Beef and Plantain Pasteles

By Lauren Mitchell, Test Kitchen Director · Reviewed by AislePrompt Editorial · Published 2026-04-15 · Updated 2026-04-15

Authentic Puerto Rican pastries filled with spiced ground beef and mashed plantains, wrapped and steamed to perfection. This puerto rican-inspired beef ready in about 65 minutes pairs ground beef, diced carrots, diced green bell pepper for a weeknight-friendly dinner that comes together with one pan and minimal cleanup. Each serving lands at about 300 calories and feeds 8, so it slots cleanly into a weekly meal plan and pairs well with a quick salad or grain on the side. Tap "Plan a meal with the AI" below to drop this recipe into your week and send the ingredients straight to Instacart. Nutrition values are approximate, calculated from USDA FoodData Central (fdc.nal.usda.gov) — verify against ingredient labels for any health-driven dietary plan.

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup (tomatoes, green peppers, onions, garlic, culantro) sofrito
• 1/4 cup, diced carrots
• 1/4 cup, diced green bell pepper
• 1/2 tsp adobo seasoning
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 4 large, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick green plantains
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup water

Instructions

1. Step 1: Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add sofrito, carrots, and bell pepper, and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add ground beef, adobo, salt, and pepper, and cook for 8 minutes until beef is browned.
2. Step 2: In a pot, bring 1 inch of water to a simmer. Add plantain slices and cook for 10 minutes until tender. Drain and mash with a fork until smooth.
3. Step 3: Stir flour, salt, and water into mashed plantains until a cohesive dough forms. Divide into 8 portions. Place one portion on a banana leaf (or parchment), flatten into a circle, add a spoonful of beef filling, fold to enclose, and seal edges. Steam seam-side down for 20 minutes.