Gluten-Free Black Bean Sopes with Roasted Pepper Salsa Recipe
With endless possibilities for meat and vegetable variations, gluten-free Mexican food can be an important part of your family mealtime. This recipe for black bean sopes is the perfect example. Here it’s topped with black beans, avocado, cheese, and shredded lettuce. But you could easily swap in cooked shredded chicken, pork, or beef or sauteed shrimp, fish, or mushrooms.
Black Bean Sopes with Roasted Pepper Salsa
A sope is a thick tortilla with a rim to contain toppings, like a personal Mexican pizza. If you’re making dinner for two, cook, wrap, and freeze the extra sopes for up to a month, and defrost and finish them the next time you want a fast Mexican meal. Masa harina, or “dough flour,” is made from corn kernels soaked in lime water, then cooked and ground; it’s available in the international section of the supermarket or at Mexican grocers.
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
- 2 red bell peppers
- 1 1⁄2 cups masa harina
- 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped white onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro plus more for garnish
- Juice of 1 lime plus wedges for serving
- 1 15.5-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 avocado pitted, peeled, and sliced
- 1⁄2 cup crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese optional
- 1 cup thinly shredded romaine lettuce or cabbage
Instructions
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Preheat the broiler, then broil the bell peppers a few inches from the heat, turning so all sides are roasted and blackened. Place the peppers in a closed paper bag and allow to cool. Rub off the blackened skin, discard the seeds and stems, and chop the peppers.
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In a medium bowl, combine the masa harina, salt, and 1 1⁄4 cups warm water. Stir until smooth, soft, and moist like Play-Doh, adding more water if needed. Divide the dough into 4 balls and cover with a damp cloth.
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Using a tortilla press or a glass pie dish, press each ball into a sope 6 inches wide and 1⁄4 inch thick. Heat an ungreased cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, then cook each sope until just dry, about 1 minute on each side. Remove from the pan and cover it with a dry kitchen towel to cool for 45 seconds, then form a slight lip around the sope by pinching its edges with your fingers. Repeat to cook the remaining sopes and set aside.
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In a small bowl, combine the peppers, onion, cilantro, and the lime juice.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Top each sope with beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove, top with avocado slices, red pepper salsa, queso fresco, lettuce, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
Recipe: GFF Staff
Photographer James Ellerker
