4 Delicious Things You Can Fill Fried Ripe Plantains With

Fried ripe plantains are a very popular dish in Latin America. In Colombia and Venezuela, plantains are an extremely common ingredient in cooking. The most common dish is a sliced ​​banana fried in vegetable oil with a little coarsely grated cheese in the middle.

You can enjoy this healthy snack by frying it and then adding topping or filling. Below you will find some different ideas that you can fill ripe plantains with.

How to make and fill roasted ripe plantains

The process is very simple. First, peel the bananas and grease them with oil, margarine or butter. We recommend doing by hand to cover the whole fruit.

Then place them in the oven at high temperature for 20 minutes on each side. Once golden, cut an opening through the center and then fill each banana. Like the following recipes, there are many different options for topping or filling.

Fried ripe plantains stuffed with cheese

Cheese is the most common filling for plantains, and when it melts, it becomes a creamy and delicious dish.

Ingredients

• 4 fried ripe plantains (150 g).
• Season with black pepper or another spice.
• 4 slices of oven-friendly cheese, such as mozzarella, cream cheese, etc. (80 g)

Preparation

1. First, preheat the oven to around 200º C.
2. Open the freshly prepared bananas lengthwise.
3. Fill them with the cheese and sprinkle with a little pepper.
4. Cook until the cheese has melted.
5. Serve immediately.

Fried ripe plantains stuffed with meat and cheese

This recipe has a delicious contrast between salty and sweet.

Ingredients

• Salt and pepper to taste
• ½ kg of cut beef
• ½ cup tomato fritto (Spanish tomato puree) (100 ml)
• 1 cup béchamel sauce (white sauce) (200 ml)
• 1 finely chopped tomato (30 g)
• 4 fried ripe plantains (150 g)
• 1 small finely chopped onion (25 g)
• 1/2 pepper, finely chopped (15 g)
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese (150 g)
• 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese (300 g)

Preparation

1. First, preheat the oven to around 200º C.
2. Sauté the vegetables, starting with onions, then peppers and tomatoes.
3. Add the meat, fry it a little and add the tomato fritto. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. You have to fry the mixture for a while, until the meat is cooked but still juicy.
5. Open the freshly prepared bananas lengthwise.
6. Fill them with the rest of the ingredients: meat, béchamel sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
7. Cook until the parmesan cheese has melted.
8. Serve immediately.

Fried ripe plantains stuffed with tuna

Even if you would not believe it, tuna goes very well with plantains.

Ingredients

• Salt and pepper to taste
• The juice from ½ lemon (50 ml)
• 1 teaspoon dry parsley
• 1 finely chopped tomato (25 g)
• 4 tbsp olive oil (80 ml)
• 4 fried ripe plantains (150 g)
• 1 finely chopped medium onion (40 g)
• 1 small finely chopped pepper (20 g)
• 2 cups grated mozzarella (200 g)
• Canned tuna in oil, enough for the amount of plantains you have.

Preparation

1. First, preheat the oven to around 200º C.
2. Saute the onion, add the paprika and tomato and fry for a while. The onion should be golden brown, almost to the point of caramelized, but without being overcooked.
3. Add the tuna and stir.
4. Add salt, pepper, parsley and lemon juice. Mix everything well so that all the flavors blend together.
5. Open the freshly prepared bananas lengthwise.
6. Fill them with the tuna and then the mozzarella cheese, but not too much. It should be the right amount so that it does not become too overwhelming.
7. Cook until the cheese has melted.
8. Serve immediately while the dish is still hot.

Fried ripe plantains stuffed with guacamole

Here we have a Mexican version of stuffed bananas with delicious avocados. Guacamole is a dish that is tasty, easy to make, and refreshing.

Ingredients

• 4 fried ripe plantains (150 g)
• 2 cups guacamole (300 ml)
• 4 slices avocado (40 g)
• 2 cups grated yellow cheese (300 g)

Preparation

1. Open the freshly prepared bananas lengthwise.
2. Fill them with guacamole, avocado and grated cheese.
3. Serve immediately.

You do not have to fill the fried bananas with just these ingredients. The choices are limitless. You just need to play around with the different sauces or ingredients you have in the kitchen.  Maybe you will find many that suit the taste and texture of ripe plantains.