Pastel De Carne Recipe

Much akin to its culture, Spanish cuisine is dynamic and exudes enthusiasm.

You cannot confidently say you have sampled great foods if you have never tasted the rich flavor of Spanish foods.

What is even more exciting is being able to serve your friends and family exotic Spanish cuisine.

If the idea of experimenting with spicy and meat recipes excites you, pastel de carne is a great option for you.

Pastel de carne is a meatloaf made in a crusty pastry puff.

The origin of pastel de carne is Galicia.

Over time, this amazing dish has found its way onto many dinner tables across the globe.

As the tradition of making pastel de carne moves from one region to another, people adapt new ideas.

We have used traditional ingredients and steps that make the pastel de carne very flavorful.

What is great about pastel de carne is that you can have it for any occasion.

You can have it as a snack or serve it with a heavier accompaniment as a main dish.

Making pastel de carne is easy and does not take much time.

How to make pastel de carne

Ingredients

●1 pound ground beef

●6 bacon slices

●¾ ground pork

●½ teaspoon pepper

●2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

●4 tablespoon Molli Acapullco cooking paste

●2 tablespoons butter

●1 cup bread crumbs

●½ cup chopped onions

●2 eggs

●2 garlic cloves, minced

●½ cup celery, chopped

Instructions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.Melt the butter in a skillet and add garlic, celery, onions, and salt.

Cook the mixture for 5 minutes until all the ingredients are soft.

Turn off the heat and place the skillet on the side to cool.

3.In a large mixing bowl, mix the cooked ingredients with all other ingredients except the bacon.

4.Spread a baking sheet and knead the mixture into an oval loaf shape with your hands.

Place the meatloaf on the baking sheet and put the bacon slices across it.

5.Bake the meatloaf for at least an hour.

6.Serve pastel de carne tastes best when cool.

So, after taking it out of the oven, give about ten minutes to cool before serving.

Secret tips to always get a perfect pastel de carne

High-fat meat of 15 percent or more always makes a moist, delicious meatloaf.

If you must use lean meat, mix the beef with turkey and pork.

Bacon is also a great addition to the meatloaf as it increases the fat percentage.

Take any opportunity to add moisture to your pastel de carne.

Eggs, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard will make your dish flavorful and moist.

Everyone loves a super juicy meatloaf.

Need to save some time?

Instead of chopping your vegetables, you use a food processor.

However, restrain from over-processing the vegetables.

Always use a baking tin that is larger than your pastel de carne.

Filling the baking tin will cause the meatloaf to harden when done.

Ingenious ways of using leftover pastel de carne

Have leftover pastel de carne?

Think outside the box and create something fresh.

Don’t reheat the meatloaf the same way you did yesterday.

Turn your meatloaf into a creative dish or accompaniment.

Meatloaf sandwich

Making a sandwich is one of the most straightforward ways to use your leftovers.

The sandwich is the go-to option if you need to make a quick lunchtime snack.

Add mayonnaise, cheese, or ketchup to the sandwich, and you are good to go.

You can have this sandwich either hot or cold.

Breakfast hash

Crumble up your leftover pastel de carne.

Mix diced onions, bell pepper, potatoes, and the pastel de carne crumble in a bowl.

Finally, add some fried eggs on top and enjoy over breakfast.

Stuffed peppers entrée

Core some bell peppers and fill them with diced pastel de carne leftovers.

To add some flavor, you can combine the meatloaf with some rice, tomato sauce, shredded cheese, and onion.

Meat sauce bolognese

Throw your leftover pastel de carne into a pot and add tomato sauce or gravy, hot sauce, basil, sautéed onion, balsamic vinegar, and Italian seasoning.

Add in some spaghetti, and you have Bolognese.

Soup

You can use pastel de carne in the place of meatballs in an Italian wedding soup.

You can also add the leftovers to make a hearty soup into the minestrone.

Shepherd’s pie

No one can tell when you have used leftover meatloaf to make a shepherd’s pie instead of lamb.

Mix the leftovers with tomato paste, onions, peas, garlic, and carrots.

Pour into the mixture with mashed potatoes and bake.

Chinese fried rice

Use your Spanish pastel de carne leftovers to make a Chinese dish.

You may not have realized it, but most Chinese restaurants serve rice mixed with meatloaf.

Mix some cooked rice, diced vegetables, soy sauce, and hard-boiled eggs to your leftovers and you have a great dish.

Pizza

Making some home pizza?

How about using some of the leftover pastel de carne for your topping?

On top of the cheese, spread some crumbled pastel de carne, mushrooms, pepperoni, and onions.

Chili

To warm your belly on a winter evening, use your pastel de carne to make some delicious chili.

Mix the leftovers with tomatoes, chili powder, kidney beans, jalapenos, and paprika in a pot.

You can add any other ingredient you may like to make the chili as spicy as possible.

Add some sour cream and Mexican blend cheese to make your chili nice and creamy.

Meaty Mac and Cheese

Make your traditional mac and cheese more exciting by adding leftover pastel de carne.

A meaty mac and cheese is more flavorful.

Meatloaf burger

Use your leftover pastel de carne to make a finger-licking burger.

Place your cooked burger patty on a large Kaiser roll and top it with your leftover meatloaf.

On top of the meatloaf, add some corn and mashed potatoes.

You now have a very rich and tasty burger that is very filling.

You can enjoy this burger for dinner or lunch.

Tacos

We can also make a Mexican dish with the leftover Spanish pastel de carne.

Put in some shredded cheddar, jalapeno peppers, sour cream, and lettuce into a hard shell.

Alternatively, make a burrito with beans and rice and top it off with some sweet chili.

FAQs

How many calories are in a pastel de carne?

Pastel de carne contains 5 grams carbohydrates, 9 grams of fat, 15 grams proteins, and a total of 168 calories.

What is the best consistency for a pastel de carne?

A good meat loft should be soft, velvety, and moist as you cut through it.

However, it must hold together as you pick it up.

Dry meatloaf will break into crumbs when you lift a piece to take a bite.

What is the surest way to tell when a pastel de carne is done?

An instant-read thermometer will show you the exact internal temperature of a meatloaf.

Once the internal temperature is above 155 degrees F, you can be sure that your meatloaf is done.

Using the thermometer eliminates guesswork and hence, prevents overcooking.

Why does my pastel de carne always come out dry?

One of the major causes of making a dry meatloaf is over mixing ingredients.

When mixing the cooked vegetables with the other ingredients, gently rum your fingers through them but do not knead.

How can I reduce the greasiness in my pastel de carne?

Place some bread crumbs under the uncooked before putting the meatloaf in the oven.

The bread crumbs will absorb the excess grease.

How can you store cooked pastel de carne?

Tightly wrap your meatloaf in heavy aluminum foil or plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

Well-covered pastel de carne should last up to 4 days in the refrigerator.

Conclusion

Hispanic and South American dishes are full of flavors and aromas that make your taste buds come alive.

You can never go wrong with serving a traditional dish.

Especially for holidays and special occasions, every home deserves a signature dish that they can make their tradition.

Always have the pastel de carne recipe tucked away somewhere to unleash when you want to impress your family and guests.

You can always shake things up in your kitchen and serve extraordinary dishes with some little effort.

Combining dishes from different cultures is easy when using one already existing dish to make another.

Using leftover pastel de carne to create new snacks and dishes is a superb idea.

Do not shy away from trying out new things with your dishes.

Anyway, most great chefs created amazing recipes by accident.

Savory dishes like the pastel de carne go well with more subtle accompaniments like mashed potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, vegetable salads, and roasted carrots.

For the side dish, always go easy on the spice, depending on how spicy or not you have made your pastel de carne.

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