Puerto Rican Pastelon - Vegan Recipe
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 4-5 yellow plantains , yellow and very ripe
- 1-2 cups frying oil, *see notes
- 2 tbsp olive oil , see notes for oil free
- 1/2 cup sofrito
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1/2 green pepper, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
- 1 1/2 cup TVP of beefless crumbles, *see notes
- 1 can gandules , *pigeon peas
- 1/2 tsp dry cilantro
- 1/2 tsp dry oregano
- 1 handful fresh cilantro
- 1 handful recao (culantro) , chopped
- to taste adobo and sazon
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 2 cups tomato sauce or marinara
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 pack vegan cheese
Instructions
Yellow Plantains
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9x13 oven proof baking dish to assemble pastelon later.
- Using a knife carefully cut off both ends of each plantain. Using the tip of the knife, slit down the back of the plantain to peel it.
- Placing your hands flat over the peeled plantains, slice the plantain into ? to ¼ inch thick slabs by running the knife down the length of the plantain. Repeat the process for each plantain.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Fry plantains on one side for about 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Carefully flip plantains using tongs. Set aside fried plantains while you make the picadillo.
Vegan Picadillo
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add sofrito, onions, peppers, and garlic. Saute for a few minutes until fragrant.
- Add mushrooms, TVP or beefless crumbles, gandules and stir to combine.
- Then add dry cilantro, dry oregano, fresh cilantro, recao, adobo and sazon. Stir to combine.
- Add vegetable broth, 1 cup of tomato sauce, and bay leaf. Cook for about 8-10 minutes allowing picadillo to come to a simmer.
Assemble the Pastelon
- Create a base layer of plantain slices at the bottom of your baking dish. Sprinkle some cheddar shreds on the layer.
- Top vegan cheese with a layer of picadillo mixture. Next, add some tomato sauce (like when you are making lasagna) and top with more cheese.
- Repeat the steps to add another layer.
- Finally, top the dish with a layer of plantain slices. Add tomato sauce and vegan cheese. Sprinkle some cilantro.
- Bake your pastelon for about 25-30 minutes. Once the pastelon is done, sprinkle more vegan cheese on top and return to the oven for 5 minutes.
- Remove the pastelon from the oven and allow it to cool for 15 minutes before serving. Serve pastelon with more veggies or white steamed rice.
Notes
*Frying oil - I use avocado oil but vegetable oil will work as well.
*TVP of beefless crumbles - You can use beefless crumbles, black beans, chickpeas, or any meat alternative that you like. I enjoy adding gandules because it gives the pastelon a holiday flavor.
*Pigeon Peas - Gandules can be found at your local supermarket on the Hispanic aisle. Also, you can find it at your local Latin Market.
*Recao (culantro) - I get mine at my local Asian store but if you can't find it feel free to replace it with Italian parsley or double the amount of cilantro.
Scan the QR code to come back to the The Hungry Dragonfly for more tips and FAQs!
