Mangu-style mashed plantains: comfort food with no nightshades

Mangu is the Dominican way of boiling and mashing green plantains, and it gives you a soft, savory mash with no nightshade anywhere in it. This version keeps the tradition close: plantains boiled until tender and blended smooth, finished with crisp bacon, onion, and garlic stirred through.

Green plantains are a source of potassium, involved in fluid balance and in muscle and nerve function, and they carry vitamin C and resistant starch, the kind of fiber that feeds the microbes in your gut. The bacon brings fat and real savory depth, the kind that makes a plate feel like breakfast rather than a stand-in for one.

A loose mash firms into a soft dough as it sits, so you can shape it, then loosen it again with a splash of broth as you reheat. Choose a clean-label bacon, cured without hidden nightshade-derived ingredients. If you are managing interstitial cystitis, leave out the onion and bacon and the dish still holds together. Serve it warm, in a bowl you like, and let a simple plate of real food start the day well.

Ingredients

• 4 green plantains
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 small onion, diced (omit for interstitial cystitis)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 lb bacon, diced (omit for interstitial cystitis; choose a clean-label, nightshade-free cure)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

(No AIP swaps needed; this dish is fully elimination-phase compliant as written. The source's optional red pepper flakes or hot sauce are left out here as a nightshade.)

Method

Put the plantains in a saucepan, cover with water, bring to a boil, and simmer until fork-tender, about 25 minutes. Peel them if you started with the skins on, or peel before boiling, whichever you prefer; keep the cooking liquid.

While the plantains cook, warm the coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat and crisp the diced bacon with the onion and garlic, about 15 minutes, until the bacon is browned and the onion is soft.

Add the cooked plantains to a blender with a little of their cooking liquid, the bacon mixture, and the sea salt. Blend until smooth, adding more cooking liquid as needed to reach a soft mash.

Serve warm. If the mash firms up as it sits, loosen it again with a splash of broth while reheating.

*Adapted from acleanplate.com*

*Lower-sugar note: choose the greenest plantains you can find, since the riper and more yellow they get, the higher their sugar.*