Description
Canoas de Platanos Maduros are an iconic Puerto Rican dish celebrating sweet plantains stuffed with a savory picadillo filling. They have that perfect balance of sweet and salty, plus a generous sprinkle of melted cheese to marry it all together. The ripe plantains are baked instead of deep fried in this recipe for a lighter end result.
Ingredients
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- 2 tsp achiote oil or olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1/3 cup sofrito
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tsp adobo seasoning
- 1 tsp sazon seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 brown plantains
- 1 cup cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, etc.), shredded
- fresh cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Make the picadillo: Heat half of the oil in a pan over medium heat before adding the diced onion and bell peppers. Cook for 5 minutes before adding the sofrito, ground beef, and seasonings. Continue to cook while breaking up the beef, until fully cooked through. Cover and set aside.
- Bake the plantains: Preheat the oven to 400°F and peel all 4 plantains. Rub the plantains generously with the remaining oil and arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown all around.
- Open the plantains & fill: Lower the oven to 350°F. Slice halfway into each plantain, dragging your knife along the length to open the plantain but not cut through it. Use a spoon to open up the canoas before filling with layers of shredded cheese and picadillo. Top with a generous sprinkle of cheese.
- Bake the canoas: Bake for 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly. Finish with fresh cilantro and any other desired toppings.
