Venezuela's national dish in arepa form — cheese-filled corn cakes stuffed with shredded beef, black beans and sweet fried plantain, topped with fresh pico de gallo.
Arepa pabellón packs Venezuela's iconic national plate into a handheld corn cake — shredded beef, black beans, sweet fried plantain and melting cheese all tucked into a warm, crisp arepa. It's a glorious mix of savoury, sweet and creamy in every bite.
Prep 20 min
Cook 20 min
Total 40 min
Medium
- 2 Corn Arepa Filled With Mozarella Cheese
- 1 Fried Ripe Bananas
- 1 Can Black Beans
- 1 Pico De Gallo Sauce
- 2kg Shredded Meat
- 1 chopped Tomato
- Pinch Salt
- Pinch Pepper
Video
Preparation
- Cook the shredded meat in a skillet, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Warm the black beans in a pan over medium heat, fry or grill the ripe plantains as directed on the package, and dice the tomato. Set everything aside for filling.
- Preheat a grill or pan and grill the cheese-filled arepas, turning once, until golden brown on each side.
- Using a knife, open each arepa along the edge through the middle to create a pocket, then fill with the plantain, beans, beef and chopped tomato.
- Serve with a little pico de gallo or guacamole.
Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen
- Grill the cheese-filled arepas until properly golden so the outside crisps and the cheese softens.
- Have all the fillings hot and ready before you split the arepas so nothing goes cold.
- Use ripe (well-blackened) plantains — they fry up sweet and caramelised.
- Don't slice all the way through; a deep pocket holds the generous filling without falling apart.
Frequently Asked Questions
Venezuela's national dish: shredded beef, black beans, rice and fried plantain. This version layers those flavours inside an arepa.
Yes — load it up with extra beans, plantain, cheese and avocado, skipping the beef.
Very ripe ones with black-spotted skins; they're sweet and soften into golden, caramelised slices.
