Come and see how to make this delicious Vegan ripe plantain pastelón, and if you have vegan guests, or if you or someone in your family doesn't eat meat, you don't have to miss out on one of Dominicans' favorite dishes, one which is surely our most popular pastelón.
By - Reviewed: . Original: Nov 24, 2025
Why we ❤️ it
Our blog features dozens of vegetarian and vegan and recipes, many of which are traditional recipes that have been adapted so that our vegetarian readers can enjoy our flavors.
This is one of those recipes you can serve and everyone at the table will enjoy, with a delicious vegan picadillo filling and the subtle sweetness of ripe plantains.
Fillings
For this vegan meatloaf, I used my vegan mince recipe, made with lentils, mushrooms, and vegetables, with a texture very similar to that of traditional ground beef filling.
Another possible candidate is the vegan vegetable mix filling, or if you're feeling adventurous, you can make a textured soy meat mince that would also work very well.
Pastelon vegano de plátano maduro (Dominican vegan casserole).
Serving suggestions
You can serve this pastelón with a salad, as it is almost a complete meal.
For Christmas, New Year's, or Thanksgiving dinner, serve it with Moro de guandules (a vegan dish) and Pasteles en hoja with vegan filling, the vegan version of Ensalada de coditos, and Kipe vegano horneado.
As a main course, you can serve this Plato fuerte vegano navideño. And don't forget to toast with our Ponche vegano (vegan "eggnog").
Top tip
- Cheese: If you have a favorite brand of vegan cheese, you can get about a cup to cover the pastelón with it before baking.
- Panko: Another option is to mix panko with a little olive oil and cover the pie before baking. The panko will give it a crunchy touch. For a little cheese/umami flavor, you can add a little nutritional yeast to the panko.
- Prepare in advance: This is one of those dishes that improves with resting time. You can prepare it the day before (do not bake), refrigerate, and bake just before serving.
About this recipe
Although this is not a traditional Dominican recipe, it is inspired by the traditional ripe plantain casserole, but in keeping with our custom of offering vegan and vegetarian alternatives to our readers, as we have done with a vegan sancocho and a vegan asopao, among others.
If you have any tips or secrets to improve this dish, share them in the comments!
Recipe
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Pastelon Vegano de Platano Maduro
Equipment
Ingredients
Vegan picadillo filling
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large red onion, finely chopped
- 4 large portobello mushrooms, or 8 porcini mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- ½ cup lentils, [120 g] raw brown lentils, rinsed
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon oregano, dried and ground
- 1 teaspoon salt, or more, to taste
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1½ tablespoons soy sauce
- ¼ cup curly parsley, chopped
To assemble the pastelón
- 6 ripe plantains
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup olive oil, divided
- ¼ cup minced parsley, to garnish
Instructions
1. Make the filling
You can see instructions and a video for this recipe.
2. Boil the plantains
Peel the plantains and boil them in a pot, adding 1 teaspoon of salt to enough water to cover the plantains plus 1 inch [2.5 cm].When the plantains are cooked (about 15 minutes), remove from heat.
3. Mash the plantains
- Remove the plantains from the water and mash them, adding half of the olive oil until they become a very smooth purée.
4. Make the pastelón
- Brush the bottom of a (6 x 9 inch [15 x 21 cm]) baking pan with olive oil. Place half of the plantains in the baking pan and spread evenly with a fork.Cover with the vegan picadillo filling, then with the remaining plantains, spreading in even layers.Brush the top layer of plantains with olive oil.
5. Bake
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350ºF [175ºC] until the plantains are slightly browned.
6. Serve
- It is easier to remove from the pan if you wait about 5 minutes after taking it out of the oven.Garnish with parsley before serving.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
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