I have loved Salvadoran pupusas (stuffed corn tortillas) for a long time, and yet had yet to make them until recently. Upon tasting my first batch (and, um, there have been 3 since yesterday afternoon…) I couldn’t get over how scrumptious they were, especially considering how easy they were to make. The tortilla-forming takes a bit of practice, but have faith—you’ll get it quickly.

The first time I made them, I stuck with simple, classic cheese filling as shown here. The second and third time, however, I got more creative, filling them once with black beans and cheese and again with roasted vegetables. Feel free to experiment.

Note: to make the classic cabbage slaw shown here that pupusas are often served with, simply toss together 1/2 cabbage, sliced thinly, juice of 1 lime, 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped, salt and pepper to taste.

• Ingredients
• 4 cups masa harina $2 for 1 lb
• pinch of salt Pantry
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups shredded Monterey jack or queso blanco $3.50 for 8 oz

Total cost of Ingredients $5.50

Directions

Mix masa harina, salt and water together in a bowl to make a sticky dough (add a touch more water if it’s too crumbly after stirring well). Divide the dough into 8 balls.

Place a ball between two pieces of wax paper and roll out, using hands or a rolling pin, into a 6” circle. Set on a plate coated lightly with masa harina. Repeat with remaining balls of dough.

To assemble a pupusa, place 1/4 cup shredded cheese on top of one dough round. Spread out evenly. Top with a second dough round and pinch edges gently to seal. Repeat with remaining dough and cheese.

To cook, heat an ungreased griddle or pan (preferably cast iron) over high heat. Cook the pupusas for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until lightly charred in places.

Serve hot, with cabbage slaw and salsa if desired.

Makes 4 pupusas.