5 Delicious Ways To Eat Plantain

Roasted plantain is a very popular dish in Latin America. In countries like Colombia and Venezuela, this is a very common ingredient in the kitchen. In fact, the most commonly used preparation consists of cutting and frying in vegetable oil and adding grated Parmesan cheese as an accompaniment.

One option to consume bananas in a healthy way is to bake them and then add side dishes or fillings. Next, we’ll look at different ideas for preparing it.

How to roast and stuff bananas?

The procedure is very simple. First, plantains must be peeled and smeared with oil, margarine or butter; it is recommended to do this using your hands to cover all the fruit.

Then place them in a high oven for 20 minutes on each side. When golden and even slightly dark, we can open them vertically using a knife.

Finally, fill each plantain; There are many options for accompaniments or fillings, like the ones we will propose in the following recipes:

banana with cheese

 Cheese is the most common filling for plantains, and when it melts, the result is delicious due to the creaminess that makes the dish even better.

Ingredients

• 4 roasted plantains (150 g).
• Black pepper or any other spice of your choice, to taste.
• 4 slices of cheese suitable for gratin such as mozzarella, parmesan, grana padano (80 g).

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 200 ºC.
2. Open the plantains vertically after roasting.
3. Fill with cheese and sprinkle with pepper.
4. Bake at 180 ºC until the cheese melts.
5. Serve immediately.

Banana with meat and cheese

This recipe offers a delicious contrast between sweet and salty flavors :

 Ingredients

• Salt and pepper to taste.
• 1/2 kg of ground beef.
• ½ cup of fried tomato (100 ml).
• 1 cup of bechamel sauce (200 ml).
• 1 chopped tomato (30 g).
• 4 roasted plantains (150 g).
• 1 small onion, finely chopped (25 g).
• Half finely chopped pepper (15 g).
• 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese (150 g).
• 2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese (300 g).

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 200 ºC.
2. Saute the vegetables starting with the onion, then the pepper and tomato.
3. Add the meat, fry a little and add the fried tomato. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. It is necessary to cook for some time, until the meat is cooked but still juicy.
5. Open the freshly roasted plantains horizontally.
6. Fill with other ingredients : meat, béchamel sauce, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
7. Bake at 180 ºC only until the Parmesan cheese gratins.
8. Serve immediately.

Banana stuffed with tuna

Although it doesn’t seem like it, the flavor of this fish goes very well with the plantain:

Ingredients

• Salt and pepper to taste.
• ½ lemon juice (50 ml).
• 1 teaspoon of dry parsley
• 1 chopped tomato (25 g).
• 4 tablespoons of oil (80 ml).
• 4 roasted plantains (150 g).
• 1 medium onion finely chopped (40 g).
• 1 small pepper, finely chopped (20 g).
• 2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese (200 g).
• Canned tuna, enough for the amount of bananas.

Preparation

1. To start, preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Saute the onion and then add the pepper and tomato to fry a little. The onion should be browned and caramelized, but not too much.
3. Add tuna  and stir.
4. Add salt, pepper, parsley and lemon juice. Mix everything very well so that all flavors integrate with each other.
5. Open the freshly roasted plantains horizontally.
6. Stuff with the tuna stew and then add the mozzarella cheese. The filling should not be too bulky, just the right measure so that the portion is not too big.
7. Bake at 180 ºC until the cheese melts.
8. Serve immediately while still hot.

Roasted banana stuffed with guacamole

Here is a Mexican version of the stuffed earth banana that enjoys the good company of the avocado; the guacamole is a delicious sauce, very refreshing and easy to prepare.

Ingredients

• 4 roasted plantains (150 g).
• 2 cups of guacamole (300 mL).
• 4 slices of avocado (40 g).
• 2 cups of fresh grated cheese (300 g).

Preparation

1. Open the freshly roasted plantains horizontally.
2. Fill with guacamole, avocado and grated cheese.
3. Serve immediately.

In addition to being able to stuff the roasted plantains following these recipes, the options are unlimited. Just work with different sauces or ingredients that we can find in our fridge or cupboard.  They can be complemented with the flavor and texture of this delicious fruit.