I was so excited to see plantains at the co-op a couple of weeks ago because I finally got the chance to try out this recipe from The Kitchenista Diaries for plantains stuffed with black beans and cheese.
One of my favorite things about shopping at the co-op is the high quality seasonal produce. These plantains were grown in Mexico and sold through Organics Unlimited, an organization known for its strong commitment to social responsibility. Their Giving Resources and Opportunities to Workers (GROW) program helps provide clean drinking water and educational, dental and vision services for farm workers and their communities.
I wanted to rush my plantains home and start cooking but they were still yellow, firm and not fully ripe. I had to wait a few days until they softened and developed some black spots. That was the hardest part of this recipe!
I sourced almost all the other ingredients from the co-op too – olive oil, salt, chipotle powder, and dried black beans from the co-op were in my pantry already. I cooked the beans in my instant pot with an onion, a bunch of garlic, a bay leaf, cumin, salt and a jalapeno. Pressure cooking the black beans takes about 40 minutes if you don’t pre-soak them. That’s the perfect amount of time to get the plantains roasted but canned beans are also an option if you’re not in the mood to cook beans from scratch.
Ingredients
- 3 ripe plantains
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp chipotle powder
- 1 ½ cups cooked black beans (from about ½ cup dried beans)
- 8 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded
- Cracked black pepper
- Sea salt
To roast the plantains, preheat the oven to 400°F. Peel the plantains but leave them whole. Grease a casserole dish with olive oil, then arrange the plantains in a single layer inside the dish. Cut a slit down the center of each plantain but don’t cut all the way through! You want to leave a pocket for your beans to hang out in.
In a small bowl, stir chipotle powder, 4 TBSP olive oil and a pinch of salt together. Brush plantains with about half the seasoned olive oil and roast for 20 to 30 minutes, until plantains are cooked through and soft. Remove from oven and use a spoon to slightly widen the slits you cut earlier. Brush the plantains with the remaining seasoned olive oil, stuff the slits with black beans, and top each plantain with shredded cheese. Return the plantains to the oven and bake about 10 minutes or until beans are warmed through and cheese is bubbly.
Enjoy!
