Pastelón
Pastelón is a Puerto Rican casserole dish layered like Italian lasagne made with exclusively sweet plantains, stuffed with ground meat, vegetables, and bound together with beaten eggs.
 Pastelón | |
| Alternative names | Piñón |
|---|---|
| Course | Main course |
| Place of origin | Puerto Rico |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
Puerto Rico
In Puerto Rico pastelón is considered a Puerto Rican lasagna. Sweet plantains are peeled cut lengthwise in to strips and fried in butter and olive oil mix. The plantain replaces lasagna pasta. Ground meat is usually seasoned with bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, basil, parsley, olives, capers, raisins, and garlic. Plantains are then placed at the bottom of a backing pan layered with meat filling, cheese and bechamel sauce or marinara sauce. This is then repeated about two more times making layers just like a lasagna. It is then baked. Plantains can be replaced with batata or boiled mashed yuca. Because Puerto Rican pastelón closely resembles Italian lasagna its said this dish originated in New York City where Puerto Rican and Italian neighborhoods clashed.