Sopes
Thick little corn cups with crisp bottoms, loaded with refried beans, spicy chorizo, crunchy lettuce and salty queso fresco.
- 55 min total
- 45 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $1.76 a serving
- 620 calories
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Read the steps once before you start. Everything goes smoother after that.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 9 oz Mexican chorizo, casing removed
- 1 can refried beans, 16 oz
- 2 cups masa harina
- 2 cups shredded lettuce
- ½ cup queso fresco, crumbled
- ½ cup salsa
- ¼ cup sour cream (optional)
From your pantry
- ½ tsp salt
- 1½ cups water, warm
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Each serving has about 620 calories, 24 g protein, 66 g carbs and 31 g fat, and costs about $1.76 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No shredded lettuce? Iceberg lettuce or romaine lettuce works.
- No queso fresco? Cotija cheese or feta cheese works.
- No salsa? Pico de gallo works.
- No sour cream? Plain Greek yogurt works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the chorizo into a large and cook over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it up, until and crumbly. Scoop it into a bowl and wipe out the skillet.
Crumble. Crumbling means breaking food into small, rough bits with your fingers or a spoon, like feta or ground meat in the pan. Small bits spread through the dish, so there’s some in every bite.
How you’ll know: The pieces are small and uneven, about pea-size, with no big clumps left.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Medium heatTimer: 7 min
Dolly’s tip: Chorizo is red raw and cooked, so go by texture: sizzling and crumbly, with no soft, pasty bits left.Food safety: Raw pork sausage is done at 160°F and raw chicken or turkey sausage at 165°F. Precooked sausage just needs heating until hot all the way through.
Warm the beans in a small over low heat, stirring now and then, and keep them covered.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Low heat
Stir the masa harina and salt, pour in the warm water, and knead about 1 minute into a soft dough that doesn’t crack when you press it.
Dolly’s tip: If the edges crack, knead in more warm water a tablespoon at a time.Divide the dough into 8 balls and pat each into a 3½-inch round about ⅓ inch thick, a little thicker than you’d guess.
Dolly’s tip: Keep the rounds under a damp towel while you work so they don’t dry out.Heat the dry skillet over medium and cook the rounds 4 at a time, 2 to 3 minutes a side, until pale gold in spots and firm.
Medium heatTimer: 2 min 30 sec
While they’re still hot, pinch a little wall around the edge of each one with your fingertips to make a shallow cup.
Dolly’s tip: They’re hot. Hold each one in a folded kitchen towel and pinch with your fingertips. Work fast; the masa stiffens as it cools.Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in the skillet over medium-high and fry 4 sopes, cup side up, 1 to 2 minutes, until the bottoms are . Repeat with the rest of the oil and sopes.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Medium-high heatTimer: 1 min 30 sec
Spread each sope with beans, then top with chorizo, lettuce, queso fresco, a spoonful of salsa and a little sour cream.
Food safety: If you’re pregnant, buy queso fresco labeled “made with pasteurized milk,” and for extra care, warm it until it’s steaming hot.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
