Baked ripe plantains with cheese {Plátanos asados con queso}
Easy recipe for making homemade baked ripe plantains stuffed with cheese – also known as plátanos maduros asados con queso.
Who can resist these delicious baked ripe plantains stuffed with cheese? One thing you may have noticed about Ecuadorian food – and Latin food in general – is that there is a lot of frying going on. There are a lot of healthy options also, but yes a lot of things are fried, which can be very tasty and is fine as long as there is a balance. My mom was always concerned about keeping us healthy when we growing up and was very focused on healthy food, so she tried a lot of different ways to prepare foods that were typically fried and either bake them and/or use less grease.
We loved having fried ripe plantains with cheese for breakfast, but sometimes my mom would bake them instead, and they were just as good. She would rub a little bit of butter or oil on the plantains, bake them and then stuff them with cheese – or for a quicker version you can slice the plantains, bake them and then sprinkle grated cheese on top.
These baked ripe plantains with cheese are great for breakfast or brunch. You can eat a whole one or cut in half or smaller pieces to serve as appetizers or as a side dish. I love to eat these baked ripe plantains with aji criollo, a spicy Ecuadorian hot sauce, the combination of sweet plantain, melted gooey cheese and spicy cilantro hot sauce is just perfect. So, if you love plantains but want to try a healthier alternative to frying ripe plantains, or just want to try a new twist on them you should give these a try.
Baked ripe plantains with cheese
Ingredients
- 6 ripe plantains whole
- 1-2 tbs melted butter or oil use as little as you want
- 6 thick slices of mozzarella
Optional garnish:
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 F
- Peel the plantains, place them on a baking sheet and rub them with butter or oil.
- Bake the plantains for 30 minutes, then turn each one and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until golden on both sides.
- Remove the plantains from the oven, made a horizontal slit on the middle of each plantain, and stuff them with the cheese slices.
- In a few minutes the cheese will have melted, serve immediately, with or without hot sauce.
Step by step preparation photos for baking ripe plantains with cheese:
Oh yeah I almost forgot that if you can’t find a Latino store where they may have them. Asian stores usually have them as well.
The best way to ripen plantains is to put them in a paper bag, and place them in a dry, dark place such as a cupboard. It usually takes about half the time. It works quite well for avocados, papayas and bananas. Old trick from Manabi, Ecuador. For the avocados it works quite well if you wrap them in newspapers individually. Another great way to eat them with, if you are able to get it, is with “salprieta” roasted peanuts and maize, pepper, garlic, achiote and salt. Another healthy way to eat ripe plantain is to boil them. It makes a great breakfast when paired with goat cheese and honey. I am kind of hesitant about giving out this recipe but I am an aspiring cook/chef so I want to share. There is no such thing as an over ripped plantain, they are great at any stage.
This recipe works quite well when their peel is almost fully black. Boil them until they are almost mushy, but not falling apart. At the same time add a couple of cinnamon sticks. Pull them out and serve them with goat feta or goat cream cheese. On top of it a drizzle of honey and enjoy.
A great way to use green plantain is to grate them into soups. When cooking lentils or chick peas grate them into them, along with a drizzle of “achiote”. It gives them quite a nice flavour. I hope you all enjoy it.
Xavier
Plantains are such a delicious snack, I really enjoy them with cinnamon :). I like how you made them savory here, though, with the cheese. They’d make a delicious appetizer or tasty side!
thanks for the comment. I am excited to be a mommy……
Layla, this mozarella plantain just looks wonderful!
Wow! That looks so tasty! If I ever get hold of some plantains, I’ll definitely be baking them with cheese!
That looks fantastic! I’m bookmarking this – can’t wait to try it!
Hmmm, I’ve never had bananas with cheese. Looks like an interesting combo, maybe I’ll give it a try some time. It looks great!
I don’t know why I didn’t think of cheese with plantains before. Great combo! Nice food photography.
Those plantains look absolutely amazing. I will definitely give your recipe a try. Oh, and your photos are equally wonderful. Thanks for sharing!
Meryl
I just came across this blog not to long ago and I LOVE IT!!!! I cannot wait to make endless meals off this blog. Seriously, cannot wait!