Pastel de Choclo is a traditional Chilean dish with a savoury onion beef filling topped with a thick layer of corn pudding, and surprise pockets of olives, raisins and boiled egg tucked inside. Officially my favourite way to turn beef mince and a huge bag of frozen corn into dinner!
A day out in Fairfield and Pastel de Choclo
The RecipeTin team spent a day in Fairfield, a wonderful multi-cultural suburb in western Sydney with a terrific food scene. It’s especially known for Middle Eastern communities (Lebanese, Iraqi and Assyrian) and Latin American roots, with bakeries, grocers and family run diners everywhere.
It was here that our resident walking food encyclopaedia (my brother) introduced us to a Chilean establishment called La Paula and JB showed off his Spanish speaking skills as he ordered a variety of Chilean classics from completo (Chilean hot dogs) to lomito (pork sandwiches), empanadas to Pastel de Choclo!
What is Pastel de Choclo?
Pastel de Choclo is Chile’s answer to a cottage pie, but with a sweet-savoury twist that makes it completely its own and uniquely South American. A juicy, well-seasoned beef filling is dotted with olives, littered with raisins with pockets of boiled egg, topped with a thick layer of corn pudding that’s naturally sweet and baked until golden. It sounds unusual on paper, but one bite is all it takes to know it just works – comforting, moreish, and exactly the kind of food that tells you everything about a culture in a single spoonful. 🙂 South Americans know good food!!
Ingredients in Pastel de Choclo
Here’s what you need to make this. And in case you’re wondering, 1.25kg / 2.5 lb of corn is not a typo, we need a LOT to make the signature thick layer of corn pudding!!
1. The beef filling
This filling is onion loaded – we need 3 big ones, or 4 to 5 medium ones. It fills it out as well as being a key flavouring here. So don’t skimp on it!
Beef mince (ground beef) – This recipe calls for 1 kg / 2 lb of beef, we’re making a big casserole! Feel free to use low fat if you want, but I like using regular as the fattier meat has better beef flavour (the fat is where much of the flavour is).
Onion – As mentioned above, we need 3 BIG onions, or 4 to 5 medium ones.
Garlic – Where there is onion there is usually garlic! Use 6 big cloves.
Spices – Just paprika and cumin is all we need. Heads up: I use double the typical amount you see in recipes. I initially tried a more normal quantity (usually 1 to 2 teaspoons of each) but just found I couldn’t really taste much in the filling, so I kept dialling it up and up and landed on 1 tablespoon of paprika and 1 1/2 tablespoons of cumin before I finally thought yup, I can taste the spices enough, yay!
Beef stock / broth – From my research, it seems like most recipes opt for water instead but using stock makes a tastier sauce. Essentially we’re making a thick gravy here which moistens the beef filling.
Flour – This thickens the sauce into a gravy that clings to the beef rather than running watery. I use a little more than typical recipes so there’s enough sauce to keep the filling juicy, not dry, but thick enough so you can just scoop up a slice like lasagna without the beef filling running everywhere!
(PS How many times did I say the word BIG in that section? 🤣)
2. CORN TOPPING
I love that this works beautifully with frozen corn, though I’m keen to try it with fresh kernels next summer. And while basil is typical in Chilean versions and adds a subtle herbiness that works so well with sweet corn, it’s not the end of the world if you dom’t include it. I wouldn’t make a special trip to the shops just to get it …… unless a Chilean was coming to dinner. 😅
Corn – As mentioned above, frozen corn is a perfect handy option though if you can get your hands on fresh corn kernels, then wow! And yes, you are reading it right, the recipe calls for 1.25 kg (2 1/2 lb) of corn – 8 cups. Pastel de Choclo is supposed to have a thick layer of the corn pudding, almost as thick as the meat layer. Some recipes are even thicker!
Canned corn – You’ll need 4 1/2 x 400g/14 oz cans, well drained. The can weights include the liquid so they are 280g/9.9oz once drained.
Fine cornmeal or semolina – Just 2 tablespoons lightly thickens the mixture so it holds together enough to slice. The cornmeal needs to be fine, not the more common coarse ground (too gritty). Otherwise, semolina is a near perfect substitute, and plain flour works just fine too – to be honest, I couldn’t tell the difference. 🙂
Note on dry cornmeal sold as “polenta (to make Italian polenta) – this is typically coarse ground so it’s not suitable here, it will leave a noticeable grit in the corn pudding.
Basil – Just 12 or so leaves, for fresh herby flavour. A traditional herb included in the corn pudding layer, though as mentioned above, it’s not the end of the world if you leave it out (I’ve seen Chilean recipes without).
Butter – For sautéing the corn.
Milk – Just a bit, to loosen the mixture slightly to make it easier to blitz, then it’s mostly cooked out to thicken the corn mixture so it sets into a pudding when baked.
Sweetness note – I have seen recipes that add sugar and/or sweetened condensed milk into the corn pudding layer. South Americans love sweet! I personally find the corn sweet enough, and opt for just sprinkling the surface with a little sugar which caramelises in the oven (it’s so good!).
3. THE FINISHING TOUCHES
OK! These are the things that make this dish interesting and really sets it apart from Cottage Pie! 🙂 The pops of briny saltiness from olives and the sweetness of raisins bring contrast and little surprises against the beefy filling and sweet corn pudding layer.
Raisins – The traditional option, though sultanas work just as well.
Olives – Black olives are the traditional option. If you happen to walk past a South American grocery store, grab a jar of Chilean black olives (Aceitunas Negras) though if you don’t, Kalamata olives will do the job nicely (I prefer the softer texture over better value black olives).
Soft boiled eggs – Soft boiled is best so they don’t get pushed into over-cooked-grey-band territory after the oven bake time.
Sugar – Just 1 tablespoon to sprinkle on the surface which creates a light layer of crispy caramelisation and is just chef’s kiss!
Forgot paprika 🙂 For a light sprinkle of red colour against the golden corn topping. Optional!
How to make Pastel de Choclo
It takes longer than a bolognese, but it’s less effort than a lasagne! And remember, it’s a big casserole that will serve 8 adults, and leftovers keep well. 🙂
We will start by cooking the beef filling, then let it cool slightly in the casserole dish while we make the corn topping. This helps the beef filling firm up, making it easier to spread the corn evenly over the top.
1. BEEFY FILLING
Because of the volume of beef and onion, cook them separately as there’s too much to fit in one pan. Otherwise, they’ll steam instead of brown, leaving you with watery beef due to overcrowding and insufficient heat.
Brown beef first – In a large 30cm / 12″ non-stick pan, heat the oil on high heat until hot. Add the beef and cook it, breaking it up as you go, until you no longer see red. Remove the beef into a bowl using a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan.
Cook onion – Still on high heat, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
Return beef into the pan and stir in the spices.
Thick sauce – Add flour and stir it in until you can no longer see it. Then add the stock and stir – it will thicken into a gravy quite quickly, coating the beef.
Cook 5 minutes – Lower the heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes, until the mixture is thick enough that you can draw a path across the base of the pan and it holds. Don’t let it dry out though, nobody wants a dry beef filling, we want it gravy-juicy!
Spread in pan – Transfer the beef into a 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13″) casserole pan and spread it out so the surface is level. Let it cool while you make the corn topping.
2. CORN TOPPING
You wouldn’t think that a mixture made almost entirely with corn with no eggs or flour to bind would set enough in the oven, but it does! Cooking the pureed corn to thicken it is key here, so don’t shortcut the cooking time.
Cook frozen corn in melted butter in a large pot for 5 minutes. This is mostly to thaw the frozen corn, or if you are using fresh corn then this step will partially cook the corn, enough so it will easily puree.
Blitz – Add milk, salt and basil. Stir, then use a stick blender to blitz ~ 30 seconds (moving it around) until you no longer see whole corn kernels. It won’t be complete smooth because the skin of the kernels won’t fully puree which is what you want, it provides welcome texture in the corn layer.
Cook 5 minutes to thicken – Stir in cornmeal then lower heat to medium or medium low so it’s not spitting. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly so the base doesn’t catch.
Thickness – The corn mixture 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. If your mixture is looser than this, then the corn layer won’t set as much when it is baked. It will still taste great though!
Corn mixture done. Now, let’s finish assembling so we can get this in your belly!
3. ASSEMBLE AND BAKE
Egg, olives and raisins – Press the quartered eggs into the beef. I make an indent in the beef slightly to nestle it into the beef (you don’t have to do this), and I arrange them so each serving – assuming 8 servings – will get a piece of egg (you don’t have to do this either!). Then scatter with the olives and raisins.
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).
Bake for 45 minutes until the surface is golden. Cool 15 minutes to let it set a bit so you can cut slices, then cut and serve like you would a lasagna!
What to serve with Pastel de Choclo
Serve your Pastel de Choclo with a fresh, light side salad to balance the richness of all the sweet corn and beefy goodness. The first thing that comes to mind is this Cucumber Salad with Herb Garlic Vinaigrette (fresh-juicy-cucumber-crunchiness is an appealing thought) else this no-mayo Everyday Cabbage Salad or a perky Garden Salad. If tomatoes are in season where you are (they are not here) and looking for a way to use up basil leftover from this recipe, try My favourite Tomato Salad (it is seriously so good, JB taught me how to make it) or this Cherry Tomato Salad.
Love to know what you think if you get a chance to try today’s recipe! Especially the corn pudding layer. I just can’t get enough of it! – Nagi x
Recipe credits and authenticity note
There’s no single “right” way to make Pastel de Choclo – every Chilean family has their own spin. There are actually different versions and forms across South America – cake form, layered casseroles, individual portions, some are made with chopped beef, some have chicken added as well.
I based my version on a bunch of recipes I found online, including Serious Eats, New York Times Cooking and Chilean Food and Garden, plus watching home cooks on YouTube including this one, this one and this one.
Once I got a feel for the basics and what defines a classic Chilean Pastel de Choclo, I pulled together a mash-up of those recipes and tweaked it to get as close as possible to the one we had at La Paula (though theirs is looser than mine, I wanted an almost slice-able version), with plenty of input from my brother Goh who ate his way across Chile.
Chilean Pastel de Choclo FAQ
Assemble it but don’t bake, and don’t sprinkle the sugar on. Fully cool then cover and refrigerate (2 – 3 days) then bake on the day of (you might need to give it an extra 10 minutes as you’re starting from fridge cold, go by the colour of the surface). Oh, don’t forget to sprinkle with sugar just before baking!
FREEZING OPTION – You can also freeze, thaw thoroughly before baking.
INDIVIDUAL PORTIONS – You can also assemble this in individual portions using ovenproof dishes.
Mashed potato! I’d throw in a good handful or two of shredded cheese. 🙂 Use the mashed quantity and directions in my Cottage Pie.
Dual topping option – You could also make the topping half mash, half corn. The mixture of each is stiff enough that you can spread each on half the pie without them bleeding into each other! I’d do the potato first because it’s a little thicker, make a neat wall down the centre of the pie, then fill the other side with the corn mixture.
That’s ok! Leave out what you don’t like. For an alternative to olives, try using pickled jalapeños. They are not very spicy (much less spicy than fresh jalapeños) but will still add a nice pop of brininess.
Note: I’m not a huge fan of fruit with meat, but I like it selectively – usually when spicing is involved, like tagines, pilafs etc. I definitely like it here, and it’s a relatively small scattering compared to the vast quantity of meat!
Watch how to make it
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Pastel de Choclo (Chilean Beef and Corn Casserole)
Ingredients
Beef filling:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 kg / 2 lb beef mince (ground beef)
- 3 large onions , diced (4 – 5 medium ones)
- 6 large garlic cloves , finely minced
- 1/4 cup plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 1 1/2 cups beef stock/broth , low sodium
Beef spice mix:
- 1 1/2 tbsp cumin powder
- 1 tbsp paprika (regular/sweet, not spicy or smoked)
- 1 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Corn layer:
- 50g/ 3 tbsp unsalted butter (or olive oil)
- 1.25 kg/ 2.5 lb frozen corn , still frozen is fine, or kernels cut off corn cobs (8 cups) (Note 1 on canned corn)
- 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/2 cup milk (any fat %, non-dairy is ok too)
- 12 – 15 large basil leaves , optional (Note 2)
- 2 tbsp fine cornmeal or semolina (Note 3)
Assembling / baking:
- 1/4 cup pitted black olives roughly chopped, Chilean or South American (if you can) else Kalamata is fine
- 2 soft boiled eggs , quartered (8 minutes lowered into boiling water)
- 2 tbsp raisins (or sultanas)
- 1 tbsp regular sugar (granulated sugar) , not caster sugar / superfine sugar (Note 4)
- Pinch paprika
Instructions
- 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.
- 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).
- 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!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Remembering Dozer
No reason in particular for sharing this, other than my phone bringing back memories of this day in years gone by, and here’s what popped up. Today 3 years ago, I moved out of my dream home in the Northern Beaches of Sydney, back to the Ryde area to be closer to my foodbank RecipeTin Meals. ❤️
Amongst the boxes and bubble wrap, Dozer parked himself right there like the supervisor of the move, keeping a very close eye on a photo of his younger self to ensure we packed it extra carefully. 🍼
Somehow, in amongst all the packing, I had it in my head to make a silly video of His Royal Highness being ceremoniously relocated ….. as one does. 😆 I feel like we really created our own amusement as watching it now, I’m not laughing at what we’re doing but at how hard we’re laughing!! 🤣
Long live Prince Edward Dozer Maehashi the first! ❤️
Made this tonight (half of the recipe for two adults and two tween kids) with no changes and it was amazing! I would skip the sugar altogether next time but my family smashed this and were excited to find unexpected olives and eggs etc. Totally yum! Thanks Nagi!
I made this substituting Better Than Beef mince and it worked beautifully! I followed your recipe exactly otherwise (except for omitting the raisins for a raisin hating guest) and it was an absolute hit with everyone! Thanks for another gem Nagi
can this be frozen
I made 1/2 recipe as I live along.. I baked it in a 8 ins square pan. It is very delicious and will probably make it again .The amounts given in the recipe was a bit confusing at times. Just how much corn is needed. 5 pounds is a LOT I was also surprised by the amouont of oil that cooked out in the over. I use Kosher beef which is very lot in fat, 5% so I assume that the oil came from the corn.
Will repeat, Thanks.
Can I use polenta in place of semolina/cornmeal?
Hi Annie! Polenta is coarse ground cornmeal so not suitable here, it will leave a grit in the corn pudding. Use semolina or flour instead, I promise you can’t tell the difference, I’ve used both and I couldn’t. 🙂 – N x
Can I use polenta in place of cornmeal/semolina?
Hi Annie! Polenta is coarse ground cornmeal so not suitable here, it will leave a grit in the corn pudding. Use semolina or flour instead, I promise you can’t tell the difference, I’ve used both and I couldn’t. 🙂 – N x
My Chilean ex-husband and made Pastel de Choclo with an extra ingredient that they consider essential – chicken pieces.
They fry bone-in chicken pieces (either a whole chicken cut into pieces or chicken thighs) in oil to brown them, and push them into the layer of onion and mince.
They use the same weight of onion as mince and make sure the onion is well cooked so it becomes sweet and brown. They add oregano to the mince mixture.
They often just use tins of creamed corn, which they say is nearly as good and much easier than using corn kernels.
Note: Every serve must include a piece of chicken, olives and egg.
Yes! I added a note that some versions include chicken too, my, that makes it into a feast!! The one I had from La Paula had chicken in it too, I would like to try making that loaded version one of these days 🙂 Curious about using creamed for for the topping, it is quite looser than blitzed whole corn, I presume something else was mixed in to make it a batter? – N x
You are missing the chicken, traditional pastel de choclo has some shredded chicken between the Pino (meat) and the. Choclo (corn) with the eggs and olives.
Yes! I saw that “fully loaded” ones have chicken as well, I thought I could share that as another version! – N xx
Pastel de Choclo won me a husband so it’s a special meal for me. My now sister-in-law invited me to a family meal and seated me next to her single brother who gladly took all the olives from my serving and thirty years later he is still the happy recipient of any olives
This looks so incredible, but it feels sacrilegious to admit that I don’t like olives 😬 can I just leave them out, or do you have a substitute you’d suggest?
Hi Sarah! Someone had a great idea to use pickled jalapeños which is a terrific idea if you want to still have pops of briny bits inside (they are not that spicy, much less spicy than fresh jalapeños). Else just leave them out (it will be our secret so Chile doesn’t come after you 😉) – N x
Thank you, Nagi! Brilliant idea and I already have them in the fridge. I won’t tell if you don’t 😉
Nice one Nagi. My wife and I lived in Santiago for a year back in the middle 2000s and this was something we ate many times. Your recipe is tbh more extravagant than what you’d get in most Chilean households. They’d also arguably go heavier on the sugar too – Chileans have a sweet tooth 😉
Wow! What a place to experience living in 🙂 Yes, I noticed that many home versions included sugar in the corn pudding!! Some used a whole can of condensed milk. So sweet! I really feel this is sweet enough with just plain corn 🙂 Glad you approve of this version Tim! Thanks for your input 🙂 – N xx
I haven’t made this yet and really would love to but I have one problem I’m allergic to corn do you have any recommendation to use in place of the corn? I can make it for my company that’s coming but then I have to make myself something separate so I really want to make this but I need something in place of the corn.
Good morning Debra! The corn pudding layer is a key component of this dish, but if you wanted to make this without corn, what I’d suggest is using the mash topping from cottage pie instead. What you could even do is make it with half mash half corn pudding on time – the mixture is stiff enough that they won’t bleed into each other 🙂 – N x
Firstly Nagi I’ve given 5 stars already but cooking tomorrow night, however as with all of your recipes I have no doubt it will deserve 5 stars. PS absolutely loved your video of Prince Edward Dozer – I have a Standard Poodle named Louis & when he turned 1 years ago he also had a full coronation with crown & cape and is now known as King Louis V – ongoing gratitude to you & your team 🙏
KING LOUIS V!!! 🤣 That is sooooo funny!!!! Hope you do get a chance to try this Jennifer, I’d love to know what you think! – N xx
Absolutely gorgeous video. That shows the amount of joy that Dozer brought to your life. Pretty sure I spotted a doggy eye roll in the video. Dogs are amazing animals. ❤️🐾
Shepherd’s Pie is on the regular rotation at home (English upbringing), but this version sounds yum. I’m always looking to jazz up my repertoire. Thanks again for a delicious recipe. Take care lovely and keep smiling xx
Doggy eye roll!! That is SPOT on, Dozer did a lot of that in his time 😂 Isn’t Shepherd’s Pie the best? Just quietly, I prefer it over Cottage Pie because I just adore the flavour of lamb 🙂 – N xx
Hi Nagi. First let me say I loved the video of you and Dozer beautiful.
I love how easy the mince recipe looks and would like to give it a try.
My question is can the leftover be frozen as there is only the two of us and I am a vegetarian so it’s a bit for to get through before he becomes bored with it .
Good morning Helen! So glad you enjoyed the Dozer video. I have to say, spending hours upon hours scrolling back through the years with Dozer has been therapeutic and I feel very lucky that I have a space to share those memories with 🙂 You can scale the recipe down massively by clicking on servings and dialling down (500g mince is a good size, that’s a half batch). It does freeze ok but the corn layer gets a touch watery, so what I’d recommend is portion them into individual gratin dishes then freezing them before baking. Thaw then bake fresh 🙂 I shall add this tip into the recipe! – N x
Hi – will definitely make this. I noticed in the ingredients’ list, beef filling, that 6 large garlic cloves are called for – however, in the recipe, there are only 4 large. I love garlic, but do not want to overpower the recipe. How many should be used. Thanks
Six! Late change I forgot to dial up in the ingredients list 🙂 Hope you get a chance to try this Louise! – N x
I had planned on making something with mince tonight and then this one landed in my inbox! Great timing! The corn topping is great, I’ll definitely do that again. But my mince didn’t hit the spot. Having said that, I didn’t add the egg or olives (picky family members) and I used a stock powder that is quite mild, so perhaps that’s why it seemed a bit bland. Next time I’ll go back to your trusted cottage pie mince base recipe (it’s so awesome!) but use the corn topping. I’m also looking forward to making JB’s roast chicken this week!
Hi Ren! Did you add the spices and salt? Those add the flavour into the beef filling, as well as using a big amount of onion! Glad you enjoyed that corn topping though. As for JB’s roast chicken – YES!! It’s so good!! – N xx
I am dying to try this recipe because of the olives and raisins. It makes a great twist. I love the pictures of Dozer. I remember when you had that house custom-built for your cooking, food photograpy, and test kitchen requirements. King Dozer, we bow to your greatness.
King Dozer! 🤣 He’s been promoted 🙂 Yes, I miss that house! I did do a lot of renovations to it to make it suitable for work, but ultimately it really does work better being closer to RTM where I live now, almost every day we are dropping in or they are visiting us or we’re taking stuff back and forth between RTE and RTM!!! – N x
The video of Dozer on his magic carpet reminded me of the pantomime Aladdin! As a sideline, I have made the Pastel de Choclo. It was really filling and your recipe fed 6 of us with a side salad.
Aladdin!!! 😂 Wow, you made this already?? You’re the FIRST IN THE WORLD Carolyn! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! – N xx
Beautiful Dozer 🐾🧡
Nagi, funny I made cottage pie a few days ago. I ran out of peas ,so, I used 🌽 corn.
This Chilean recipe sounds very yummy.
Domo arigato
Take good care.
Thanks Lesley! Isn’t Cottage Pie the best 🙂 I just love it! – N x
Hail to Rex Dozer! May his memory live forever.
This recipe reminds me of tamale pie, and yes, there are different versions throught Latin America. Will try it in the fall. Thank you for sharing.
Yes!! Tamele pie has been on my radar for a while, the last time I made it though I didn’t struggle to get the middle to cook through properly. Might be time to try it again!! – N xx