Pastelón de Plátano Maduro, aka Piñón, is a warm, comforting meal that you will be sure to enjoy. Pastelón de Plátano Maduro or Piñón consists of layers of delicious Picadillo, sweet ripened fried plantains, and cheesy goodness that will leave you wanting more.
Pastelón de Plátano Maduro (Puerto Rican name) or Piñón as named by Cuban cooks, is what many people consider to be a Puerto Rican or Cuban Lasagna because of the layers. I have to say to me it reminds me more of a Spanish Shepherds Pie when it is made with mashed plantains– Dominicans and some Cuban cooks mash the plantains for the layers, I do not mash my plantains. I prefer them sliced thinly and layered with all the goodies.
What is Picadillo, you wonder? Cuban Picadillo is a ground beef mixture with peppers, onions, garlic, oregano, tomato, olives, and on occasion, raisins, potatoes, wine, and capers. Puerto Rican Picadillo usually contains ground meat sautéed with annatto oil, ham, thyme, cumin, oregano, bay leaf, recaito, tomato sauce, and sometimes raisin (soaked in rum), olives, capers, and potatoes.
Below you will find our complete recipe for Picadillo, sofrito seasoning, and the easy follow step by step instructions to make Pastelón de Plátano Maduro -aka Piñón. All ingredients are easily found in most Spanish sections of your favorite local grocery store.
What are plantains? Plantains are a part of the banana family and look similar in appearance; however, compared to bananas, plantains are far starchier and contain less sugar. Plantains can be included in many recipes or eaten raw.
Tips for ripening Plantains to use in the Pastelón de Plátano Maduro :
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Choose the right area to ripen the plantains.
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Plantains will ripen best in a well-ventilated warm place. If the kitchen is very chilly or stuffy, try to find another area in your house to ripen them.
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Plantains can and will ripen in colder environments. It just may take a little longer.
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Plantains will ripen fastest if they’re not disturbed.
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It should take about 7 to 10 days for a plantain to ripen. In a warmer environment, you can expect plantains to mature a little faster.
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A plantain is ripe when it’s black and wrinkled in appearance and soft to the touch.
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If you need the plantains to ripen quicker, you can store them in a paper bag. You do not need to close the bag all the way. Close the bag loosely.
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Plantains are best left unrefrigerated. This is especially true if they have not yet ripened. Refrain from refrigerating plantains until they’re at your desired stage of ripeness
Pastelón de Plátano Maduro
This wonderful Puerto Rican/Cuban concoction is a warm comforting meal that you will be sure to enjoy. Pastelón de Plátano Maduro or Piñón consists of layers of delicious Picadillo, sweet ripened fried plantains, and cheesy goodness that will leave you wanting more.
Ingredients
Pastelón de Plátano Maduro
- 4 Ripe plantains The skins should be black, sliced longwise and halved
- 2 pounds Lean ground beef
- ¼ teaspoon Ground achiote
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
- ¼ cup Chopped Spanish onions
- ¼ cup Chopped green peppers
- ¼ cup Chopped red pepper
- ½ cup Diced tomatoes
- 12 Green olives optional
- 1 tablespoon Minced garlic
- ⅛ cup Sofrito recipe below
- 1 ½ cup Freshly shredded cheddar cheese may sub with mozzarella cheese
- 2 large eggs slightly beaten
Ingredients for Sofrito
- 1 Red freshly roasted red pepper
- 1 small Onion chopped
- 3 Garlic cloves minced
- ¼ cup Olive oil
- 12 Culantro leaves chopped
- 1 cup Cilantro chopped
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
- ½ tablespoon Fresh oregano chopped
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- juice of 1 lime optional
Instructions
Directions for sofrito
- In a large food processor, place all ingredients and process until smooth.
- Once done, set to the side for later use in the Pastelón de Plátano Maduro.
- Extra Sofrito may be stored in the refrigerator or frozen for later use in other recipes.
Directions for Fried Plantains
- Heat enough olive oil in a large skillet so that the oil is about ¼ of an inch deep; the oil should be hot. Peel the black skin from the plantain and slice longwise and halved (about ½ inch thick). Add the plantain slices and cook until the bottom is a golden honey color. Turn over each slice and cook until both sides are evenly golden. Remove from oil and transfer to paper towels to drain; pat off any excess oil. Set to the side for later use.
Directions for meat and casserole assembly
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- In a large skillet on medium heat, place lean ground beef, add achiote, kosher salt, and ground black pepper, let cook for about 5 minutes and start breaking meat up a little with a spatula, add chopped Spanish onions, chopped green peppers, chopped, red peppers, let cook for 3-5 minutes breaking meat up further with a spatula.
- Once the meat is completely broken up, add diced tomatoes, minced garlic, sofrito, green olives (optional), sofrito, and cook another 5-6 minutes on low heat. If you have a lot of excess juice in your pan, drain quickly in a colander (You do not want the meat completely dry, so do not leave in a colander for over 1 minute
- Lightly oil a 9×13 glass oven-safe casserole dish, place ½ of ground beef mixture evenly in the bottom, place ⅓ of plantain slices on top, ½cup of cheese. Begin another layer of remaining ground beef, another ⅓ of plantain slices. Whisk eggs and evenly pour on top of the casserole, add remaining 1 cup of cheese, place the last remaining ⅓ of plantain slices on the very top of the casserole.
- Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in the middle of the oven until hot throughout and bubbly around edges, about 30 minutes. Cool for 8-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Disclosure:
Pastelón de Plátano Maduro - Piñón pictured above is a more dry version of the recipe so that you may see the ingredients, it normally has a bit more of a juicy look and feel with a ton of cheese on top, for photo and viewing reasons it has been slightly altered for your viewing pleasure. If you would like to have yours turn out as above picture simply drain meat longer and omit 1/2 cup of cheese to the last layer. Although themccallumsshamrockpatch.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and how ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Under no circumstances will themccallumsshamrockpatch.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting from your reliance on nutritional information.
Pastelón de Plátano Maduro - Piñón pictured above is a more dry version of the recipe so that you may see the ingredients, it normally has a bit more of a juicy look and feel with a ton of cheese on top, for photo and viewing reasons it has been slightly altered for your viewing pleasure. If you would like to have yours turn out as above picture simply drain meat longer and omit 1/2 cup of cheese to the last layer. Although themccallumsshamrockpatch.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and how ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Under no circumstances will themccallumsshamrockpatch.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting from your reliance on nutritional information.
Nutrition
Serving: 01Calories: 404kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 33gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 121mgSodium: 533mgPotassium: 974mgFiber: 3gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 1686IUVitamin C: 33mgCalcium: 132mgIron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
My Pastelón de Plátano Maduro pictured above is a more dry version of the recipe so that you may see the ingredients, it normally has a bit more of a juicy look and feel with a ton of cheese on top, for photo and viewing reasons it has been slightly altered for your viewing pleasure. If you would like to have yours turn out as above picture simply drain the meat longer and omit 1/2 cup of cheese to the last layer.
If you enjoyed this recipe here are a few other suggested recipes
- Rice with Pigeon Peas { Arroz Con Gandules } is one of my favorite Puerto Rican recipes usually served on holidays, and special occasions, made with medium-grain rice, Spanish tomato sauce, sofrito, pigeon peas, green olives, capers, and seasoned with Sazon Seasoning with achiote, kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper.
- Costa Rican Gallo Pinto is a famous and favorite traditional dish of gorgeous Costa Rica. It’s a dish so versatile to the locals and can be served at almost any meal in Costa Rica, often eaten and enjoyed with fried eggs for breakfast or brunch or as a side dish along with seasoned meat, fried plantains, and salad for dinner.
Thank you for sharing your recipe. In Puerto Rico, we usually call it Pinon when it has sliced plantains and Pastelon when it is mashed. However, different Latino cultures may use different names.
Thanks again for sharing!
Good morning and thank you for sharing your thoughts. Have a great day Elizabeth.
I had never cooked with plantains before, but this recipe is inspired me to do so. I love the cheesy goodness of it and all the yummy bold flavors. I will be making it again!