How to Make Cheese Pupusas

This cheese pupusas recipe is simple and delicious. They are made with masa harina and served with a cabbage slaw called curtido. You can also serve these with a tomato salsa if you like.

Pupusas come from Central American and are a sort of fat pancake that can be filled with cheese, meat or chicharron. They are tasty and very easy to make.

I am using Mozzarella cheese in this recipe but if you can find queso fresco (fresh cheese) it would be better. Either way you will have a delicious result.

Masa harina is corn flour which is used for tortillas, tamales and pupusas. It is gluten free and found in Hispanic grocery stores. When you start mixing it with warm water you should end up with a consistency like play dough. I recommend that you add the water a half cup at a time and work it until you have the right elasticity and density.

The following carousel will take you to Amazon where you can purchase masa harina for this recipe if you like:

Here is what you are going to need to make these delicious cheese pupusas:

Makes eight pupusas
2 cups of finely sliced green cabbage
1 large carrot – shredded
1 small white onion – finely sliced
3 TBS cider vinegar
3 TBS warm water
1 tsp. salt (or more to taste) + a pinch for the masa
1 tsp. oregano
2 cups (224 grs) of masa harina
A pinch of cumin (optional)
1 ½ cups (or more) of warm water
1 bowl of water with a splash of oil for your hands
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

Mix the cabbage, carrot, onion, vinegar, warm water, salt and oregano in a bowl. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least two hours.

Mix the masa harina with the pinch of salt and the pinch of cumin in a bowl. Add water a half cup at a time, mixing well after each addition, until your masa resembles play dough. Your dough has to be pliable. Don’t make it too dry or too wet. Cover the bowl and allow resting for about 10 minutes. Wet your fingers in the oily water and make 8 balls of the masa of about the same size. Keep each ball covered with a damp kitchen cloth.

Wet your fingers again and make an indentation in the middle of each ball and form a deep well with thin walls, turning the masa as you form it. Fill the hole with some shredded cheese and seal the hole by pressing down the masa. Make sure to seal it well or the cheese will bleed out. Start flattening the tortilla in the palms of your hands, turning the pupusas as you flatten. Do not make them too flat. Your pupusa has to resemble a fat pancake.

Heat a skillet with a thin coat of oil. Place the pupusas in the skillet for about 3 to 4 minutes until the pupusa is browned. Flip it and brown the other side. Serve on a plate with the cabbage slaw and enjoy.

CALORIES 413.51; FAT 12.10 grs (sat 5.69; mono 3.15; poly 1.38); PROTEIN 21.20 grs ; FIBER 8.66 grs; CARBS 61.16 grs; CHOLESTEROL 35.84 mg; IRON 2.22 mg; SODIUM 965.31 mg; CALCIUM 569.63 mg

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