Paraben Free Whole30 Garlic-Herb Sautéed Plantains
Ripe plantains hit a magical sweet spot when they're mostly yellow with black spots — starchy enough to hold their shape in the pan but sweet enough to caramelize beautifully in ghee. That golden crust you get from cooking them undisturbed is the whole point, and the garlic-herb finish takes them somewhere genuinely craveable. Smoked paprika, fresh cilantro, flat-leaf parsley, and a bright squeeze of lime juice pull everything together into a side dish that feels far more special than the ingredient list suggests. Every component here is a whole food in its purest form — no synthetic preservatives, no hidden additives, just real ingredients you can actually pronounce. Ghee does the heavy lifting as the cooking fat, giving the plantains a rich, nutty depth that a neutral oil simply can't match. This is the kind of dish that disappears fast, so consider doubling the batch if you're feeding a crowd.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 2 large ripe yellow plantains (peels mostly yellow with some black spots)
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice (from about ½ lime)
For serving
- lime wedges, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Peel the plantains and slice them on the diagonal into 1/2-inch rounds. Pat the slices dry with a paper towel.
- 2
Melt the ghee in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the plantain slices in a single layer — work in two batches if needed to avoid crowding — and cook undisturbed for 3–4 minutes, until the undersides are deep golden brown.
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