Hearty black beans and chunks of ripe plantains are simmered up in a spicy tomato base to make this knock-your-socks-off sweet and spicy plantain chili!
Every time I cook with plantains, which is not nearly enough, I tell myself I need to cook with them all the time.
Why Plantains are Awesome
Here’s the thing: plantains are cheap, delicious as heck, and as far as exotic produce goes, pretty darn readily available. I remember seeing plantains in the vegetable bins way back when I was a kid, and back then there was way less of a demand for super cool fruits. I always thought they were weird bananas, and they kind of are, but a thousand times better.
I’m a sucker for sweet and spicy flavor combinations, and it’s just about (or exactly) the beginning of fall, a.k.a., chili season as someone once told me, and so, this plantain chili was born.
My last plantain recipe on this site (okay, my only other plantain recipe) was for some burgers. That one also involved some smoky, spicy black beans, but it’s very different from what’s going on here.
How to Make Plantain Chili
The great thing about the use of plantains in chili is that you can make your chili as you normally would, then literally just chop some plantains up and throw them in. They only need a short simmer time to soften up, and during that time some of their sweetness will fuse into the rest of the chili
Couldn’t be easier. I had this urge to do fancy things with my plantains. Fry them up maybe? I don’t know, but in any event, I resisted, and I’m happy to report that plantains, thrown into a stew, are as delicious as you’ve ever had them. And if you’ve never had them before, there’s no better place to start than with the recipe right in front of you.
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Black Bean Plantain Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 (14 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
- 2 ripe plantains, yellow with plenty of brown spots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
- salt and pepper to taste
Toppings (choose your favorites)
- fresh cilantro
- chopped scallions
- avocado slices
Instructions
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Coat the bottom of a large pot with oil and place over medium heat. When oil is hot, add onion and bell pepper. Sauté until softened and onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté about 1 minute more, until very fragrant.
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Add beans, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, paprika and ancho chili powder to the pot and give it a stir to incorporate everything. Bring to a simmer. Lower heat and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Add plantains and simmer 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until plantains are softened but not yet mushy.
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Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide into bowls and top with toppings of choice. Serve.
This looks amazing! This past summer, I discovered mashed plantains with collard greens (and ginger and peanuts!). There is seemingly no end to the things plantains will happily combine with.
Ohhhh…that’s a new one for me, but it sounds amazing. I’m googling it right now so I can give some version of it a try! Thank you! :)
Yum I make something like this, my spouse is Puerto Rican and this is very traditional.
I had no idea this was even close to traditional – I just threw it together. That’s awesome! :)
Please write a cookbook. ; D Yours is always the first site I check when I need an idea for dinner because almost always it’s things I have on hand and can do in time on a weeknight. Most importantly, I haven’t had a recipe fail me yet. Thanks for them all.
Thank you so much Carla! I’m glad you’re enjoying the recipes and so thankful for the encouragement. :) I’ve had a few talks with publishers in the past year, but nothing that was a good fit just yet. Hopefully soon!
Now that it’s officially fall I am all about the different chili recipes. Thanks for this one, looks awesome!
http://www.justbeingbrooklyn.com
Yum! Loved the plantains in this. I converted this to a slow cooker recipe :)
Yay! I’m glad you liked it! I need to use my slow cooker more often. Maybe for my next batch of chili. :)
Made this recipe last night after needing to use up some plantain. It was so good and hearty will be making it one of my regular dishes. Thanks,
Glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks so much!
CI am making this today. Can I add more than one can of the crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes. I have about four small plantains
Sure you can! You might want to try increasing the amounts of spices to compensate. :)