This Pastelón de yuca recipe is one of our favorite pastelón recipes and a fabulous choice for family get-togethers and potlucks. Everyone will love its layers of buttery yuca purée, the delicious melted cheese, and creamiest chicken filling in this cassava and chicken casserole.
By - Reviewed: . Original: Apr 23, 2003
Why we ❤️ it
We Dominicans love our pastelones. And while this isn't the most popular one (that title goes to Pastelón de plátano maduro), nobody will turn down this Pastelón de yuca.
If you know yuca, you know of its creamy consistency and buttery flavor; imagine it combined with loads of bubbly cheese and a creamy, flavorful filling. But I also give you the choice to use other fillings to adapt it to your preferences.
Fillings for pastelón de yuca
The most popular filling for pastelones (Dominican casserole dishes) is our minced beef filling, but I find that it overwhelms the delicate, buttery flavor of yuca, so my go-to choice is this creamy chicken filling.
For this chicken filling you'll need chicken breasts, parsley, garlic, salted butter, white onion, all-purpose flour, milk, and Parmesan or Pecorino cheese.
You can also make a meatless version with my favorite vegan mince recipe. See here many more pastelón filling recipes you can try.
Cassava and chicken casserole.
Serving suggestions
We typically include one or more pastelones for our Christmas feast and all our December parties, so you can make this for holiday parties, but it is simple enough to serve any day of the week.
For weekday meals, you can serve it with some salad, like our Dominican cabbage salad.
Top tips
- Making in advance: This is a great dish to make in advance. You can have the filling ready and refrigerate it for up to 3 days. The yuca purée can also be made beforehand, but add the milk, butter, and eggs right before assembling. If you'll serve it the same day, you can refrigerate it assembled and bake it right before serving.
- Meatless version: To make a meatless version, you can use one of our vegan fillings.
- Vegan version: To make a vegan version, don't add eggs to the yuca mash, and use olive oil and non-dairy milk instead of milk and butter. You may need to add extra liquid to make up for the missing butter. You can use your favorite vegan cheese substitute and one of our vegan fillings.
About this recipe
This is the odd recipe that, while not strictly traditional, a Dominican won't bat an eye if served this dish.
The creamy, oniony chicken filling is perfect for this dish. And, of course, there has to be cheese, so I was very generous with the cheese. In this case, I used mozzarella layered between yuca and meat and added some parmesan to the chicken to elevate its flavor.
This is a sure hit in my family, and I'd love to hear if you have a preferred combination for your Pastelón de Yuca.
Video
Recipe
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Pastelón de Yuca [Video+Recipe] Cassava and Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 1½ pound yuca (cassava), , peeled and washed
- ½ cup milk (whole or skim)
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 egg (medium)
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
For the filling
- Creamy chicken filling, (recipe with video)
To assemble
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 cups grated mozzarella
Instructions
1. Boiling yuca
Cut the cassava into small pieces and boil until it is cooked through, after adding salt to the water. Remove from the water and discard the water.
2. Combining
- Mix yuca with milk, butter, and egg, then mash until it becomes a soft puree (if you have a potato ricer [Amazon affiliate link] use it to obtain a smoother puree). Set the cassava puree aside.
3. Assembling
- Grease a mid-sized baking pan 8 x 8 inches [20 x 20 cm] with the butter. Spread half of the mashed yuca, smoothing it out to obtain a level layer. Top with half the mozzarella, follow with the chicken filling, spreading into a level layer. op with the remaining mashed yuca. Spread and smooth it. Sprinkle with the rest of the mozzarella.
4. Cooking
- Cooking: Bake in preheated oven at 300 ºF [160 ºC] for 35 minutes, or until the cheese in the edge turns golden brown.
5. Serving
- Remove from the oven and serve hot, best accompanied with a salad.
Cook's Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
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More yuca recipes
Yuca is an ancestral food and one of the Dominican's favorite ingredients, and we've shared all our favorite yuca recipes in our blog. You don't want to miss my favorite Puré de yuca (cassava mash), Yuca al mojo de ajo (cassava with garlic sauce), Yuca encebollada (boiled cassava with red onions) some crispy Yuca fries, and many more.
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