Healthier Pastelón (Sweet Plantain and Ground Turkey Picadillo Casserole)
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 168kcal
A savory ground turkey picadillo is layered with sweet, mashed plantains, and shredded, no-fat cheese. This recipe is make-ahead and freezer-friendly. Cook Time includes cooking the picadillo and boil the plantains in addition to baking the pastelón. The picadillo can be made ahead.
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Ingredients
For the Turkey Picadillo
- 2 pounds lean ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon adobo con pimienta or to taste
- 2 envelopes sazón con culantro y achiote (or 3 teaspoons)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 medium white onion small diced (or 2 cups/170g)
- 1 medium green bell pepper small diced (or 1 1/2 cups/160g)
- 1/2 cup sofrito
- 4 cloves garlic minced (1/4 cup or 40 g)
- 2 8-ounce cans no sodium tomato sauce
- 10 manzanilla olives sliced (or 1/3 cup/40g)
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 1 large bay leaf optional
For the Pastelón
- 6 large yellow plantains peeled and sliced into 1" chunks
- 1 pound no-fat mozzarella cheese shredded
- 2 jumbo eggs
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
Instructions
- Grease a a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Lightly grease a piece of aluminum foil where it will come into contact with the pastelón (just press the foil along the edge of the baking dish to act as a guide). This keeps the foil from sticking to the cheese.Heat your oven to 350°F (177°C).
Prepare the Turkey Picadillo (this can be done a few days ahead- see notes)
- I recommend making the turkey picadillo before preparing the plantains, as the latter will become harder as it cools.
- Add the ground turkey to a cold, unheated caldero or dutch oven. Turn the stove up to medium heat and allow the heat to slowly coax the fat from the meat.
- Spread the turkey meat out into the caldero with a flat spoon, then season it with the adobo, sazón, dried oregano leaves, and black pepper while it's raw to seal the seasoning into the meat. Cook the ground turkey for 8 minutes, stirring frequently and using the spoon to break it up into crumbles.
- Once the meat is browned, drain all but a tablespoon of the fat from the pot. (If you’re using 99/1 ground turkey, you may not have any grease)Return the pot to the stove over medium heat.
- Stir the green bell pepper, onion, sofrito, and garlic into the pot with the seasoned meat. Sauté these together for 5 minutes, or until the veggies begin to look glossy and start to take on some color.
- Next, add the tomato sauce, olives, capers, and the bay leaf to the pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then give it another stir before turning the temperature down to low. Cover the pot and simmer the picadillo for 5-10 minutes. Stir it once or twice during this period.
- Once the picadillo is thick and only a smidge runny, give a taste and add more adobo or sazón if needed. If it’s a little saltier than you’d like, remember that the plantains will balance it out. Remove the caldero from the heat and allow the picadillo to cool while you prep the plantains.
Parboil the Plantains
- Bring a pot, filled with 10 cups of water (2 1/2 liters) up to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once the water comes to a boil, carefully add the sliced plantains to the pot, then stir them. Boil the plantains for 10 minutes. Make sure you don’t overcook the plantains, as they will become too hard during assembly and baking.
- After 10 minutes, remove 1 cup of the cooking liquid from the pot using a ladle or a heatproof measuring cup. Drain the plantains in a colander placed inside of a clean sink. Quickly return the plantains to the pot to keep some of the liquid.
- Use a potato masher to mash the plantains until they are mostly smooth. A few small chunks are fine.
Whisk the Eggs and Baking Soda
- In a small mixing bowl, vigorously beat together large eggs with the baking soda.
Assemble the Pastelón
- Use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to spread half of the mashed plantains in an even layer in the bottom of the baking dish. Spread half of the ground turkey picadillo on the layer of mashed plantains. Top the picadillo with a cup of the shredded mozzarella.
- As you assemble the pastelón, the last portion of mashed plantains may get firmer, so stir in the hot cooking liquid 2 tablespoons (30ml) at a time to loosen them up a bit.Spread out a second layer of mashed plantains onto the cheese layer and cover that with the remaining picadillo.
- Use your chef's knife to cut slits into pastelón. This will ensure the egg mixture gets down through that solid layer of mashed plantain.
- Top the casserole with the remaining shredded cheese, then pour the egg mixture all over the pastelón. Give the pan a little shake to settle the egg mixture into the casserole.
Bake the Pastelón
- Cover the baking dish with the aluminum foil and bake the pastelón in a 350°F (180°C) oven for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove the dish from the oven and take off the foil covering. Return the pastelón to the oven and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and browned just a smidge on the edges of the bubbles.
Cool, Then Serve
- Remove the pastelón from the oven and allow it to cool, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve this pastelón with a garden salad and slices of avocado.
Notes
Swaps and Substitutions:
- For a less healthy version, swap the turkey picadillo for ground beef, pork, or chicken.
- Replace the ground turkey with a plant-based protein.
- Swap the mozzarella for Parmesan, Swiss, or lower-fat versions of cheddar, Colby, or Monterey Jack cheese.
- The egg-baking soda mixture is optional.
- If you have an allergy to eggs, you can omit the egg-baking soda mixture. Instead, add 8-ounces more of the shredded cheese between each layer, rather than just in the middle and on top.
- Refer to the post for tips on how to pick the best plantains for this recipe.
- Shred your cheese at home for the best melting.
- You can also combine fattier cheeses with the fat-free ones to make a cheese blend.
- Peel and slice the plantains lengthwise into 5 slabs that are approximately 1/8" thick.
- Heat an inch of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- When the oil is hot, lightly fry the plantain 1 1/2-2 minutes on each side, or until they brown lightly.
- Drain the plantain slices on paper towels to absorb excess grease and arrange in layers in the baking dish as you would the mashed plantains.
- Transfer leftover pastelón to an airtight food storage container and keep it in the fridge for 3 days.
- Reheat leftovers in the microwave on high heat until warmed through or cover the leftovers and reheat the pastelón in a 300°F oven for 10 or 15 minutes.
- Any reheated leftovers should be discarded.
- You can make the picadillo 2 months ahead of when you plan to use it and freeze it; or you can make it 2 days ahead and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. You don't need to warm up the picadillo before assembling the pastelón.
- To Freeze An Unbaked Pastelón:
- After assembling the pastelón in a freezer-safe dish or disposable pan, skip pouring the egg mixture over the pastelón.
- Add the final portion of shredded cheese, then wrap the pan in a couple of layers of plastic wrap and one layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
- Freeze the pastelón for up to 3 months.
- Thaw the pastelón in the fridge for 24 hours (or until completely thawed), then pour the egg-baking soda mixture over and bake as instructed above.
- To Freeze A Baked Pastelón:
- Bake the casserole in a freezer-safe dish, then allow it to cool completely.
- Once cool, wrap the pastelón in a 2 layers of plastic wrap and one layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw the pastelón in the fridge for 24 hours and reheat in the microwave or a 300°F oven until warmed through.
Nutrition
Calories: 168kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 604mg | Potassium: 326mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 313IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 382mg | Iron: 1mg