 8 oz Marinara Sauce
Instructions
- Season & cook Carne Molida | Picadillo (You can find recipe here) . Set Aside
- Peel yellow plantains
- Carefully slice plantains lengthwise
- Warm up oil on medium flame in medium-large skillet
- Carefully add maduros/sweet plantains into oil
- Fry on each side flipping over every 2 mins
- Once plantains are a brownish caramelized color, remove from oil and place on plate with with paper towel to drain excess oil
- In a medium baking dish (11x8), add favorite marinara/tomato sauce. Add enough to gently coat the bottom of dish
- Add sweet plantains. Lay them down next to each trying your hardest to cover all crevices
- On top, add a layer of Carne Molida | Picadillo
- Then add mozzarella cheese all over meat
- Repeat layers again until you reach top layer
- In the top layer, add tomato sauce after you’ve added meat
- Then add healthy serving of cheese
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 40 mins
- Bake until cheese is melted
- Optional: At the very end, broil for 2 minutes to slightly burn cheese
- Once done, let rest for 5-10 mins before serving
Notes
Pastelon is a sweet plantain lasagna but has much less tomato sauce. Be sure to drain any excess oil from Carne Molida | Picadillo and fried Maduros | Sweet Plantains