These stuffed plantains with black beans and cheese are inspired by the classic Puerto Rican recipe–canoas.
Traditional canoas are stuffed with ground beef. I adjusted the classic canoa recipe to be vegetarian (makes for easier prep too), and roasted the plantains instead of frying. I made all of these changes to make meal prep shorter and easier.
Altogether, this recipe will take about 25 minutes start to finish, if you start with pre-cooked beans. Serve with a simple side salad for an easy and satisfying weeknight meal.
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How to Make
While you can simply follow the recipe below, I want to point out a few details to make things easier for you:
- If you’ve never cooked with plantains before, check out this quick guide on how to peel a plantain.
- You will start this recipe on the stove and then move to the oven. Using a cast iron skillet lets you do this without dirtying too many dishes.
- When slicing the plantains lengthwise, make sure not to slice all the way through. You want the bottom of the plantain to remain intact.
Stuffed Plantains Recipe
Stuffed Plantains with Black Beans and Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Ripe Plantains
- 3 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 2 – 3 tbsp queso oaxaca or your favorite shredded cheese
- 2/3 cup cooked black beans canned is fine
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
- Heat an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat
- Place 3 tbsp olive oil in the skillet, heat until shimmering3 tbsp olive oil
- Peel the plantains, leave the plantains in one whole piece2 Ripe Plantains
- Place the plantains in the warmed skillet and brown on all sides (7-10 minutes)
- Cut a slit lengthwise down the middle of each plantain. Use two forks to widen the opening.
- Place a small sprinkle of cheese into the opening in the plantain.2 – 3 tbsp queso oaxaca
- Add 1/3 cup of black beans into the opening.2/3 cup cooked black beans
- Add another sprinkle of cheese on top of the black beans.
- Place the skillet with plantains in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Plantains are done when the cheese is melted and golden brown on top.
Recipe Notes
Choosing the best plantains for canoas
Make sure you use a ripe plantain to get the sweet flavor and ensure accurate cooking time. For these stuffed sweet plantains, choose a plantain with mostly yellow peel and a few brown spots. If you have a green plantain, wait a few days or make a savory plantain recipe. If you have a fully black plantain, try making maduros instead!
Is this a healthy meal?
These plantain boats can be a healthy meal! Many people are wary of the carbs in plantains, but plantains are a good source of dietary fiber and resistant starch. This means the carbs in plantains are healthy carbs (1).
The added black beans and cheese give extra protein to make this meal more filling.
To round it out, I recommend serving these plantain boats with a simple side salad. This way you can get a complete balanced meal in an easy 30-minute meal.
Recommended pairings
Here are my favorite side salads to serve with these canoas.