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Chilean

Pastel de choclo

Non-vegetarian

A Chilean summer bake of savoury cumin-spiced beef and onion 'pino' with olives, raisins and egg, under a thick, basil-scented sweetcorn crust caramelised with a sprinkle of sugar.

Pastel de choclo is a Chilean bake, ready in about 1 hour 55 minutes and made with ground beef and sweet corn. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Pastel de choclo baked in a clay dish with a golden corn topping
Photo: Paloma Baytelman from Santiago, Chile / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-2.0
Prep
30 min
Cook
1 h 15 min
Rest
10 min
Total
1 h 55 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
493

Ingredients

6 servings

For the pino

For the corn topping

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oil and cook the onions (opens in a new tab) slowly until very soft and golden. Add the beef, cumin (opens in a new tab), paprika (opens in a new tab), oregano (opens in a new tab) and 1 tsp salt and cook, breaking up the meat, until browned. Add the stock and simmer until moist but not wet, about 10 minutes.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Blend the corn (opens in a new tab) with the basil (opens in a new tab) and milk (opens in a new tab) to a coarse purée. Cook in a saucepan (opens in a new tab) with the butter (opens in a new tab), ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar (opens in a new tab), stirring constantly, until thick like porridge, about 10 minutes.

    Stir constantly — the corn catches easily.

  3. Step 3

    Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 200 °C. Spread the pino in a baking dish (opens in a new tab) and dot with olives (opens in a new tab), raisins (opens in a new tab) and egg (opens in a new tab) slices.

  4. Step 4

    Spread the corn (opens in a new tab) evenly over the top and sprinkle with the remaining sugar (opens in a new tab). Bake until bubbling and the top is golden brown and caramelised, 30–35 minutes. Rest 10 minutes before serving.

    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Chile · Commonly attributedSimilar corn pies are made in Peru, Bolivia and Argentina.More food from Chile
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Casseroles & bakes · Main courses
Cooking method
Oven-baked, Sautéed, Blended
Taste
sweet & savoury, savoury, creamy, herby
Diet
No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Ground beef · Sweet corn · Onion · Cumin · Paprika · Dried oregano
Techniques
Baking · Sautéing · Simmering · Wet grinding · Emulsification

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom milk, butter
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
  • May contain: Celeryfrom beef stock
  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom raisins

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

493 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 366 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 20%
  • Carbohydrate 32%
  • Fat 48%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy493 kcal135 kcal
Protein25.4 g6.9 g
Carbohydrate40.9 g11.2 g
Net carbohydrate36.9 g10.1 g
Sugars20.4 g5.6 g
Added sugars4.2 g1.1 g
Fibre4 g1.1 g
Fat27.5 g7.5 g
Saturated fat9.7 g2.7 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol164 mg45 mg
Sodium843 mg230 mg
Salt equivalent2.1 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
852 mg
Calcium
102 mg
Iron
4.1 mg
Magnesium
83 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
123 µg
Vitamin C
12 mg
Vitamin D
1 µg
Vitamin B12
2.2 µg
Folate (DFE)
85 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • A few minutes under the grill at the end gives a deeper caramelised crust.

Serve with

  • Serve with ensalada chilena (tomato and onion salad).

Food safety

  • Brown the beef until no pink remains.
  • Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and reheat to 74 °C in the centre.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 3 days.

Reheating

  • Reheat covered in a 180 °C oven until hot through.

Variations

  • With chicken (Chile): Many families add a piece of braised chicken to each portion along with the pino.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

The spice and seasoning backbone

Spices, masalas & pastes

Used in step 1

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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