Looking for an easy recipe for making healthy homemade baked plantain with cheese – also known as Maduro con Queso?
Baked Plantain with Cheese is a popular snack in Latin American countries like Ecuador and Colombia.
Our simple Maduro con Queso recipe features a ripe plantain that is baked until golden brown then stuffed with mozzarella cheese and slathered in sweet guava jam.
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What Is Maduro con Queso?
Baked Plantain with Cheese, also known as Plátanos Asados con Queso, is a popular snack in Latin America.
The dish can be found at food markets throughout Ecuador and Colombia, as well as local restaurants.
The delicious street food is vegetarian and typically features a ripe plantain that is baked until golden brown. The chef then removes it from the oven and uses a knife to make a slit lengthwise. The roasted plantain is then stuffed with cheese and tropical jam like guava. It’s baked again for a few minutes to allow the cheese to melt.
You can enjoy the stuffed plantain whole with a fork and knife, or slice it up and serve each piece as an appetizer.
Travel To Latin America To Taste Baked Plantain with Cheese
I love traveling to Latin America.
As a professional food and travel writer I’ve had the opportunity to taste regional cuisines from bustling food markets to fancy award winning restaurants in Belize, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Uruguay.
The best countries in Latin America to taste authentic Maduro con Queso is Colombia and Ecuador, where it is served as a quick & easy street food.
My first time eating Baked Plantain with Cheese was at a weekend food market in Bogota. I also enjoyed the dish on the beach in Cartagena with a glass of Limonada de Coco.
If you’ve traveled to Latin America and fallen in love with Maduro con Queso it’s easy to recreate the dish at home by making this simple 4 ingredient recipe.
You May Enjoy These Ecuador & Colombia Travel Stories:
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- Street Art Fans Enjoy a Colombian History Lesson with Bogota Graffiti
- Jean-Georges Restaurant at W Bogota Hotel
- 15 Things to Do in Bogota
- Things to Do in Cartagena
- Alyzia Restaurant at Movich Cartagena Hotel
- Galapagos Island Guides
- The Road to Otavalo Ecuador
- Travel to Quito Ecuador
- Travel to Guayaquil Ecuador
- Travel to Montanita Ecuador
- Travel to Salinas Ecuador
My Family Loves Baked Plantain with Melted Cheese
After traveling to Colombia and Ecuador I fell in love with Maduro con Queso so was excited to recreate the dish at home to share with friends and family.
I prepared this Baked Plantain with Cheese recipe for my family at our cottage in Muskoka on a hot summer day.
I knew my parents would love this healthy plantain dish because they enjoy bananas, fruit jam and any dish made with oozing melted cheese.
I served the stuffed plantains for breakfast with a hot pot of Guatemalan coffee and a fruit salad. It was such a hit we now like to bake Maduro con Queso whenever we spot plantains on sale at the grocery store.
Maduro con Queso Recipe Health Benefits
Our Baked Plantain and Cheese recipe is packed full of healthy ingredients!
Containing starch and fibre, plantain are an excellent superfood for digestive health. They are a good source of heart-healthy potassium, as well as amino acids and vitamin B6, which help keep your brain healthy.
Consuming dairy products (such as milk and cheese) provides health benefits — especially improved bone health. Dairy foods provide nutrients that are vital for health and maintenance of your body. These nutrients include calcium, potassium, vitamin D, and protein.
Guava protect your heart, increase HDL (good) cholesterol, lower your blood pressure, and guard against cancer. Packed with vitamins, fibre, and particularly high levels of antioxidants.
Homemade Baked Plantain with Cheese Recipe Tips
This healthy Maduro con Queso recipe is quick and easy to make at home.
- Only use ripe plantains that have sweetened and are no longer starchy. We suggest using this Plantain Ripeness Chart to determine if they are ready to use.
- We’ve used an oven to bake the plantain but you can also prepare them on a grill in a barbecue.
- Use a young cheese like mozzarella that easily melts. You an also use regional cheese products like paipa or cojita.
- We’ve used butter in this recipe but you can slather the plantains with a flavourless oil like canola if you prefer.
- You can serve the baked plantains with melted cheese just as they are, or more traditionally they are served with a sweet jam like guava. The acid in the fruit jam contrasts nicely with the starchiness of the plantain and creaminess of the cheese.
What To Serve with Maduro con Queso
The easiest way to prepare Maduro con Queso is by roasting plantains and then stuffing them with cheese and reheating until the mozzarella has melted inside.
In our family recipe, we suggest filling the plantains with a tropical jam like guava, papaya or pineapple.
Other versions of the dish include hot sauce for those who like spicy food as well as schmear of guacamole.
We like to serve them at brunch with a hot pot of coffee, beans and rice, fruit salad and guasacaca.
You can also cut Baked Plantain and Cheese crosswise and serve them as an appetizer at a dinner party. Don’t forget the toothpicks and napkins!
How To Make Homemade Baked Plantain with Cheese
Maduro con Queso Baked Plantain with Cheese
Equipment
- baking sheet
- French knife
- Spatula Flipper
Ingredients
- 2 Ripe Plantains
- 2 tbsp Butter softened
- 1/4 lb Mozzarella Cheese thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp Guava Paste or Guava Jam
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Peel the plantains, place them on a baking sheet and rub them with softened butter.
- Bake the plantains for 30 minutes, flip them and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until golden on both sides.
- Remove the baked plantains from the oven. Make a horizontal slit in the middle of each plantain and fill with 1 tbsp of guava paste or guava jam. Stuff with cheese slices and return to the oven until melted and bubbling, approximately 1-2 minutes.
- Serve hot on their own or with hot sauce on the side.
Nutrition
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