Bean and cheese pupusas with salsa are one of the most delicious, budget friendly and satisfying meals you can make at home! They’re the perfect meatless meal. Made with simple ingredients but they’re real big on flavor! They’re basically thick corn tortillas filled with creamy black beans and melty cheese then cooked on a hot skillet until perfectly golden. Then they’re topped with a homemade salsa that takes them to the next level of deliciousness! If you’ve never had one before you’re in for a real treat. Don’t be intimidated once you get the hang of it they’re pretty simple. Once you master this beans and cheese version, you’ll have to try my pork pupusas next!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Made with simple pantry ingredients
- Meatless recipe but big on flavor
- Budget friendly
Ingredients for Bean and Cheese Pupusas
- Dry black beans
- Chicken bouillon
- Shredded mozzarella
- Maseca
- Salt
- Roma tomatoes
- Onion
- Garlic
- Olive oil
How to Make Bean and Cheese Pupusas with Salsa
Cook the Beans
The first thing I do is cook the beans. I transfer my rinsed black beans to a pot and cover them with water. Then I bring it to a boil then reduce the heat to low and cover. I let this cook for 1 hour. Then I add some chicken bouillon to the pot, stir, cover and continue to cook for another hour or until the beans are tender. Once the beans are tender I drain most of the liquid from them and I mash them with a potato masher until thick. Then I let them cool completely. Once cooled, I add the shredded cheese and mix well. Set the bean and cheese mixture aside for later use.
Make the Salsa
Now I start on the salsa. I add the tomatoes to a pot and cover with water. Then I bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover. I let this simmer for about 10 minutes or until the tomato skins start peeling.
While the tomatoes are cooking I quickly saute some onion and garlic in a little oil in a skillet over medium heat. The garlic will cook faster than the onion. So once its golden take it out and let it cool. Then peel the garlic and add it to a blender along with the onion, tomatoes, and a little chicken bouillon. Make sure to discard the cooking water for the tomatoes. The tomatoes have plenty of juice on their own and will blend easily. Blend until completely smooth. Then fry the sauce in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes or so then set aside.
Make the Masa
Now it’s time to make the masa. Add the Maseca and salt to a bowl and mix well. Slowly pour in some hot water while mixing with your hand. Mix for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and moist. Cover and let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
How to Shape Pupusas
Start by dividing the masa dough into 12 equal balls. Place one ball between two pieces of plastic or inside a cut zip-loc bag as shown below.
Then use a heavy pot to flatten it or you can use a tortilla press. Either one works fine.
Add a heaping tablespoon of the bean and cheese mixture to the center of the dough. (These photos are old as you can see those are canned refried beans and the shredded cheese is on top instead of mixed in the beans however the process is the same for shaping the pupusas).
Fold the dough over the filling like you would fold an empanada. Use the bag to help you do this.
Once it’s sealed, gently shape it back into a ball with your hands.
What I do is take the two ends and kind of push them in and up in order to make a ball.
Flatten the ball again. You can do this with your hands or use the plastic and a heavy pot. Don’t make the pupusa too flat. It should be like a thick tortilla. Repeat this process with the remaining dough and filling. Try not to flatten the pupusas too thin. Keeping them thicker helps prevent the filling from leaking out while cooking.
Cook the Bean and Cheese Pupusas
Heat up a skillet over medium heat. Coat the skillet with some oil. I don’t use a lot of oil just enough to keep the pupusas from sticking. Once the oil is hot add the pupusas. Cook them in batches. Cook for about 3-4 minutes then flip and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. It should be browned and cooked through like the one below.
Transfer the cooked pupusas to a paper towel lined plate and repeat the above steps with the remaining pupusas adding more oil to the skillet as needed. Serve with the homemade salsa and enjoy!
You May Also Like
Bean and Cheese Pupusas
Bean and cheese pupusas are the ultimate comfort food. They're filled with a flavorful refried beans and melty cheese mixture.
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 3/4 cup dry black beans
- 4 cups water
- 3 tsp chicken bouillon
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
For the Masa
- 3 cups Maseca
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/4 cups hot water warm enough to touch comfortably
For the Salsa
- 6 roma tomatoes
- 1/4 piece onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tsp chicken bouillon
- 2 tbs olive oil plus more for cooking pupusas
Instructions
For the Filling
-
Rinse the beans and add them to a pot with the water.
-
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 1 hour.
-
Add the chicken bouillon, stir, cover again, and cook for another hour or until tender.
-
Drain most of the liquid and mash the beans until thick.
-
Let cool completely, then mix in the mozzarella cheese. Set aside.
For the Salsa
-
Add the tomatoes to a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the skins start peeling.
-
While the tomatoes cook, heat 1 tbs of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
-
Add the onion and garlic and cook until golden and fragrant.
-
Remove the garlic first so it doesn’t burn. Once cool, peel it and add it to a blender.
-
Add the onion, tomatoes (do not add the cooking water), and chicken bouillon. Blend until smooth.
-
Heat the remaining olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the blended salsa and cook for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust salt or bouillon if needed.
For the Masa
-
Add the Maseca and salt to a bowl and mix well.
-
Slowly pour in the hot water while mixing with your hand. Mix for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and moist. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes.
-
Divide the dough into 12 equal balls. Using two sheets of plastic and a tortilla press, flatten one ball.
-
Add a heaping tablespoon of the bean and cheese mixture to the center.
-
Fold like an empanada, shape back into a ball, then flatten into a thick tortilla.
-
Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
Cook the Pupusas
-
Heat a skillet over medium heat and lightly coat the bottom with oil.
-
Cook the pupusas 3–4 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through.
-
Serve warm with salsa and enjoy