"Pastelitos" from Honduras Recipe – Ouachita Baptist University

ground beef

🥗Healthier: ground turkey

💰Cheaper: canned beans

Ground turkey reduces fat while beans offer a vegetarian option.

cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: cream cheese

Nutritional yeast is lower in calories and adds a cheesy flavor.

butter

🥗Healthier: coconut oil

💰Cheaper: margarine

Coconut oil is a healthier fat alternative.

black olives

🥗Healthier: green olives

💰Cheaper: no olives

Green olives provide a similar briny flavor.

Begin by filling a pot with oil, enough to submerge pastelitos when frying. Heat over medium heat. Or, use an air fryer.

In a pan, cook ground beef, onions and minced garlic, adding salt and pepper to taste until meat is brown and cooked through.

Meanwhile, place potatoes in a separate pan and bring to a boil. Once they reach a boiling point, after about 10 minutes, peel and cut into dice shapes.

For the dough mixture, mix all ingredients in a bowl, starting with 1 cup of chicken broth and adding more as needed to make the dough pliable.

Make balls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Place dough between two pieces of parchment paper, then use a large salad plate and press plate down on top of the dough to flatten.

Fill the dough with the meat mixture and pinch closed, ensuring the borders are touching.

Fry in a pan, or using an air fryer, for 3-4 minutes or until golden in color. Place on a plate lined with paper towels.

For the cabbage mixture, cut the green and red cabbages into thin strips, shred the carrot, dice the tomatoes and cucumber, and mix together.

Place the pastelitos (usually 3) on a plate, top them off with the cabbage mixture, and pour a teaspoon of the tomato sauce. Finish by adding some sprinkles of shredded cheese! Enjoy!

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens