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    Home » Recipes » Casseroles (Pastelones)

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    Pastelón de Papa (Potato and Beef Casserole)

    Pastelón de papa (potato and beef casserole) recipe.

    En Español Recipe ↆ

    Layers of creamy mashed potatoes, stuffed with juicy beef, and lots of melted cheese. Who can resist this pastelón de papa our amazing ground beef casserole with layers of mashed potato and cheese? Not me, for sure!

    Pastelón de papas (potatoes and beef casserole).
    Potato and beef casserole.

    JUMP TO: show ↓
    1. Why we ❤️ it
    2. What's pastelón de papa?
    3. Fillings
    4. Serving suggestions
    5. About our recipe
    6. Video
    7. Recipe

    Why we ❤️ it

    Of course, the king of pastelones is pastelón de plátano maduro - raise your hand if you disagree, but pastelón de papa is one of those dishes that everyone finds very easy to appreciate, which is not the case with all Dominican dishes, which may require a process of adaptation to the criollo taste.

    But not this one, and if it sounds to you like this is the description of a shepherd's pie, you're right, except that these pastelones have a bottom and a top layer of potato puré. It can be almost a complete meal in itself.

    What's pastelón de papa?

    Pastelón de papas is a baked ground beef and potato casserole made with layers of creamy puréed potato, cheese, and juicy ground beef filling cooked in tomato sauce.

    Fillings

    While minced beef pastelon is the most popular version and a very popular dish, here you can find other fillings that will work well if you feel a bit adventurous. You can try our creamy chicken filling, our pulled chicken in tomato sauce, and – with some adaptations – make a vegan version with our vegan mince filling.

    Serving suggestions

    Served with some Dominican salad, this pastelón is a complete meal, but you can also serve it for your potluck, office party, and even as part of the Christmas feast.

    Pastelon de papa (Dominican shepherd's pie).
    Pastelón de papa.

    Pastelón de papa (dominican shepherd's pie).

    About our recipe

    This is a comparatively easy recipe to make. The most important trick is that the filling does not get too dry, but neither so moist that the pie becomes a soup in the oven.

    You can be very flexible with the selection of cheeses, as long as they are cheeses that melt, and that do not have a taste so "soft" that it is drowned out by the flavors of the filling. A little competition in the flavors goes well in this casserole.

    This recipe yields 6 servings, each portion is about 1½ cups in volume.

    Remember to have the filling ready before starting to cook, the instructions for the filling of your choice are a separate recipe.

    If you have any good ideas for making this dish, we will love reading them in the comments.

    Buen provecho!

    Tia Clara

    Video

    Recipe

    This awesome free recipe contains Amazon affiliate links, we receive a small commission from any purchase you make at no extra cost to you. Thanks!

    Pastelon de papa (ground beef and potatoes casserole).
    Keep screen on while cooking

    [Recipe + Video] Pastelón de Papa (Potato and Beef Casserole)

    By: Clara Gonzalez
    Learn how to make pastelón de papa, our amazing ground beef casserole sandwiched between layers of creamy mashed potatoes and lots of melted cheese. It truly is irresistible.
    5 from 8 votes
    Save for Later Send by Email Print Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 1 min
    Total Time 16 mins
    Course Dinner, Lunch
    Cuisine Dominican, Latino
    Servings 6 servings
    Calories 673 kcal

    Ingredients

    Minced beef filling

    • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 red onion, (medium-size, minced [65 g]
    • 3 cloves garlic
    • 1 pound minced beef , [454g]
    • 1 cup tomato sauce 
    • 1 bell pepper , diced
    • 1½ teaspoon salt, (or more, to taste)
    • ½ teaspoon pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground)
    • 1 sprig cilantro, chopped

    Potato Casserole

    • 2 pound potato, [0.9 kg], peeled
    • 1½ teaspoon salt, divided (or more, to taste)
    • 1 cup milk (whole or skim)
    • ¼ cup butter (salted), plus extra for greasing the pan
    • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
    • 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped finely
    • 2 egg yolk, (optional)
    • 2½ cups grated mozzarella, or Cheddar cheese, or both

    Instructions
     

    See the video to make the ground beef filling here

    • Heat oil over medium-low heat. Stir in onion and cook and stir until it turns translucent. Add garlic and cook stirring for a minute.
      Add minced meat and cook over high heat and stir, breaking into small clumps until it browns. 
    • Stirring finished meat
      Pour in tomato sauce, and add bell pepper, salt, and pepper. Stir and cover. Simmer for 3 minutes.
      Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste if needed. Remove from the heat.

    To make pastelon de papa

    • Prepping potatoes
      Boil the potatoes in salted water (½ teaspoon of salt) until they are cooked through. Mash the potatoes, while still warm. A potato ricer (Amazon affiliate link) works best for this, but you can also use a food processor, or simply mash until there aren't any lumps.
      Mix in potatoes, milk, butter, garlic powder, and salt to taste. Mix in parsley and yolks.
    • Assembling
      Grease a 9-cup baking pan. Spread half of the potato mash in the baking pan, and cover with half the cheese. Top with the meat filling, followed by the remaining potato mash. Top with the remaining half of the cheese.
    • Baking
      Cook in a preheated oven at 350 ºF [170 ºC] for 20 minutes, or until the top is a light golden color, and cheese is bubbly.
    • Serving
      Let it rest for a minute or two before serving.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 673kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 30gFat: 46gSaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 180mgSodium: 1820mgPotassium: 1162mgFiber: 5gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 1502IUVitamin C: 60mgCalcium: 336mgIron: 4mg

    Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.

    READERS SEARCHED FOR papas con queso recipe, pastel de papas recipe
    More recipes with: beef, cheese, meat, potato

    Published Dec 21, 2003, revised Dec 22, 2022

    More Casseroles (Pastelones) Recipes for Special Days

    • Easy Pulled Pork Empanadas with Apple (Empanadas de Cerdo)
    • Chorizo Empanadas - Filling and Dough Ideas
    • Beef Empanada Filling - 4 Meat Filling for Empanadas y Pastelones
    • Pastelón en Hoja al Horno (Easy Pasteles Casserole)
    Edited: Dec 22, 2022 | Publish: Jun 8, 2022

    ¡Hola! I am Tía Clara, your host. Thanks for visiting.
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