Piononos are sweet plantain cups that are seriously addicting. They’re filled with a savory picadillo, lots of shredded cheddar cheese, and rolled in a naturally sweet and caramelized platano maduro.
It’s really the perfect bite! But you don’t have to make them with picadillo or even ground beef, these would be delicious with shredded roasted chicken or pulled pernil.
You could even make them with rice and beans for a meatless option that still has all the best Dominican flavors in one bite! Puerto Ricans also make piononos, and filling these with arroz con gandules would be next level.
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Don’t overfill the piononos with meat
Fill the sweet plantain cups lightly, making sure not to overfill or pack the meat in tightly. This will make it hard for the egg mixture to seep through those crevices and stabilize the pionono, and instead the egg will either stay on top or leak to the sides.
Easily avoid this but packing the picadillo into the piononos lightly and loosely.
Piononos de Platano Maduro (Sweet Plantain Cups)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Peel the plantain and slice it thinly lengthwise to create 6 long slices. Heat frying oil in a pan over low to medium heat and add the plantain slices. Cook until golden brown, then drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- In a skillet, brown the ground beef over medium heat. Add chopped bell pepper, chopped onion, and mashed garlic, cooking until the vegetables are tender. Stir in tomato paste, white distilled vinegar, adobo, sazón, and salt and pepper to taste and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed. Optionally add raisins and capers then remove from heat.
- In a separate bowl, whisk 2 eggs and set aside.
- Using a muffin tin, roll the plantain slices around the muffin tins to create a cup shape. Add a layer of the beef picadillo, then a layer of cheese, then pour the egg mixture over each cup, followed by another layer of beef picadillo and finally another layer of cheese.
- Bake in the oven at 350°F for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and let cool completely before removing from the baking pan and enjoying!
