Go Back
–+ servings
a white plate topped with turkey pastelon.

Turkey Pastelon

This turkey pastelon recipe is inspired by the classic Puerto Rican layered beef and plantain dish. Instead of the traditional picadillo, I’m swapping the beef for turkey and using my air fryer to keep the plantains a little healthier.
No ratings yet
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Course dinner
Cuisine caribbean, english
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

-For the Plantains-

-For the Pastelon-

For Serving

Instructions
 

-For the Plantains-

  • Peel the super ripe plantains and cut the ends off.
  • Spray all the plantains with cooking spray and place them in the air fryer basket at 350F degrees for 15 minutes.
  • Then remove them from the air fryer basket and lay them on a parchment lined cutting board. Add another piece of parchment paper on top and grab another cutting board. Smash the plantain down until it’s uniformly about ¼” thin.
  • Place each smashed plantain back in the air fryer basket (either one at a time or spaced equally apart depending on the size of your air fryer) and spritz with a little more cooking spray. Cook for 5 more minutes at 375F degrees or until golden yellow.

-For the Pastelon -

  • Preheat your oven to 350F degrees.
  • Meanwhile, add olive oil, onion, and bell pepper to a frying pan over medium heat. Add a pinch of salt and stir, cooking down for 3-5 minutes or until softened.
  • Scoot the onions and peppers to one side and add the ground turkey. Let it sear for 2 minutes then use a spatula to break it up into tiny crumbles before mixing it into the cooked peppers and onions.
  • Once the meat is crumbled and almost done cooking, add the taco seasoning packet and the can of fire roasted tomatoes and salt.
  • Cook this mixture for a few more minutes or until all the meat is totally cooked through and the liquid has reduced.
  • Once the plantains are done, add 2 of the smashed plantains to the bottom of a greased 13x13 baking dish.
  • Then add half the turkey and ⅓ of the shredded cheese. Add the remaining two smashed plantains on top then the rest of the turkey and the rest of the cheese.
  • Bake for 20 minutes at 350F degrees then turn the broiler on for the last 2 minutes just to brown the cheese on top.
  • Remove the pastelon from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
  • I like to top mine with my cilantro garlic sauce and a scoop of my cherry tomato pico de gallo which are linked in the ingredients above

Video

Notes

I like to top mine with my cilantro garlic sauce and a scoop of my cherry tomato pico de gallo.
Keyword air fryer, dinner
Did you make this recipe?Tag me on instagram @grilledcheesesocial so I can see it!