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This vegan plantain lasagna, also known as Pastelón, is a Puerto Rican dish with bolognese sauce layered between sweet and tender banana slices! It’s the perfect combination of sweet and savory flavors. This plant-based version replaces meat with mushrooms, red lentils, and walnuts for a wholesome, family-friendly dish!
Have you guys ever heard of Pastelón? If not, you are missing out on a real treat!
⭐️ Why You Should Try It
- Nutritious. Instead of the traditional meat filling, this vegan plantain lasagna relies on wholesome ingredients such as mushrooms, red lentils, and walnuts, making it a healthy and hearty dish that will leave you energized. Plus, no tofu or vegan meat is required!
- Warming and delectable. The savory and meaty filling balances with the tender, sweet bananas, creating an explosion of flavor in every bite! We love to indulge in this comforting dish during the colder months.
- Crowd-pleaser. The natural sweetness of the bananas in this dish makes it a hit with kids, while grownups will appreciate the slightly spicy and meaty filling.
📘 What is Pastelón
Pastelón is a Caribbean casserole similar to lasagna, except it uses sweet fried plantains instead of pasta sheets. It’s delicious because it’s sweet, salty, and cheesy at the same time!
The original version includes ground meat, cheese, and butter. I replaced the meat with a simple bolognese made with red lentils, mushrooms, and walnuts. The cheesiness comes from a quick and easy vegan cheese sauce.
🍌 Ingredient Notes
Here are the ingredients you will need for the filling:
- Plantains – When it comes to the plantains, make sure to use ripe ones, not green ones. They must have black spots. The plantains should also be tender but not completely soft. Otherwise, you will have trouble frying them without breaking them.
- Red lentils – They add texture and protein to the filling. You can use red lentils or green lentils. Be aware that the latter will give the filling an earthier flavor.
- Mushrooms – Crimini, white button, or oyster mushrooms.
- Onion and garlic
- Walnuts – To give the bolognese more texture and a subtle crunchiness. Use raw walnuts.
- Bell peppers – I went with green bell peppers, but orange or red will work too.
- Diced tomatoes – Use one 14-oz can of diced tomatoes with their juice.
- Spices – Oregano, cumin, and chili. Use chili seasoning, not chili powder.
Then, for the cheesy sauce topping, you will need the following:
- Almond milk – Use unsweetened almond milk or your favorite plant-based milk.
- Cornstarch – To thicken the sauce.
- Nutritional yeast – For a cheesy aroma.
- White miso – For umami, saltiness, and a hint of fruitiness. I recommend using sweet white miso.
- Vinegar – To give the sauce a subtle sourness. You can use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Onion and garlic powder – For extra flavor.
🥣 How to Make It
This layered casserole consists of 3 layers: lentil bolognese, fried sweet plantains, and a cheesy sauce.
Prepare the filling
- Cook the lentils. Rinse the lentils and place them in a saucepan. Add the water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes or until lentils are tender. Drain excess water if needed.
- Set aside. Set the cooked lentils aside while you sauté the aromatics.
- Sauté the aromatics. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the diced onion and garlic and sauté for 3-5 minutes.
- Cook the vegetables. Next, add the mushrooms and bell pepper, and cook for another 5-7 minutes or until the bell peppers are tender.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Add the cooked red lentils, slightly crushed walnuts, oregano, cumin, chili powder, diced tomatoes with their juice, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, and salt. Stir to combine everything.
- Cook for a few minutes. Cook the filling for another 5-6 minutes over medium heat, stirring regularly. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
- Set aside. Remove from heat and set aside while you prepare the bananas.
Fry the plantains
- Peel and slice the plantains. To prepare the plantains, start by carefully peeling them. Then, using a sharp knife, slice them lengthwise into strips. You don’t want the slices to be too thin, or they will break during frying. Depending on the size of your bananas, you want to get 4-5 slices out of each plantain.
- Fry until golden brown. The next step consists of frying the plantain slices until golden brown. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, carefully add the plantain slices and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Repeat until all the slices are fried. Note: do not cook the bananas too long, or they will soften and break.
- Transfer to kitchen paper towels. Gently transfer the banana slices to a plate lined with kitchen paper towels to remove excess oil.
Make the sauce
To make the cheesy sauce that will go on top of the dish:
- Combine all of the ingredients. Add the almond milk, cornstarch, nutritional yeast, miso, vinegar, onion powder, and garlic to a saucepan. Whisk well until the cornstarch is dissolved.
- Heat over medium heat. Heat the mixture over medium heat, whisking regularly until it thickens. Once the sauce has thickened, remove it from the heat and set it aside.
Assemble
The final step consists of layering all of the different preparations in a baking dish. To do so:
- Arrange the bananas. Arrange a layer of plantain slices in a rectangular baking dish. Depending on the size of your baking dish, you should be able to place 5-6 slices.
- Top with the bolognese. Top the bananas with half of the lentil bolognese.
- Add another layer of bananas. Top the bolognese with another layer of plantains.
- Top with the remaining bolognese. Add the remaining bolognese on top of the plantains.
- Pour the cheese sauce. Pour the cheesy sauce on top of the lentil bolognese and spread it into an even layer.
- Top with the remaining banana slices. Finally, top the cheese sauce with one last layer of plantains.
- Bake. Bake the pastelón uncovered for 25-30 minutes in a 350°F (175°C) preheated oven.
If you fear this vegan plantain lasagna will be too sweet, don’t worry! It does have some sweetness, but less than you would probably believe. I find this vegan plantain lasagna to have less sweetness than baked beans, for example. It’s not overly sweet.
📔 Tips
- Use the best-looking bananas for topping. As some plantain slices will slightly break during the frying step, keep these for the filling and save the best-looking ones to put on top for decoration.
- Adjust the saltiness to your liking. Not all brands of diced tomatoes have the same amount of saltiness, so you might have to adjust the salt. Start by using only 1/4 teaspoon of salt and add more if needed.
🧀 Variations
- Make it nut-free. Replace the walnuts with scrambled tofu or tempeh.
- Add smokiness. Give the lasagna a hint of smokiness by adding 1/4 teaspoon of liquid smoke to the filling. It will create an even more warming aroma!
- Use store-bought vegan cheese. If you want to save time, use your favorite store-bought vegan cheese sauce or grated vegan cheese instead of making the cheesy sauce.
🥗 What to Serve It
You can enjoy this pastelón with sliced avocado or a refreshing green salad on the side.
❄️ Storing and Reheating
- To store: This pastelón will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
- To freeze: Let the pastelón cool completely before transferring it to a freezer-safe container. You can freeze it whole or in portions. It will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- To reheat: Cover with foil and reheat for 15-20 minutes in a 350°F (175°C) preheated oven.
💬 FAQ
I do not recommend using regular bananas as it would completely alter the texture and flavor of this dish. Regular bananas would completely melt during baking.
Yes, this dish tastes just as good on day 2! Bake the Pastelón, let it cool completely, and store it in the refrigerator. Next, simply follow the reheating instructions above.
You either used over-ripe bananas or you cooked them for too long. I recommend frying the sliced bananas for no more than 2-3 minutes over medium-high heat.
If you like sweet and salty dishes, don’t miss this recipe! It’s a nice twist on Italian lasagna. The combination of salty bolognese, cheesy sauce, and sweet plantains is simply delicious!
⭐️ Did you like this recipe? Let us know in the comments below, and tag us on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Note: This recipe was first released in May 2018 and was updated in October 2023 with new photos and process shots.
Vegan Plantain Lasagna (Pastelón)
Ingredients
Filling
- 1/2 cup red lentils or green lentils
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 7-8 mushrooms diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper thinly diced
- 1/2 cup walnuts crushed
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp chili seasoning
- 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
Plantains
- 4 ripe plantains
- 1/4 cup frying oil
Cheese Sauce
- 1 and 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 4 tbsp white miso
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
Filling
- Cook the lentils. Rinse the lentils and place them in a saucepan. Add the water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes or until lentils are tender. Drain excess water if needed. Set the cooked lentils aside while you sauté the aromatics.
- Sauté the aromatics. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the diced onion and garlic and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Next, add the mushrooms and bell pepper, and cook for another 5-7 minutes or until the bell peppers are tender.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Add the cooked red lentils, slightly crushed walnuts, oregano, cumin, chili powder, diced tomatoes with their juice, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, and salt. Stir to combine everything.
- Cook for a few minutes. Cook the filling for another 5-6 minutes over medium heat, stirring regularly. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Remove from heat and set aside while you prepare the bananas.
Plantains
- Peel and slice the plantains. To prepare the plantains, start by carefully peeling them. Then, using a sharp knife, slice them lengthwise into strips. You don’t want the slices to be too thin, or they will break during frying. Depending on the size of your bananas, you want to get 4-5 slices out of each plantain.
- Fry until golden brown. The next step consists of frying the plantain slices until golden brown. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, carefully add the plantain slices and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Repeat until all the slices are fried. Note: do not cook the bananas too long, or they will soften and break.
- Transfer to kitchen paper towels. Gently transfer the banana slices to a plate lined with kitchen paper towels to remove excess oil.
Cheese sauce
- Combine all of the ingredients. Add the almond milk, cornstarch, nutritional yeast, miso, vinegar, onion powder, and garlic to a saucepan. Whisk well until the cornstarch is dissolved.
- Heat over medium heat. Heat the mixture over medium heat, whisking regularly until it thickens. Once the sauce has thickened, remove it from the heat and set it aside.
Assemble
- Preheat the oven to
350 °F (175°C). - Arrange the bananas. Arrange a layer of plantain slices in a rectangular 9×7-inch (23x18cm) baking dish.
- Top with the bolognese. Top the bananas with half of the lentil bolognese.Repeat once. Top the bolognese with another layer of plantains and the remaining bolognese on top of the plantains.
- Pour the cheese sauce. Pour the cheesy sauce on top of the lentil bolognese and spread it into an even layer.
- Top with the remaining banana slices. Finally, top the cheese sauce with one last layer of plantains.
- Bake. Bake the pastelón uncovered for 25-30 minutes in a 350°F (175°C) preheated oven or until the top is golden brown.
- Leftovers will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. To reheat, cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 350°F preheated oven for 10-15 minutes.
Notes
- Use the best-looking bananas for topping. As some plantain slices will slightly break during the frying step, keep these for the filling and save the best-looking ones to put on top for decoration.
- Adjust the saltiness to your liking. Not all brands of diced tomatoes have the same amount of saltiness, so you might have to adjust the salt. Start by using only 1/4 teaspoon of salt and add more if needed.
Nutrition
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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