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Pachamanca

Name: Pachamanca
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 90 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1 1/2 lbs pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch chunks; 1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs, bone in; 1 lb lamb shoulder, cut into 2-inch chunks (optional); 2 tbsp aji panca paste; 2 tbsp aji amarillo paste; 6 cloves garlic, minced; 1/2 cup huacatay paste (or 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint and cilantro); 3 tbsp vinegar; 2 tsp ground cumin; 1/4 cup vegetable oil; 2 lbs potatoes and 1 lb sweet potatoes, scrubbed (sweet potatoes halved); 4 ears of corn, cut into thick rounds; 1 cup broad beans or lima beans, shelled; 2 tbsp salt

An Andean feast of meats, potatoes, corn, and herbs steamed over hot stones in the earth — a celebration dish named for Mother Earth herself.

⏱ 45 minPrep time

🔥 1 hr 30 minCook time

🍽 8Servings

🏷 DinnerCategory

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Pachamanca means ‘earth pot’ in Quechua, and for thousands of years Andean communities have cooked it by burying marinated meats and tubers with hot stones, fragrant herbs, and earth. The ritual is as important as the food: families gather at dawn to cook for a festival, feast, or harvest.

Mother Earth’s oven, recreated at home

The meats come out meltingly tender with a whisper of smoke and a bright herbal perfume from huacatay and chincho, while the potatoes and corn soak up the juices below. Every element tastes of fire, earth, and celebration.

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Step by stepInstructions

Whisk the aji pastes, garlic, huacatay, vinegar, cumin, oil, and 1 tablespoon of salt into a thick marinade.
Coat the pork, chicken, and lamb in the marinade and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375°F and lay the potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn in a single layer in a deep roasting pan, seasoning with the remaining salt.
Scatter the broad beans over the tubers, then arrange the marinated meats on top.
Pour 1/2 cup of water into the pan and cover it tightly with foil, sealing the edges.
Roast for 75 to 90 minutes, until the meats are fork-tender and the potatoes are soft, then uncover and broil for 5 minutes to brown the meat.
Rest for 10 minutes and serve everything from the pan, family-style, with the cooking juices spooned over.

💡 Chef tips & storage

True pachamanca is cooked in a pit in the ground; this oven version captures the spirit with the same marinades and a sealed, steaming pan. Leftovers keep 3 days refrigerated and are delicious shredded into tacos or over rice.

Recipe details

Prep45 min

Cook1 hr 30 min

Servings8

CategoryDinner

PublishedAugust 17, 2026

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →

Pachamanca

Mother Earth’s oven, recreated at home

Step by stepInstructions

💡 Chef tips & storage

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Pachamanca

Mother Earth’s oven, recreated at home

Step by stepInstructions

💡 Chef tips & storage

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Recipe details

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

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