Vegan Plantain Lasagna (Pastelón)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Course : Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine : Dominican

Did you make this recipe? Tag @fullofplants on Instagram and hashtag it #fullofplants