Tres Pupusas Product Review

… A Little Pocket of Salvadoran Delight!

If you’ve been around Daily Forage for very long, then you already know how much I LOVE Mexican food … and anything that has a Latin flavor and flair. I was so excited when I was recently gifted with coupons from Tres Latin Foods so I could review their products with characteristics that fall deliciously into this style, flavor, and familiarity … Tres Pupusas.

Pupusas, a traditional Salvadoran meal, are little, sealed pockets made of a corn meal dough casing a filling typically made of beans, meat, and cheese, or various combinations of these ingredients.

Tres Pupusas, which means three pupusas, has created this traditional dish in five varieties – all of which are naturally gluten-free and produced in a dedicated gluten-free facility, with three vegetarian and 2 vegan options. I only tried the Black Bean and Sweet Corn flavor (vegan), since I am dairy-free, and unfortunately the second vegan variety, Kale and Pinto Bean was not available at my retailer. For those of you whom dairy is not off limits, the vegetarian varieties are Green Chile and Cheese, Spinach and Cheese, and Pinto Bean and Cheese. All of them sound delicious to me!

The Black Bean and Sweet Corn Pupusa fell right into my liking, as I’d hoped and expected it would (I so much didn’t want to be disappointed). The corn meal pocket had a clean, pure corn flavor and scent, and the filling of black beans was dotted with kernels of sweet corn. The beans had a good consistency and were neither too runny nor too dry. What I really like about Tres Pupusas as a brand is that they don’t include unnecessary ingredients. For example, this variety is made of only organic, non-GMO corn masa, a trace of lime, water, black beans, corn, olive oil, and salt. Pure and simple, keeping the flavors satisfying.

Tres Pupusas come frozen with four individually packaged pupusas per box. Each pupusa is 2.5 ounces. I found that two pupusas were just right for a light and healthy lunch. Want to take these into dinnertime? I’d suggest cooking them (as I suggest below), then dressing them up a bit with some spicy, chunky salsa, slices of ripe avocado, a squeeze of fresh lime, and a garnish of freshly chopped cilantro. Perhaps add an orange and grapefruit citrus salad on the side. A perfect meat-free meal.

How do you prepare pupusas? The package and website suggest the best way to prepare them is in a skillet on the stovetop heated in a little oil. The package also has instructions for toaster or oven heating. I have to admit, I ventured off the suggested oven-heating path a little. I gave my two pupusas a light spray of cooking oil and placed them in a 400ºF oven (as suggested on the box). At the end of the baking time, I placed them under the broiler for about 1 minute on each side. This gave them a beautiful, golden brown toasting, as you can see in the photo. I really liked the little extra crunch and color this added.

If you’re a lover of Latin food, be sure to check out Tres Pupusas. And if you can enjoy the vegetarian varieties, be sure to check back here and leave a comment with your review. That way we can get both pieces of the story as well.

Check out where Tres Pupusas can be found.