This pastel de choclo is a unique and delicious casserole recipe! Beef is topped with a cream of corn mixture and then baked. The result is a sweet, savory, and delicious casserole that is guaranteed to mix up your everyday dinner!
I’m a midwestern girl, which means that casseroles (and corn recipes) are big in my household. My mom doesn’t cook very much, but she did have about 5 favorite recipes she would make when we were growing up, about three of which were casseroles….
There’s something about a casserole that makes the dinner table feel so much like home. One big dish filled with everything you need– vegetables, meat, sauces– steaming hot and waiting to be dug into. I love a good casserole! Apparently, so too, do the Chileans!
What is Pastel de Choclo?
This Pastel de Choclo is a really fun rendition of a casserole. Vaguely shepards-pie-like in structure, it’s familiar to Western taste. What’s more exciting though, is the topping of this casserole. Instead of mashed potatoes, corn is blended up in a blender and mixed with spices to top the meat in the casserole dish.
The other interesting part about this pastel de choclo is the other ingredients in the base of the casserole dish. Not only does the casserole dish include beef, it also features chicken, hard boiled eggs and raisins.
For some of us, this may sound like a strange combination… normally unheard of in dishes in America. But give it a chance and I promise you’ll love it. This casserole is delicious!!
What Ingredients are in Pastel de Choclo?
Ground beef
Olive oil
Onions
Cumin
Paprika
Corn kernels
Milk
Butter
Hard boiled eggs
Roasted chicken
Raisins
Cayenne pepper
Paprika
Fresh basil
How to Make the Corn Topping
If you have a blender or food processor, add the corn and ¼ cup milk and pulse until a cream is created. Then add the spices and pulse again. Pour this blend into a medium-sized pan with butter and another ½ cup milk. Mix this combination on the stove until the mixture begins to bubble. This is how you know it is ready!
To Add Sugar or Not to Add Sugar?
I know what you’re thinking… Why are you bringing up sugar when this is a casserole recipe? I’ll tell ya!
When Chileans make pastel de choclo, they sometimes will stir sugar into the corn topping to make it sweeter. You can choose to add the sugar or omit. I personally elected to keep my pastel de choclo sugar-less, though I’m sure sugar would be an interested addition. Maybe I’ll try it next time!
If you add sugar to your corn topping, make sure to leave a comment telling me what you thought.
What Kind of Chicken Should I Use in My Filling?
I was kind of lazy when I was making my pastel de choclo, so I chose to travel the path of least resistance. My family regularly buys a rotisserie chicken from our grocery store every week, which we use in meal prep or salad situations. (If you’d like to try making your own oven-roasted rotisserie chicken, try this recipe from A Mindfull Mom).
Instead of cooking chicken for this recipe, I used the pre-cooked rotisserie chicken. This made the process of cooking this dish a lot faster than it could have been, which is always welcome.
Did you like this pastel de choclo recipe? Then you should also check out these other Foreign Fork casserole recipes!:
Thanks for reading everyone! If you loved this recipe, leave a comment and let me know what you think!
Pastel de Choclo
Ingredients
Beef Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp Salt
- Pepper to taste
- 3 hard boiled eggs
- 1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
- ¼ cup Raisins
Corn Topping Ingredients:
- 3 cups corn kernels
- ¾ cup milk, separated
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, more or less to taste
- ¼ tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped basil
Instructions
Beef Mixture
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.
- In a large pan on the stove, heat olive oil and then add chopped onions.
- Cook onions for about 5 minutes, until they turn translucent.
- Add the ground beef and spices into the pan and cook until meat is browned.
- Remove meat from heat and mix in raisins, hard boiled eggs, and chicken.
Corn Topping:
- In a food processor or blender, add corn and ¼ cup milk. Pulse until the corn is completely blended and forms a cream.
- Transfer this mixture to a medium-sized pot on the stove. Stir in butter, salt, cayenne, paprika, and another ½ cup milk.
- Stir until the butter melts and then continue stirring until mixture begins to bubble. Add in the basil and stir again.
Assembly:
- In a large casserole dish, lay the meat mixture. Pour the corn mixture over the meat.
- Place in the oven, uncovered for about 40 minutes, or until the corn mixture starts to stiffen and brown.
- Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before enjoying.
- Leave a comment letting me know what you thought of this recipe!
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