Pastel de Choclo (Chilean Beef and Corn Casserole)

Recipe video above. Meet my new favourite way to turn beef mince and a big bag of frozen corn into dinner! This is Pastel de Choclo, a classic Chilean casserole with a spiced onion beef filling and a thick corn topping that bakes up lightly caramelised, with surprise pockets of olives, raisins and boiled egg tucked inside. It's like South America's answer to Cottage Pie! Hearty, comforting, something a little difference, I love the combination of the sweet corn pudding with the savoury beef filling. PS Frozen corn is super convenient but gosh, imagine making it with fresh summer corn?Recipe credits: Inspired by a visit to La Paula, a wonderful Chilean establishment in Fairfield, Sydney, and developed with reference to a number of recipes, listed in the blue box above the video.

👥 8 Servings⏱️ Prep & Cook: 1h 50m⏳ Prep: 20 min🔥 Cook: 1h 15m👤 Nagi📖 recipetineats

View Original Recipe

Share this recipe

🥘 Ingredients

Check off ingredients as you prepare them:

🍳 Cookware

●oven
●pan
●stove
●pot
●blender

📝 Preparation Steps

Preheat oven to 200°C/390°C (180°C fan-forced).

Beef filling:

Cook beef - Heat the oil in a large 30cm/12" pan over high heat. Add the beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until you no longer see red. Cook for another couple of minutes, breaking up the beef into fine pieces. Remove beef from the pan using a slotted spoon, leaving the fat and juices behind.

Cook onion - To the same pan, add the onion and garlic. Cook for ⏱️ 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onion is translucent.

Simmer and reduce - Add the beef and mix through. Stir in the spices. Add the flour and mix until you no longer see flour. Add the stock and stir - it will thicken into a gravy quite quickly, coating the beef. Lower heat to medium and cook for ⏱️ 5 minutes, stirring regularly so the base doesn't catch, until the mixture is thick enough so you can draw a path across the base of the pan and it stays.

Remove from stove and spread in a 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13") pan, then set aside and let it cool while you make the corn.

Corn layer:

Sauté - Melt the butter in a pot over medium high heat. Add corn (still frozen is fine) and cook for ⏱️ 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

Blitz - Add milk, salt and basil. Stir, then use a stick blender to blitz ~ ⏱️ 30 seconds (moving it around) or until you no longer see whole corn kernels. It won't be complete smooth which is what you want.

Thicken - Stir in cornmeal. Lower heat to medium or medium low so it's not spitting. Cook for ⏱️ 5 minutes, stirring regularly so the base doesn't catch. It should be thick enough to mound in a heap on the spoon, and when you draw a path across the base it should stay in place.

Assemble and bake:

Assemble - Press the eggs into the beef, scatter with olives and raisins.

raisins (or sultanas)2 tbsp

Corn topping - Dollop the corn mixture across the surface then spread and smooth the surface. Sprinkle all over with the sugar, then paprika (sprinkle from a height for light coverage).

paprika (regular/sweet, not spicy or smoked)1 tbspPinch paprika

Bake for ⏱️ 40 - 45 minutes until the surface is golden. Cool ⏱️ 15 minutes to let it set a bit so you can cut neat(ish) slices, then cut like lasagna and serve!

Nutrition Facts

calories

537 kcal

fat Content

25 g

serving Size

1 serving

fiber Content

6 g

sugar Content

11 g

sodium Content

841 mg

protein Content

35 g

trans Fat Content

1 g

cholesterol Content

135 mg

carbohydrate Content

48 g

saturated Fat Content

9 g

unsaturated Fat Content

13 g

Reviews & Ratings

Share your thoughts and feedback about this recipe

Write a Review

Community Feedback

0 Reviews

Loading reviews...