Amazing Soy Chorizo and Potato Gorditas Recipe

I did a poll on Instagram asking what you would prefer between rajas poblanas or chorizo and potato gorditas. Gorditas won by 74%. I am so excited to share this Amazing soy chorizo and potato gorditas recipe with you because this recipe is a dish that my mom makes for us often and she agreed to record the recipe with me! Y’all will meet her on my Instagram Reel. 

Soy Chorizo and Potato Gorditas Recipe

For this recipe, I used soy chorizo but you can easily use your favorite chorizo. We used the cacique brand, which I love more than the Trader Joe’s one (don’t kill me for not loving TJ, but cacique has better flavor and better ingredients) . It has much more flavor and it doesn’t require extra seasoning. You can also use traditional pork chorizo if you choose. 

This recipe is outlined in 2 sections, making the masa or dough and making the gordita filling (guiso). 

​​Soy Chorizo and Potato Gorditas Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 Whole Beet
• 2 Whole Potatoes
• 3 Tbsp Melted butter
• 2 Cups P.A.N white cornmeal
• 1/5 Cups Water
• 1/2 Bar Queso Fresco
• 1/2 cup Crema Fresca
• 1/4 head Lettuce OPTIONAL finely chopped
• 3 tbsp Salt
• 5 tbsp Olive Oil

Instructions

• Wash vegetables thoroughly.
• Peel the beet and the potatoes and dice them into small pieces.
• Set them aside in a medium-sized bowl.
• In a medium-sized bowl, grate the beet.
• In a small bowl, grate the cheese.
• In a large bowl mix 2 cups of cornmeal, 3 tbsp of melted butter, 1/5 cups of water, and the grated beet. Mix until it is all incorporated. The Dough should be smooth and not cracked.
• Once your dough is fully incorporated, create large palm-sized balls and set them aside in the large bowl. Place a wet cloth on top to prevent the dough from cracking or drying up.
• Moving on the guisado or filling of the gorditas. Put a large pan on medium heat with 5 tbsp of olive oil and let that warm up.
• Once the oil is nice and hot, add your potatoes. Add 3 tbsp of salt and let them cook, stirring occasionally. Keep the heat at a medium level. This part of the recipe will take the longest, roughly 20 minutes.
• When the potatoes are soft, add the soy chorizo and stir it in until it is fully mixed in with the potatoes. Turn the heat off.
• Turn your griddle on to a medium-low heat level.
• To make the gordita, you will take the tortilla press and add two round pieces of plastic to create a barrier between the tortilla press and the dough. The order will be, round plastic cut out, dough, round plastic cut out. You will then press the dough down making sure it is still pretty thick. Drop it on the griddle and wait for it to cook.
• The gordita shell should be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
• Once the gorditas shell is ready, you will take a small steak knife and cut an opening on the side of the shell. You will then stuff it with the soy chorizo and potato mixture.
• Dress the gorditas with queso fresco, crema fresca (or Mexican sour cream), our salsa of choice, and lettuce.
• Enjoy!

What is a gordita?

A gordita is a commonly known Mexican street food item that consists of a thick tortilla stuffed in the middle with a guiso (stew). Some gorditas are made with a sweet filling and others (more commonly known) savory fillings. I would definitely say this is a common street food just as a samosa is in India.

What are some commonly known guisos?

• Soy Chorizo con papas (soy chorizo and potato gorditas the one I used)
• Cheese 
• Carnitas (pork)
• Picadillo (ground beef with veggies)
• Chorizo con huevo ( Chorizo with scrambled eggs)
• Barbacoa (Beef stew)

How to make a Gordita shell

Typically you make the gordita with masa harina just as you would make tortillas. We used masa arepa cornmeal because after much trial and error, we felt it had better taste and better consistency. Most of these doughs require the same ingredients, flour, and water. We added melted butter to make it smoother and to help incorporate the beet we added. The beet is totally optional.

These gorditas are pink because the dough or masa has grated beet incorporated in it to give the tortilla a sweeter flavor, not overpowering. It’s our way of making it “healthy”. 

Different ways to make Gorditas

Many states in Mexico make gorditas in different variations. For example, Mexico City gorditas are typically fried and filled in the middle in the same way we filled ours, by cutting a side out and filling it. Gorditas in Guanajuato are cooked on a griddle and oftentimes the filling is pressed into the middle of the dough before the cooking phase (This is my personal favorite way to have my gorditas, like a pupusa.) I will be sharing how to make this later on- Stay tuned!

The different ways are:

• Cooked, Cut and stuffed
• Stuffed before cooking 
• Deep fried
• Griddle cooked

Dressing your Soy Chorizo and Potato Gorditas

The most common way to dress your gorditas would be to add fresh cheese (queso fresco), Mexican Sour Cream, lettuce, and your salsa of choice (typically a homemade salsa, not bottled). 

If the gordita is cooked with the filling like a pupusa, they are typically eaten as is with only salsa. 

We chose to not put any lettuce because we simply prefer it that way, but I’ve tried it both ways, with and without and they are both delicious. 

Why do we use soy Chorizo?

We use soy chorizo just as a personal preference. But you can use regular pork chorizo (this is what is traditionally used). If you’ve noticed, all my recipes are adjusted to be vegetarian. 

I hope you enjoyed this soy chorizo and potato gorditas recipe and if you didn’t know, you can catch me on Instagram reels making this deliciously easy recipe. Big shout out to my mother who decided to make the video with me who came up with the beet masa. 

Check out other recipes here.