Puerto Rican Pastelon - Vegan Recipe
This Puerto Rican Pastelon is vegan, packed with Caribbean flavors, sweet and savory, and easy to make.
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 ⅛ 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.