Sweet Plantain Lasagna, also known as Pastelón, is a sweet and savory Puerto Rican dish and a delicious alternative to classic lasagna. This gluten free, island recipe uses ripe plantains, instead of pasta noodles, which are fried until golden, bright yellow and fragrant. Puerto Rican Lasagna is the perfect make ahead meal, guaranteed to please a crowd.
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My fiancé is the one who usually makes Sweet Plantain Lasagna, and I don’t think we’ve ever made it exactly the same way twice.
This dish is super versatile; there are many different ingredients that can be used to make Puerto Rican lasagna. This sweet and savory version of Pastelón is just how we like it, but we often use peppers too. Continue reading for more ingredient ideas, which are given below.
This island recipe is prepared using fried plantains, which pack in extra vitamins, minerals and is a rich source of fiber. Ripe plantains are a naturally gluten free substitute for traditional pasta noodles, making this dish a delicious alternative to classic lasagna.
To complete the meal, serve this Sweet Plantain Lasagna with Creamy Coconut Rice or Cuban Pork Tenderloin for extra island flair. If you enjoy plantains and would like more recipe ideas, I suggest trying Sweet and Sticky Fried Plantains, too!
Why This Recipe Works
Pastelón uses a variety of complimentary ingredients, which combine to create the perfect blend of sweet and savory notes. This recipe is adaptable and may be prepared using bell peppers, olives, Sazon seasoning and/or capers, as well. Everyone has their favorite flavors and versions, so feel free to experiment with your preferences in mind!
This recipe for Sweet Plantain Lasagna is super easy to prepare by following a few simple steps. Prepare this dish in advance to serve a crowd or save the leftovers, if you’re lucky enough to have any.
This dish is naturally gluten free thanks to the genius substitution of fried plantains in place of noodles.
How To Make Sweet Plantain Lasagna
Ingredients
- Plantains: you want to use yellow plantains for this recipe. Green plantains are unripened and won’t be sweet at all. Yellow plantains are just ripened, but still firm enough to slice. A few black spots is okay, but you don’t want to use black plantains for this recipe. Black plantains are fully ripened and the most sweet but very soft and mushy so it will be impossible to slice them.
- Ground Beef Mixture: the ground beef is very similar to a picadillo, a seasoned beef made with a variety of vegetables, spices, tomato sauce and other ingredients. This recipe uses onion, garlic, golden raisins, tomato sauce and a variety of herbs and spices. Some recipes include green and/or red peppers, olives or capers.
- Cheese: this time around, I used a Mexican four cheese blend, but you can use mozzarella. I’ve even seen some people use a combination of mozzarella and cottage cheese. I will say that the Mexican four cheese blend is pre-shredded and doesn’t melt as nicely on the top. In these photos, I also added cheddar for appearances sake.
The entire recipe and instructions can also be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. You can also print the recipe from the card, if needed.
Prep!
Peel and slice the plantains into 1/4-inch thick strips.
Chef’s Tip: to peel plantains, cut off both ends. Make a slice lengthwise through the skin, then peel the skin away. Cut each plantain in half lengthwise, then lay each half flat on the cutting board. Support the plantain half with the top of your hand, while slicing lengthwise through the plantain to make 2 thin slices. You should get at least 4 slices per plantain.
Dice onion, mince garlic and cilantro.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Create!
Heat just enough cooking oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat so that it will cover the plantains. Once water sizzles when sprinkled over the oil, add the plantains so that they are not touching. You will need to work in batches. Cook until they turn brighter yellow and are lightly browned. Remove to a paper towel lined plate.
Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the oil out of the pan and return to the stovetop. Add the diced onion and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. If you are using a bell pepper, you want to add it during this step, as well.
Add the ground beef, adobo, cumin, and oregano. Cook until the beef is no longer pink. Stir in the golden raisins, sauce and cilantro.
Place a layer of plantains in the bottom of a large baking dish. The one that I use is 12.5 x 8.5-inches. There may be some space between them and that’s okay but you can also mash them some, if you’d like.
Top the plantains with half of the beef mixture.
Top the beef with 1 1/2 cups of the cheese.
Add another layer of plantains, the remaining beef and another 1 1/2 cups of cheese. Top with a final layer of plantains and 1 cups of cheese.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until heated throughout.
Present!
Top with minced fresh basil and serve hot.
Tips and Techniques
- If you have a favorite picadillo recipe, you can use that in place of the ingredients in this recipe for the beef.
- Easily adapt this recipe to suit your own tastes. Many people like to add bell peppers, olives, Sazon seasoning and/or capers. You can also swap out the cheese to your favorite. Just be sure to use one that melts easily.
- Store leftover lasagna tightly covered in the refrigerator. Consume within 3-4 days.
FAQ’s
Can You Freeze Puerto Rican Lasagna?
You can freeze Puerto Rican Lasagna for up to 3 months. Cover an entire pan tightly with aluminum foil before freezing, or cut the lasagna into individual servings and wrap tightly before freezing.
Are Plantains and Bananas The Same?
While plantains are part of the banana family, they are not the same, nor do they taste the same. Plantains are starching, less sweet and must be cooked prior to eating.
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Sweet Plantain Lasagna
Ingredients
- 6 ripe plantains (peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices)
- oil for frying
- 1 medium onion (diced small)
- 6 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 tablespoon adobo
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 3 cups tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro (minced)
- salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 4 cups Mexican 4-cheese blend (shredded, see notes)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Heat just enough cooking oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat so that it will cover the plantains. Once water sizzles when sprinkled over the oil, add the plantains so that they are not touching. You will need to work in batches. Cook until they turn brighter yellow and are lightly browned. Remove to a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.
- Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the oil out of the pan and return to the stovetop. Add the diced onion and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the ground beef, adobo, cumin, and oregano. Cook until the beef is no longer pink. Stir in the sauce, cilantro and golden raisins. Taste and adjust seasoning, as needed.
- Place a layer of plantains in the bottom of a large baking dish. The one that I use is 12.5 x 8.5-inches. There may be some space between them and that’s okay but you can also mash them some, if you’d like.
- Top the plantains with half of the beef mixture.
- Top the beef with 1 1/2 cups of the cheese.
- Add another layer of plantains, the remaining beef and another 1 1/2 cups of cheese. Top with a final layer of plantains and 1 cup of cheese.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until heated throughout.
- Top with minced fresh basil and serve hot.
Notes
- If you have a favorite picadillo recipe, you can use that in place of the ingredients in this recipe for the beef.
- Easily adapt this recipe to suit your own tastes. Many people like to add bell peppers, olives, Sazon seasoning and/or capers. You can also swap out the cheese to your favorite. Just be sure to use one that melts easily.
- Pre-shredded cheese does not melt as nicely. You can swap out the Mexican blend cheese for cheddar or mozzarella, if preferred.
- Store leftover lasagna tightly covered in the refrigerator. Consume within 3-4 days.
