You call this lasagna?

The reaction is always the same.

"You call this lasagna?" they say.

"I do," I reply. "It's Puerto Rican lasagna."

While made in the same manner as Italian lasagna, it's completely different. Instead of layers of pasta we have layers of sweet fried plantains atop a savory beef filling.

In Spanish, this dish is called "Pastelon de Carne." I learned about this recipe while attending a friend's birthday party many years ago.  When I first saw her prepare this dish I thought it would taste strange.  But, once I tasted the dish I immediately loved it. I love the taste and smell of sweet plantains; I also love Italian food. Here, I have them both in one dish!

Every time I make this dish either for a potluck or at home it is always a hit because it's so unique.  If you have leftover it tastes even better.  You can prepare the ground beef with Puerto Rican flavor (see directions below) or the way you normally prepare ground beef for your favorite pasta dish.  You can also use fresh ripe plantains.  All you need to do is slice and fry them.

The ingredients for this recipe are:

1 tablespoon of olive oil

8 tablespoons of Goya Sofrito

2 pounds of lean (93/7) ground beef

1 tablespoon of Goya Abodo

1 tablespoon of oregano

1 jar of Ragu Flavored with Meat Sauce

4 packages of frozen Goye Ripe Plantains

2 eggs

Directions:

Pour the olive oil in a frying pan and saute the Sofrito for a couple of minutes.  Add the meat and cook until brown.  As the meat is browning, add the Adobo and oregano.  Once the meat has browned, add the spaghetti sauce.  Let it cook together for about five minutes.

Defrost the plantains and start layering a 5 1/2 by 9 inch dish with the plantains.  Once the bottom layer is done add a layer of meat.  Make sure to leave room for your top layer of plantains.  Now, place the top layer of plantains.  Beat the eggs and carefully pour it on top.  Place the pan in a 350 degree oven until the eggs are fully cooked, this should take about 15 minutes.

You are now ready to enjoy this new take on lasagna.  Bon appetit!