Dec 03 2008
Platanos asados con queso or baked ripe plantains with cheese
Published by Laylita at 2:02 pm under Appetizers, Breakfast and brunch, Central America, Cheese, Comfort food, Fruit, Kid friendly, Sides, South America, Vegetarian
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 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 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.
Ingredients:
6 ripe plantains, whole
1-2 tbs melted butter or oil, use as little as you want
6 thick slices of mozzarella
Optional side – Aji criollo or hot sauce
Preparation:
- 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.
Those look good, very very good. I think I will make these just as soon as I can get the plantains.
OH my, these look so good. A new way to eat my favorite food– melty cheese! I love plantains so I will have to give this a try
I have had no luck cooking plantains. I love the crispy plantain chips at El Camino but besides that, I just havent been able to recreate anything that is good:( These look amazing though with the mozzarella! Yum.
I love plantain with passion, my mom used to made them for me all the time. I eat them fried, boiled, and baked… I like plantains with hard queso blanco but I have never found anything similar in here, so I use monterrey jack when I make them. I will try mozzarela next time however I like the salty taste of the latin american white cheese. I wonder if Feta cheese can get me the salty flavor.
Where do you usually buy the plantains? QFC has them sometimes but they are always so green and feel it takes forever for them to get ripe. Any tips?
BTW, Thank you very much for all your recipes, they all look wonderful … I found this website randomly while looking for the translation version of the famous pernil, one of my favorite Christmas dishes
Feta cheese works well for the salty flavor contrast with the sweet plantains, I also recently found a really good queso (one of the best I’ve had out of Ecuador) it is called Froylan and is actually made in Oregon (so not to far). Also, I found an amazing fresh cheese, the closest to quesillo, at the farmer’s market, it is made by Samish Bay Cheese, a little bit on the pricey side but so worth it.
There are few places that I buy plantains: the Latino Market store at Pike Place Market, also La Espanola on 13433 NE 20th St in Bellevue, also La Tienda on 1506 145th Pl SE in Bellevue - this last place usually has a good selection of green, semi-ripe, ripe and very ripe plantains, they told me the plantains are delivered on Thursdays so that is the best day to go. I’ve been told there are more latin groceries stores in Renton and Kent but I haven’t had a chance to check them out yet.
Thanks for the information about options for queso and where to buy plantain. I didn’t know I can find that type of cheese at the Pike Place market, I definitely have to try that Samish Bay queso fresco cheese and the Froylan. I have been searching for that type of cheese for a long time.
Interesting! A delicious looking dish!
Cheers,
Rosa
Oh. My. God! You’ve made me a happy woman with this recipe. I can’t wait to try it. In Africa, I used to eat roasted plantain with roasted peanuts, but I’ve never had plantains with cheese. Thank you!
Paz
Great post! Great photos! Fat and limited green vegetables is a concern of mine too with Latin cuisine. I don’t know if this recipe really lowers the fat content because although you bake rather than fry, you then add cheese and the sauce. HOWEVER, this looks so good, I can’t wait to try it! Love it!
Ay Dios Mio, that looks incredible!
Amazing!! My cousins in Panama eat these, but slices with cheese! Soo good! Yours look amazing! By the way, I LOVE your blog.
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!
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 don’t know why I didn’t think of cheese with plantains before. Great combo! Nice food photography.
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!
That looks fantastic! I’m bookmarking this - can’t wait to try it!
Wow! That looks so tasty! If I ever get hold of some plantains, I’ll definitely be baking them with cheese!
thanks for the comment. I am excited to be a mommy……
Layla, this mozarella plantain just looks wonderful!
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!
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
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.
I landed up on your site searching for Empanadas. You have a wonderful site with beautiful pictures. I am from Seattle too. I have lots of bananas at home which my husband stored them for the snow storm. I have a New Year party at home and I am going to try them. Looks very good to me.