Cheese-Crusted Ripe Plantain Balls are crusty on the outside, sweet in the inside, and oozing with melted cheese. Do I have your attention?
Why we ❤️ it
Welcome to my latest obsession: ripe plantains and finger food. Of all my obsessions this is probably the least insane one. I am sure you agree. Please say you do and I'll share with you the recipe for these incredible Cheese-Crusted Ripe Plantain Balls filled with melted cheese.
And you'll ask yourself how you have lived so far without them.
So, I had some ripe plantains left from when I made piononos, and decided to see what I could do with them. Something easy, something relatively healthy (read: "no deep-frying") and something I could eat while walking around. Because being obsessed by many things (including ripe plantains and finger food) means no time to sit and eat.
About this recipe
These Cheese-Crusted Ripe Plantain Balls are simply amazing! This was a pretty good result for my experiment. A crusty shell, sweet, creamy plantain, and a melted cheese center.
It makes a great dish to serve friends, you can prepare beforehand and freeze until it's time to serve.
Recipe
Cheese-Crusted Ripe Plantain Balls [+ Video]
Ingredients
- 3 plantain (ripe, yellow), (see notes)
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil, for greasing hands
- 1 cup hard mozzarella, , diced [0.34 kg]
- ½ cup ground Parmesan or Pecorino
- 2 tablespoons butter (salted), at room temperature, to grease tray
Instructions
Cooking plantains: Cook in the microwave unpeeled for 4 minutes. Remove the peel (careful not to burn yourself). Remove the center of the plantain (looks like a nerve) and mash until there are no lumps. Cool to room temperature.
Making balls: Grease your hands with the oil. Make small balls (about a tablespoon of plantain puree). Poke a hollow in the ball and put a piece of mozzarella in it. Form a ball around it. Repeat until you finish with all the mashed plantains. Resist eating them now.
Covering with Parmesan: Cover with Parmesan or Pecorino, making as thick a layer as you can. Place the balls on a greased tray and freeze hard (about 4 hours).
Baking: Bake in preheated oven to 400 ºF [200 ºC] for 15 mins, or until they are golden brown outside and remove from the oven.
Serving: Serve warm.
Video
Tips and Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutritional information.
