“When it comes to Puerto Rican comfort food, arroz con pollo or mofongo are usually the first dishes that come to mind. But I’m here to tell you about piñon,” writes recipe developer Gabriella Vigoreaux. “Like its close cousin pastelón, this cheesy layered casserole is often compared to lasagna, but the flavors couldn’t be more different. Ground beef is simmered with sofrito and tomato, then studded with raisins and olives to make a picadillo. Layered with mozzarella and fried sweet plantains and baked, it makes the ultimate sweet- and-savory mash-up. I’m willing to wager that no two Puerto Rican families make piñon the same way, and this is my family’s version, taught to me by my grandmother, Helga, and her sister Elsie. (I choose to omit what some would consider an essential ingredient, canned French green beans. This is not because I balk at canned vegetables—I just don’t like green beans!) You can add a couple layers of green beans into the mix if you want. Use store-bought adobo seasoning or make it yourself. Store-bought is much saltier than homemade, so if you go that route, don’t salt the meat or the sofrito.”
All products featured on Bon Appétit are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through the retail links below, we earn an affiliate commission.
What you’ll need
Cutting Board
$10 At IKEA
.jpg)
Food Processor
$63 At Amazon
Chef's Knife
$34.53 At Amazon
Measuring Cups
$28 At Bon Appétit Market
Measuring Spoons
$10 At Bon Appétit Market
Large Skillet with Lid
$40 At Amazon
Wooden Spoon
$7 At Amazon
13x9" Baking Dish
$20 At Amazon
Small Bowl
$15 At Amazon
Whisk
$10 At Amazon
.jpg)
Ingredients
4
1
4
1
1
6
1
½
1
1
1
½
¼
3
1½–2
Preparation
Step 1
Make the sofrito: Peel 4 garlic cloves and place in a food processor; pulse to chop. Coarsely chop 1 medium onion, 4 ají dulce peppers or 1 red bell pepper, 1 Cubanelle pepper or green bell pepper, and 1 small bunch culantro or cilantro and add to food processor. Pulse until combined but still slightly textured (like a tapenade). Set aside.
Step 2
Using the tip of your knife, make shallow lengthwise cuts in the skin of 6 ripe (yellow) plantains (about 4 lb.) to score, then peel. Slice each plantain in half crosswise, then slice in half lengthwise to make 4 pieces for each. Halve each piece lengthwise again (you should end up with 8 thin slices per plantain). If you're feeling fancy, you can also skip the crosswise slice and go for thin, full-length plantain slices, like in the photo.
Step 3
Heat 1 cup vegetable oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high. Working in batches, fry plantains in a single layer, turning halfway through, until golden brown, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to paper towels to drain, sprinkle with kosher salt, and let cool. Reserve oil for another use or discard. Reserve skillet.
Step 4
Slice ½ cup pimiento-stuffed manzanilla olives crosswise and set aside. Heat 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in reserved skillet over medium. Add 1 cup sofrito (freeze extra sofrito in ice cube trays, then transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container; use whenever you’re starting a recipe with sofrito!) and 1 cup tomato sauce and cook, stirring, until sofrito begins to soften, 5 minutes. Add 1 lb. lean ground beef and 1 Tbsp. homemade or store-bought adobo seasoning and cook, stirring, until browned, about 8 minutes. Add ½ cup raisins, ¼ cup dry red wine, and reserved olives. Cover skillet (use a baking sheet if you don’t have a lid), reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 minutes. This is your picadillo.
Step 5
Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly coat a 13x9" baking dish with oil. Whisk 3 large eggs in a small bowl. Arrange a third of the fried plantain slices in baking dish in a single layer, piecing together any broken ones. Top with half of the picadillo, then ½ cup shredded mozzarella. Repeat with half of remaining plantains, remaining picadillo, and another ½ cup shredded mozzarella. Top with remaining plantains. Pour whisked eggs evenly over and let sink in.
Step 6
Bake piñon, uncovered, until set, 20–25 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining ½–1 cup shredded mozzarella (depending on your level of ). Return to oven and bake until cheese is melted, about 4 minutes. Let piñon cool 5–10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.
Leave a Review
Reviews (38)
Back to TopI have made this dish several times now, and I absolutely love it. However, I did slightly adapt the original recipe to suit my preferences. First, double the Piccadillo, otherwise it's starch heavy w/ too many plantains. Second, not an adaptation of the original but I do use homemade adobo seasoning. The store bought adobo has FAR too much salt. Third, simmer Piccadillo w/ o lid to reduce by 1/3 to 1/2. This way it may it easier for eggs to set but still have plenty of sauce. Optional steps I did on my second time are using the air fryer for the plantains, ground turkey rather than ground beef, and omitted the cheese for authenticity and to reduce fat. Overall, I didn't notice a difference in flavor between the turkey and the beef. The plantains did take longer to cook with different texture when using air fryer, but worth it for reduction in fat. Its just as good without cheese as the flavor, just depends on your wish to maintain authenticity to traditional version.
Anonymous
Houston, TX
10/21/2021
This looks so delicious! I don’t love frying things in oil. I can be a messy cook and I always make a mess when I try to fry something. Is there a way to bake the plantain slices to brown/crisp them a little?
Anonymous
Washington, DC
10/19/2021
It definitely sounds and looks super good and simple to make! I will certainly try this version of it ! Thanks!
Nieve
Fairfield, ct
7/3/2021
Very happy with this dish, and I'll make it again. And again! We're not big meat eaters, but I'll make an exception for this. Recipe was made as printed, and we thought it was was delicious! Decadent, with all of that meat and cheese, but such a nice treat. So, to be clear -if I understand this correctly, yellow plantains, when completely ripe are completely black. And very, very sweet. Did not add green beans. I made extra sofrito and froze it, and it was fine for batch #2. The raisins, the olives - the whole sweet/salty thing was really nice.
Cook-E
Philadelphia Burbs
3/21/2021
I wanted to like this more. The picadillo had good flavor but I agree with others that the plantains were the issue. I cooked the plantains longer than the recipe advised just to get them softer in texture, but they needed to be even softer than they turned out. I would have also liked more 'sauce' in the dish - if I made this again I would use all the sofrito to get that sauciness.
Anonymous
Atlanta, GA
1/10/2021
Mi madre no era puertorriqueña y en mi casa comiamos los domingos este manjar y como dice aqui oh en mi casa lo llamamos pastelon de platanos maduros y vainitas mi madre las comprabas fresca las blanqueaba y cortadas a la juliana la agregaba al pastelon ustedes les llaman judias, sabroso con todos los ingredientes, gracias por compartir tan hermosos recuerdos para mi🇩🇴🇩🇴🇩🇴🇩🇴 desde República Dominicana besos
Ana María
República Dominicana
11/27/2020
I *mostly* liked this one. I agree with another reviewer that the plantains made it a little too thick and starch-heavy. I think in the future, I would half the number of plantains and slice them into thinner pieces, and maybe double the picadillo (which was DELICIOUS)....and I will never ever be shamed into omitting cheese, sorry yall :P Definitely making it again, just with modifications!
Anonymous
Missoula MT
11/19/2020
My family did not enjoy this recipe.Although I am a very experienced home chef I still follow recipes exactly an the first pass then change if I think adjustments need to be made This recipe is entirely too heavy with plantains and they recommended cooking time was not long enough and had too cook twice as long. The meat was delicious and I’ll probably use the spices in the future as it is basically a picadillo taco flavor mix.This dish will not be repeated.
Anonymous
Houston, TX
11/7/2020
NO Cheese! Never! Adding cheese to everything is how US cooks ruin international food.
Anonymous
Puerto Rico
10/26/2020
If caponata & lasagna had a love-child in Puerto Rico this would be it. And my Italian parents enjoyed it :)
Anonymous
San Diego, CA
10/17/2020
Cheese? In piñon? Blasphemy! 😂
Anonymous
Upstate New York
10/16/2020
Thank you for this recipe. It it sweet, savory, and has the best textures! I made the picadillo a day ahead then heated it up after frying the plantains and it made the dish feel quicker- plus I think picadillo only gets better after a day or two. This is definitely my new favorite comfort food!
cronima
Maine
10/15/2020
Made this last night and it was AMAZING! Love love love this recipe. So delicious
Anonymous
Georgia
10/7/2020
I grew up eating this fish! My mom used to make this for us all the time with green beans (not canned but frozen, thawed) and without raisins. She also used queso blanco instead of mozzarella. I do love that every family has their own variation! I was wondering if this is something that could be prepped in the morning then baked at night? Thanks for the recipe! Can’t wait to try it!
RamirezCarolina
Jersey City
10/7/2020
This brings back memories of my abuela's cooking. The recipe is very close to how she would make it. Thanks!
Anonymous
Tampa, FL
10/6/2020