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Green plantain patties stuffed with cheese {Tortillas de verde}

Recipe for Ecuadorian green plantain patties stuffed with cheese, also known as tortillas de verde, made with a dough of green plantains, a cheese filling, and cooked on a griddle or frying pan.

Green plantain cakes or patties filled with cheese

Receta en Español

Have I mentioned before how much I love the mix of green plantains and cheese? Probably thousands of times, but I don’t get tired of repeating it. These green plantain patties are made with a green plantain dough, that is basically the same dough as I use to make green plantain empanadas. I just add an additional cooked plantain, since the dough for the patties can have a higher ratio of cooked plantain to raw plantain.

Green plantain patties with cheese

I included a list of tips for making the dough on the original empanada recipe, you can read them in more detail there, but the high level summary is that I simplify the recipe by using a food processor.

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Stuffed green plantain patties or cakes

I also find that at least here in the US, where the plantains aren’t always as super green as they are in Ecuador, it helps to add an egg to the dough. Again, that isn’t at all the traditional way, but rather just another one of my carishina (a Quechua term for someone who has no hope in the kitchen or anything domestic) cooking techniques or hacks.

Ecuadorian mashed green plantain patties or tortillas de verde

This variation of the dough is very simple, some other versions will also add some refrito or sofrito to the dough mix (similar to how you would make llapingachos) or ground peanuts (similar to a bolon).

Ecuadorian tortillas de verde or green plantain patties

The plantain patties are stuffed with cheese and then cooked on a griddle, or a frying pan, until golden and crispy. My favorite way to make these tortillas de verde is to stuff them with cheese, however you can make them with other fillings, from chorizo to pork belly, seafood or pretty much anything that you think would work as a filling. I love serving these green plantain patties with a variety of sauces or topping options.

Ecuadorian green plantain patties or tortillas de verde

Some of my favorites include aji hot sauces, such as the traditional tree tomato aji or the aji criollo. I also really like serving them cebollas encurtidas or pickled red onions, or the close variant of onion and tomato curtido.


Ecuadorian tortillas de platano verde

Recently I also tried serving them with a creamy avocado sauce (or a chunky avocado salsa or regular guacamole) and have to say that it goes really well with the tortillas de verde. My friends from the coastal areas of Ecuador will probably consider it borderline food heresy, but hey, as a Serrana (person from the Highlands) I can get away with the “I put avocado on everything” excuse.

Green plantain patties with dipping sauces
Ecuadorian mashed green plantain patties or tortillas de verde

Green plantain patties stuffed with cheese {Tortillas de verde}

Ecuadorian green plantain patties stuffed with cheese, also known as tortillas de verde, made with a dough of green plantains, a cheese filling (or your choice of filling), and cooked on a griddle or frying pan.
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Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Brunch, Side Dish
Cuisine: Ecuadorian, Latin American, South American
Keyword: Cheese, Green plantain, Patties, Tortillas de verde
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 10 -12 green plantain patties

Ingredients

  • 5 green plantains
  • 2 tablespoons of butter plus more to rub on hands when making the dough
  • 2-3 tablespoons of water from cooking the plantains or 1 egg if the dough isn't coming together
  • ~ 1 teaspoon of salt

For the plantain patties filling:

  • ~1 ½ cup of crumbled quesillo or queso fresco can also use grated mozzarella cheese
  • Other filling ideas include: chorizo, chicharrones or fried pork belly, shrimp, beef or pork picadillo, diced cooked shrimp, or any other filling you would like to try – just make sure the fillings are previously cooked (except for the cheese)

Instructions

For the green plantain dough:

  • Wash and peel the green plantains under running cold water, this helps prevents stain from the plantains.
  • Cut four of the plantains in half. Keep the remaining peeled plantain in a bowl of cold water.
  • Bring water to boil in a large saucepan and add the 4 plantains. Cook until tender, about 30-40 minutes. Exact time will vary based on the size and greenness of the plantains.
  • Remove from heat and let the cooked plantains sit in the water they cooked in until they are cool enough to handle (but still warm), if you remove them from the warm water they will get too hard.
  • In the meantime, grate the remaining raw plantain using a very fine grater.
  • Place the cooked plantains in a food processor and pulse until you have a thick coarse mix. Add a couple tablespoons of the water from cooking plantains (or an egg) and butter or oil, and pulse until the ingredients are well mixed and the dough is a little smoother. If you don’t have a food processor, you can mash or grate the cooked plantains and then mix them with the egg (lightly whisked) and the butter.
  • If using the food processor, remove the plantain mix and place it into a large bowl. Rub your hands with a bit of butter or oil, and mix in the finely grated raw plantain and ½ to 1 teaspoon of salt (adjust based on how large the plantains are and your level of tolerance for salt).
  • Use your hands to work the dough until you have a smooth mix. If the dough is very dry or too sticky, you can add a bit of the cooking water from the plantains – you will likely need to this if you didn’t use an egg.
  • You can also rub your hands with a drizzle of oil to help working the dough.

To make the green plantain patties

  • Shape the plantain dough into several small size balls. If the dough is still sticking to your hands, you can drizzle some oil on your hands.
  • Make a hole in the middle of each plantain dough ball and fill it with the cheese or your choice of filling.
  • Carefully shape the dough into thick patties with the cheese in the center. The plantain patties can be cooked immediately or you can keep them in the refrigerator until ready to cook them. They can be made 24 hours in advance. Just bring them to room temperature before cooking them.
  • Cook the plantain stuffed patties on a lightly greased hot griddle or in a frying pan with a small amount of oil, until golden on each side.
  • Serve the tortillas de verde or green plantain patties warm with your choice of toppings or sauces.

Step by step preparation photos for green plantain patties stuffed with cheese:

Green plantains to make plantain empanada dough
Keep the plantains in cold water before cooking or grating
Boil the green plantains until tender
Use a food processor to grind the cooked green plantains
Grate the remaining raw plantain very finely and then mix it with the cooked plantain dough.
Use your hands to mix the cooked plantain and the raw plantain together until you have a smooth dough.
Form small balls with the green plantain dough
Make a hole in the center of each ball and fill it with cheese
Shape the plantain balls into thick patties
Cook the plantain patties on a hot griddle o frying pan until crispy on each side.
Green plantain patties or tortillas filled with cheese
Serve the green plantain patties with sauces or toppings

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6 Comments

  1. Hi do you ever freeze them? We made a lot and were thinking about freezing them to travel with. Thank you.

    I haven’t yet, but I made a lot today and will freeze them to test it out. I have frozen the green plantain empanadas (and they sell them frozen in Ecuador) so I know those freeze well and they are similar to the tortillas, just thinner.

  2. That looks amazing! My fiance is dominican and I don’t know who he doesn’t insist that we make more food like this!! I need some inspiration for experimenting with plantains, yuca, etc. Obviously it doesn’t come from him so I have to read recipe blogs. Glad I came across this post on your site!

  3. Primero que todo quiero expresarle mi gratitud por compartir con todos nosotros sus recetas. Es esta una excelente página, interesante y de gran ayuda para todos nosotros.
    En esta receta de las empanadas de plátano verde, ¿cuando usted habla de plátanos verdes se refiere a lo que en inglés se le llama “banana” o a lo que se llama “plantain”? Tengo esa dudas porque aún en las fotos no logro distinguir cuál de los dos es. Muchas gracias!

  4. Laylita,
    Gracias por las recetas maravillosas del Ecuador. Yo vivo y trabajo con mi familia en Cairo, Egypto. Muchas veces practico la cocina ecuatoriana y mis amigos egipcios les encanta la comida diferente.
    Gracias una vez mas.

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