Chilean Pastel de Choclo is an iconic dish. A classic during the summertime. If living in the countryside, the Pastel de Choclo is usually cooked in a clay dish inside a wood-burning oven, if residing in the city a standard oven and a baking pan is enough. The flavors of the meat and corn mingle delightfully in this casserole.
Chilean corn is different from the varieties available in the USA. You will need to thicken the mash with cornstarch.
Proper sides for Chilean Pastel de Choclo are:
- Pebre sauce
- Salsa verde sauce
- Ensalada chilena
Corn and Beef Chilean “Pastel de Choclo”
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Savory
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Chilean
Description
The Chilean version of Sheperd’s pie with a twist: corn pudding on top.
Ingredients
For the corn mixture,
•   2 tablespoons butter
•   4 bags of frozen corn (454 grams each) or 10 cups
•   1/2 cup whole milk
•   1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup cold milk or water
•   1 bunch basil, about 10 leaves, Sweet basil preferably
•   salt, pepper and Merkén or paprika
For the meat,
•   2 tablespoon of vegetable oil
•  2 pounds ground beef
•   1 cup water or beef broth
•    3 onions, diced small
•   Merkén or 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
•   1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
•   salt, pepper
•   2 tablespoons flour
Optional: cooked chicken, hard-boiled eggs, olives, and raisins
Instructions
For the meat, can be done the day before,
- Heat the oil in a large pot, saute the beef until lightly browned, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, add the paprika, salt, pepper, and cumin, sauté 2 minutes more.
- Add the broth and simmer 30 minutes over low heat.
- Add the onion and mix well and cook over medium heat until the onion is tender, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Turn off heat and add the flour and stir well, adjust seasoning if necessary. Cool and refrigerate or use inmediatly.
For the corn mixture,
- In a large pot with a thick bottom, I use my cast iron, melt the butter over medium-high heat, add the frozen corn and occasionally stir about 8 minutes.
- Add milk, basil, salt, pepper, and Merquén or paprika and continue to cook occasionally stirring for about 10 minutes longer.
- With a hand blender, blend the corn trying to not to go uniform, leave some chunky parts, when happy with the consistency, add the dissolved cornstarch and continue cooking over medium heat 5 minutes, taste and adjust seasoning, it will thicken slightly.
To assemble the pie,
- On a clay or baking dish, put one layer of the prepared meat filling. Add cooked chicken, quartered hard-boiled eggs, olives and raisins on top of the meat.
- Cover with the corn mixture, sprinkle with granulated sugar and bake at 400F or 200C in a preheated oven for 45-60 minutes until bubbling and golden on top. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Keywords: Corn pie, Chilean cuisine, Pastel de choclo
Hi Pilar,
Glad you had a good trip to Chile! Pictures were wonderful! Welcome back….. Sorry about the tree!
What size dish do you use for the corn pie recipe? I want to try it this weekend.
Thanks, Val
Hi Val,
For this recipe you can use a casserole dish close to 9″x 9″ or similar.
Good luck!
Thank you for the recipe! I tried several versions of Pastel de Chocolo since my trip to Chile and in all of them the corn layer was thin and runny. Your recipe worked really well. I made it for guests last night and everyone loved it. Muchas gracias 🙂
Exciting!!! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Muchisimas gracias por compartir tus recetas chilenas con nosotros! My grandmother would make all these typical recipes but I’m afraid she died suddenly and without sharing her recipes with us.
Yo naci en USA, pero vivi en Chile por 8 anos, y mi ninez fue fundada con estas excelentes comidas.
I just want you to know that finding these recipes that you’ve provided, means SO MUCH to me. It fills my heart with joy and nostalgia. I cant wait to get started on these!!!
Wonderful, it makes me happy too that they will be enjoyed. Let me know if you have any questions.
Hello,
Have you ever used can corn? If So, could you tell me for how long shall I cool it before i place it in the oven.
Warm reagrds
No, I don’t use can corn for this dish. The texture is not right.
Can you make this the day before and bake the following day?
Yes, absolutely.
Hola! I see hard boiled eggs in the photos, but they are not mentioned in the recipe. Can I simply add them? Michael
Also…would I be insulting tradition if I put some cheese on top? What type would you recommend?
Is not traditional, but go for it, make it your dish.
Yes, I will add them. They are traditional to the recipe. Thanks for commenting.
Hi, curious what HEB corn is listed on the ingredients list?
The sweet yellow one, some times I mix half and half with the whole kernel one.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! My husband is Chilean and I just made it for his birthday dinner — it was a success! I look forward to trying out more recipes from your site. Abrazos desde Seattle.
Wonderful. Welcome, and please let me know if you have any questions.
Can it be frozen in the clay dishwasher
What do you mean with the “clay dishwasher”? In general, Chilean clay dishes can be frozen. But can NOT go on the dishwasher.
Add the ground beef, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the beef is crumbled and browned. Remove from heat and set aside.
Do you have a question?
Would this work with ground turkey? I don’t eat beef but this looks delish!
Absolutely, or mushrooms and lentils. No problem.
Hello! Thank you so much for this great recipe, this was my favorite dish that my host mom would make when I was abroad in Chile! I was just wondering, when you say to prepare the meat a day ahead do you just mean to cook it and store it in the refrigerator?
Yes, but just to make it more doable, it’s not necessary for the final flavor. So if you have a couple of hours to put the whole dish together, perfect.
Hi, whats the size of the bags of corn? Do we need 4 big bags or small bags? Thanks.
It’s the small bags, 454 grams. Sorry, I added to the recipe.
Thank you so much for your recipes! Your recipes are the only ones that my Chilean husband thinks are authentic when I make them! They are practical and they always turn out. After trying every English recipe(and a few in Spanish) of pastel de choclo that I could find, this one is the winner hands down.
Thank you!!! This means so much to me. Let me know if you have any questions in the future. Happy to help.
This dish is excellent with all the optionals the flavors combined give it delicious character!!
Thank you. I’m glad it was a success.
I can’t wait to try your recipe! My mom is from Chile and I haven’t had this in years! Can I make this the same with fresh corn cut from the cob?
No, you can mix 1/3 of fresh corn, but no more. In Chile, the corn for this recipe is a specific variety that I have never seen outside Chile. I don’t know where are you base, but at least the US fresh corn is not well suited for this recipe: too sweet and not enough structure.
What a great dish. Thank you!
So happy you like it! Thanks for commenting.
Hi Pilar
Where did you purchase the clay dish ? (I love pastel de chocolo all my family from Chile 🇨🇱 I’m in USA the last 12 years )
I bought it in Chile. There is one seller that occasionally have something similar https://ancientcookware.com/pomaireware
Thank you Pilar for your quick answer đź’—
When my Chilean family said “it’s perfect” I knew I did well! Thanks for such a terrific recipe! Only two changes from your original: i cooked the beef, then reserved leaving drippings, then cooked onions in drippings, then added flour, then broth, then meat/raisins/olives. Quicker! THANK YOU for such a terrific website!
★★★★★
Hi Mak! Glad the family enjoy the recipe. And thanks for the suggestion.
Hi Mak! Glad the family enjoyed the recipe. And thanks for the suggestion.