Cuban Dinner Recipes

Black Bean, Sweet Plantains + Avocado Arepas

Who doesn’t love arepas, am I right!? In case you haven’t heard, arepas are small round patties made with cornmeal, water, and salt. The perfect vehicle for just about any filling. My friends and I make arepas at home all the time. We then fill them up with shredded chicken or…

  • Ready 45 minutes
  • Serves 10 arepas
  • Prep 20 minutes
  • Cook 25 minutes
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Black Bean, Sweet Plantains + Avocado Arepas

In case you haven’t heard, arepas are small round patties made with cornmeal, water, and salt. The perfect vehicle for just about any filling. My friends and I make arepas at home all the time. We then fill them up with shredded chicken or cheese. You can even just add butter and that’s it.

Last Thanksgiving, I made arepas with leftover turkey and they were SO good!

Today, I’m making these vegetarian black bean, sweet plantains & avocado arepas with masa harina corn flour. When I was learning how to make arepas, I was intimidated at first. But I can assure you it’s not hard at all, just a little time-consuming. Promise it will be worth it!

“Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve made it several times, as we are moving to a more vegetable filled diet. But I’ve also made them filled with leftover ropa vieja from your recipe and they were a huge hit too. These are so versatile and so easy to form. They taste like they took forever to make, but they are so quick and easy.” —Nightfall

You can either make the fillings first or the arepas. Up to you! For this recipe, you would need to make the sweet plantains. You can also purchase them already made in the frozen section of the grocery store.

For this recipe, I smeared a big spoonful of mashed avocado then added a spoonful of black beans, 2 slices of sweet plantains, and a crumble of queso fresco. GUYS IT WAS SOOOO GOOD!

I wish I was eating one right now. Can’t wait for you guys to make this recipe!

Recipe

Black Bean, Sweet Plantains + Avocado Arepas

Easy-to-make arepas (pan-fried golden corn cakes) made with black beans, sweet plantains, and mashed avocado. Perfect for any day of the week!

  • Serves 10 arepas
  • Prep 20 minutes
  • Cook 25 minutes
  • Total 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups masa harina
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups warm water
  • 1 can black beans (drained (10 oz))
  • 1 large avocado (mashed)
  • Sweet Plantains (Platanos Maduros)
  • Additional fillings (shredded cheese, sliced or mashed sweet potatoes, shredded chicken or meat of your choice)

Instructions

  1. 1

    In a bowl, add the cornmeal, salt, and water and mix until well combined. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes.

  2. 2

    Using your hands, form 8 balls of the arepa dough. Flatten each ball until each is 1-inch thick. You may have to wet your hands a bit to work the dough.

  3. 3

    In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add 3-4 arepas at a time. Pan fry for about 5 minutes on each side until golden brown. Repeat with remaining oil until all the arepas are cooked.

  4. 4

    Transfer arepas to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. (The outside of the arepa will be golden brown while the inside is slightly doughy. This is what you want. If you were to fry it longer, it may dry out.)

  5. 5

    Once they are cool enough to handle, cut a 4-inch pocket on the side of the arepa or cut in half. Add desired fillings. Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

  • Serving1 arepa
  • Calories249 kcal
  • Carbohydrates41 g
  • Protein6 g
  • Fat9 g
  • Saturated Fat4 g
  • Sodium237 mg
  • Potassium440 mg
  • Fiber6 g
  • Sugar6 g
  • Vitamin A494 IU
  • Vitamin C9 mg
  • Calcium49 mg
  • Iron3 mg