Cuban Fufu: Sweet Plantain Stuffing With Garlic and Bacon

By
Hector Rodriguez
Hector Rodriguez
A Puerto Rico native and former food service professional, Hector Rodriguez develops recipes inspired by the Caribbean and Latin America.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 11/15/22
Cuban Fufu: Sweet Plantain Stuffing With Garlic and Bacon

The Spruce / Danielle Moore

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 35 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
213 Calories
5g Fat
39g Carbs
6g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 213
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g 7%
Saturated Fat 2g 9%
Cholesterol 14mg 5%
Sodium 245mg 11%
Total Carbohydrate 39g 14%
Dietary Fiber 3g 11%
Total Sugars 17g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 14mg 71%
Calcium 9mg 1%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 654mg 14%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Plantains are a popular ingredient in the Caribbean and are prepared in a variety of ways, similar to how potatoes are used in the United States. The tropical fruit can be incorporated into recipes when it is green as well as when it has ripened. One popular way to use plantains is in a stuffing; in Puerto Rico green plantains are made into mofongo and in Cuba, the stuffing is made with ripe plantains and called fufu.

This fufu stuffing is a combination of mashed sweet plantain with bacon and onion, making for a sweet yet savory turkey dressing or side dish. Other versions of fufu may feature lemon juice and garlic instead of onion, but almost all recipes will include bacon or another type of smoked pork.

Ingredients

  • 4 sweet plantains (peeled and cut into uniform pieces)

  • 1/4 pound bacon (cut into small pieces)

  • 1 medium onion (diced)

  • 4 cloves garlic (finely chopped)

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Cuban Fufu: Sweet Plantain Stuffing With Garlic and Bacon ingredients

    The Spruce / Danielle Moore

  2. Place the pieces of plantain in a saucepan and cover with lightly salted, cold water.

    Place the pieces of plantain in a saucepan and cover with lightly salted, cold water

    The Spruce / Danielle Moore

  3. Bring to a boil and cook until the plantains are soft, about 10 minutes.

    plantains cooking in a pot

    The Spruce / Danielle Moore

  4. Drain the plantains in a colander.

    Drain the plantains in a colander.

    The Spruce / Danielle Moore

  5. Transfer to a bowl and mash the plantains using a potato masher. Set aside.

    mash the plantains using a potato masher

    The Spruce / Danielle Moore

  6. In a frying pan, sauté the bacon until brown.

    sauté the bacon until brown in a pan

    The Spruce / Danielle Moore

  7. Add the diced onion and chopped garlic. Continue sautéing for about 5 minutes.

    Add the diced onion and chopped garlic to the bacon in the pan

    The Spruce / Danielle Moore

  8. Remove the frying pan from the heat and carefully drain the excess bacon drippings, leaving about 2 tablespoons of grease in the pan.

    garlic and onion mixture in a pan

    The Spruce / Danielle Moore

  9. Gently fold in the mashed plantains until thoroughly mixed. Serve warm.

    Cuban Fufu: Sweet Plantain Stuffing With Garlic and Bacon in a pan

    The Spruce / Danielle Moore

Tips

  • Plantains are harder to peel than bananas, especially if they are cold. If you stored the plantains in the fridge, make sure to bring them to room temperature before beginning the recipe. Unlike with bananas, cutting the ends and slitting the peel with a knife will make peeling the plantain much easier. The peel will come off in sections instead of as a whole piece. Alternatively, you can keep the peel on the plantain, cut off the ends, and boil. Remove the peel once they're cool enough to handle and then mash.
  • If you'd like to be more precise when ridding of the excess bacon fat (and eliminate the chance of accidentally losing most of the dish into the kitchen sink), remove the bacon, onion, and garlic from the pan and place in a bowl. Pour the grease from the pan into a cup and measure out 2 tablespoons of the fat. Return this to the pan along with the bacon, onion, and garlic, and proceed with the recipe.