Something Special for Cinco de Mayo

Sopes with chicken and green sauce.

Mexican Sopes are the bomb!

I didn’t try Mexican Sopes until recently. Sure, I had the corn cakes at Cheesecake Factory and those are so delicious! They are more of a tamale mix than sopes are although the both use masa. But they are equally high in carbohydrate’s. So, I decided to try to make a similar-tasting one from low carb ingredients. I tried a couple of different recipes I found from other Keto sites, but they didn’t quite do it.

Ultimately, I came up with my own recipe for sopes using a combination of flours and Mozzarella cheese. Yes, cheese. The Mozzarella melts well, has a very mild flavor, and helps the flour ingredients hold together. For this, I used CarbQuik, a biscuit combination flour that works well. I added a little corn meal to get the corn flavor into it, but if you want to lower the carbs a little more, you can leave it out and add 2 more tablespoons of flax meal or almond flour. The flax helps with the texture and adds a golden color. Adding in taco seasoning brings more flavor to the mix. If you prefer, just add a little salt and a bit of garlic powder.

Although the ingredients are low carb, a sope still comes out to 8 grams of carbs, but if you have a low threshold, plan for your higher carb dinner by eating really low carb the rest of the day. I find two sopes are a good dinner meal, but if you add a side salad, you can get by with one.

The fillings also affect the carbs, so use cheese and meat, chicken, or fish with a salsa or low carb sauce. Feel free to top with a bit of sour cream or chopped lettuce and sliced radishes.

Give it a try for Cinco de Mayo!

Mexican-style Sopes

1/3 cup Almond Flour
2 tablespoons Corn Meal
1/3 cup Low Carb Flour
1/3 cup Golden Flax Meal
1 tablespoon Lard
1/3 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1/4 teaspoon Taco Seasoning
1/4 to 1/3 cup water

Mix the ingredients, except the water together and cut with your clean fingers until it forms crumbles. Add 1/4 cup water and mx together with your hands. The dough will begin to pull together to form a ball. If the mix isn’t adhering together well, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it forms a smooth, but not wet ball. Roll into a log about 4 inches long. Cut in half.

Form the 1st half into a 3″ circle about 1 thick. Smooth the top and sides and make it as even as possible. Repeat with the second piece of dough.

Two balls, flattened and cooked on both sides long enough to lightly brown, but not cook through.

Heat a griddle or heavy skillet over medium high heat until it is hot. Place each rounded ball into the griddle and cook for about 1-1/2 to 2 minutes until it is lightly browned. Flip and repeat on the other side. Remove dough patties to a work surface. Carefully cut each one across the middle of the 1″ side, like you would split an English muffin. The dough in the center will be raw, so cut carefully.

Press down the bottom and pinch the sides to form a ring around the top.

With the doughy side up, push down the middle of the sope and use your fingers to pinch the edges to a 1/2 inch wall around the middle. It’s easier to use the pointer finger on each hand to shape this. If it cracks, pinch it closed. This is like forming the top edge with pie dough. Push the center down more if needed, then use a finger to push the bottom of the edging to be even with the base.

If you are not cooking right away, cover the sopes with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to cook.

You can cook the sopes in hot oil and it will take about 4 minutes to get them completely done. Or you can cook them in a hot oven or air fryer. If you do that, spray with oil or cooking spray and cook until they are browned and cooked through. This will take about 10 to 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

Fill with your favorite fillings and serve with salsa if you like.

Makes 4 sopes.

Nutrition Information per Sope:
Calories 390 , Total Fat 32 g , Cholesterol 12 mg, Sodium 45 mg, Potassium 312 mg, Carbohydrates 18 g, Fiber 10 g, Sugars 1.3 g, Protein 14 g, Net Carbs 8 g

Note: Nutrition information is based on the ingredients I used in this recipe and my measurements. Although they are a close calculation, your results may be slightly higher or lower. Ingredient substitutions may affect the carb count. Different brands may have other carb counts.

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