Pionono (Stuffed Fried Plantain) — savory plantain rolls stuffed with a tasty beef filling – Picadillo. An out-of-this-world Puerto Rican snack that’ll reminds you of sunshine and the blue sea. Truly a delectably sweet plantain and savory beef combo rolled into one!

This coming weekend will be a long one here in the U.S. as we celebrate Labor Day on the 4th of September. It’ll be celebrated with parades, fireworks display, picnics, barbecue and all other fun events. Wohoo!

It’s a way for us to honor those who labor, hustle and contribute to the American economy. So cheers to all of us who do the grind! It’s never easy, but at least we’re always a day closer to our end goals.

Whatever your plans are, make this long weekend a fun and memorable one. If parades and big events aren’t your thing, you can take a one last dip in the pool before we say goodbye to summer.

Honestly, I’m going to truly miss all the fresh summer produce from my local farmer’s market and all other summer activities with my nieces, nephews and my son. One thing I won’t miss is the heat. I spent about a month in the southern region and boy it is hot over there! 

But fall season isn’t that bad either. It’s time for all those comforting soups, slow cooker recipes, pumpkin desserts, sweaters and jackets. It excites me while writing this.

But before you make your fall recipe list, you’ve got to put this rolled treat on your to-make list.

This Pionono recipe is actually named after Pope Pious IX’s name “Pio Nono”. This treat has a lot of varieties but it’s widely known as a sponge cake rolled up around a sweet filling. It’s popular in Spain, South America and the Philippines – each having it’s own version.

 Here, I decided to go with the Puerto Rican Pionono which I substituted the pastry with sweet plantains. Yes, plantains – one of the best foods in the world!

And you know me when it comes to plantains, I don’t hold back at all!  Nope, not me. I live in the name of plantains!

The plantains in this recipe are vertically sliced, fried and rolled to cup the savory beef filling- Picadillo– and topped with a beaten egg to lock it all in place before its baked. Piononos are definitely pack with sweet and savory flavors that complement each other well.

The filling is so satisfying that you can even have this for lunch or dinner. How’s that for versatility?

This has become my new favorite plantain recipe recently –  there are so many reasons to love this. You may enjoy this on regular days and even serve this up during parties. Just imagine how these babies here would sit gloriously on your table. Oooh..Drool-worthy!

As seen in the photos, this recipe might require some serious use of toothpicks to lock them together. But it’s not as hard as you think it is. Before you know it, you’ve locked these rolled plantains into place like a pro. I swear!  Oh, you can certainly make it without tooth picks – check out method 2.

Another great option is to make  Plantain Lasagna. aka pastelon  A Puerto Rican version of lasagna that is a combination of spiced beef sandwiched in layers of sweet plantains, topped with cheese or eggs.

So never say you’ve run out of ways to enjoy plantains, cause I’ve actually got tons of them. You may check my popular list of plantain recipes HERE. (**You’re welcome 😉 **)

But before you get overwhelmed, I’d say start with this Pionono recipe and enjoy plantains in a new and exciting way. You’ll surely claim your Plantain Queen (or King!) spot once you make this. Enjoy!

Tips and Notes:

1. When choosing the plantains to use in this recipe, go with the riper ones, but not too ripe. Overripe plantains are too soft to hold the beef filling and doesn’t have that balanced sweetness unlike the “ripe” ones.
2. Use a thin blade knife when cutting the plantains lengthwise and cut it smoothly and carefully without forcing it.
3. You may re-fry the assembled piononos, as how it is usually cooked. But in our case, we’re trying to cut back on the oil and go with the healthier option by baking it.
4. Piononos are best served when hot, but you can assemble them ahead, place in the fridge and bake them when it’s time to serve them.

Watch How To Make It

5 from 3 votes

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Piononos

Pionono (Stuffed Fried Plantain) — savory plantain rolls stuffed with tasty beef filling – Picadillo. Truly a delectable sweet plantain and savory beef combo rolled into one!

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Puerto Rican

Servings: 5 - 6

Calories: 359 kcal

Author: Immaculate Bites

Ingredients

Plantains

• 3 ripe plantains
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• tooth picks

Picadillo

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• ½ medium onion chopped
• ½ pound ground beef
• ½ cup tomato sauce
• ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ small green or red pepper
• 2 tablespoons cilantro
• 2 tablespoons green oinion
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 cup olives chopped
• 1 packet Sazon to taste or use beef or chicken bouillon

Instructions

Picadillo

1. Add about 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet followed by onions, garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne, oregano, sweat for about a minute.

2. Then add bell pepper, tomato sauce, bring to a simmer, add ground meat , potatoes (if using potatoes ) and cook for about 7-10 minutes or more , while stirring frequently to prevent burning burn add about broth or water as needed. Until potatoes is soft and tender .
   

3. Season with salt, chicken bouillon or sazon.
   

4. Finally add olives , green onions and cilantro, adjust for seasoning. Remove and set aside.
   

Plantains

1. Using a sharp knife cut both ends off the plantain. This will make it easy to grab the skin of the plantains. Slit a shallow line down the long seam of the plantain; peel only as deep as the peel. Remove plantain peel by pulling it back. Slice the plantains horizontally into 4-5 pieces depending on plantains. You may either fry or bake the plantains. I prefer frying.

   
   

Frying Method

1. Heat up a large skillet or cast iron with oil up to ½ inch- medium-high heat until hot but not smoking.
   

2. Fry the plantain in batches, turning once, until lightly brown, about 5 minutes. Do not overcrowd the pan (it will make the plantains to be soggy and absorb excess oil)
   

3. Use a slotted spoon, transfer the fried plantains and drain on paper towels.
   

Baking method

1. Spray a baking sheet and place plantains on them in a single layer; spray lightly over the plantains using the canola oil spray and bake at 400 degrees F, turning over slices, after 8 minutes for about 12- 20 minutes or till plantains turn slightly brown.
   

Assemble Pionono

(Method 1) Use if frying only

1. Form the plantain into a pinwheel – it should be loose. Then secure with a toothpick. Now cover the bottom of the pinwheel with about 3 toothpicks. Just like in the pictures. This prevents the meat from falling off .
   

2. Fill each piononos with about ¾ of the beef filling , press down . Repeat until all the plantains and beef have been used up.
   

3. Now drizzle or spoon beaten eggs on over the piononos , this helps keep it together.
   

4. Heat up a large skillet or cast iron with oil up to ½ inch- medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Fry the plantain Pionono in batches, turning once, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Do not overcrowd the pan (it will make it too soggy 

5. Use a slotted spoon, transfer the pionono on to a plate , line with paper towels . Let it cool for about 5 minutes , serve warm

Method 2 (cooking in a muffin pan )

1. Place plantain around each ring in the muffin tin. If the plantain is too long, you can trim off the ends to make it fit, place the rest at the bottom of the pan. 
   

2. Fill each piononos with about ¾ of the beef filling , press down . Repeat until all the plantains and beef have been used up.

3. Now drizzle or spoon beaten eggs on over the piononos , this helps keep it together. 

4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a regular sized muffin tin with oil or cooking spray . 

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until plantains is heated through .Run your knife around the edges and carefully scoop your pionono out with a fork, Remove toothpicks and serve warm with some avocados