This is my easy to make and freezer friendly homemade Sofritas Recipe (a copycat recipe) featuring all the mouthwatering ingredients and spices we’ve come to love from the Chipotle Sofritas recipe! Similar to my Ground Tofu Tacos, my tofu Sofritas meat is loaded with flavor, easy to make, and oh so crave-worthy! This recipe is vegetarian or vegan, and easily gluten free.
Fast Food / Slow Food Sofritas Recipe
When I’m in the mood, I have a short list of (read: two) fast food places I seek out. One, is Chipotle. I adore their vegetarian and vegan burrito bowls. And because I love their sofritas so much, I set out to create a homemade version (my slow food version).
Lucky for us, Chipotle’s sofritas recipe main ingredients are listed on their web site. It’s the proportions and method that I had to play with to finally nail down this recipe. I relied on my never ending cravings for Tex-Mex and Mexican food flavors, something growing up in Texas helped me establish.
Sofritas is delicious for vegetarian or vegan burrito bowls. But they can also be stuffed into burritos, tacos and Cheesy Tofu Enchiladas!
Chipotle’s sofritas recipe is a combination of tofu with peppers, onions, tomatoes, garlic and spices. The tofu is cooked in these ingredients so that it takes on all the flavors of the sauce. And it’s SO mouthwateringly delicious. I find this sofritas meat recipe to make meat eaters happy too!
About the Key Ingredients
- Firm Tofu – adds bulk, texture and is the vehicle to carry all the spices and flavors of the sofritas. I like sprouted firm tofu for best texture.
- Poblano Pepper – mild and delicious, this is the secret ingredient in sofritas. It creates a smoky flavor that’s irresistible.
- Fire Roasted Tomatoes – adds richness and a mild smoky flavor to the sofritas.
- Chipotle Pepper in Adobo Sauce – more smoky flavor and spice! Find this on the Mexican food isle in cans at your grocery store. Leftovers freeze easily (this is an ingredient you’ll always find in my freezer).
- Cumin + Chili Powder – these two spices together are a must in this recipe. They add warmth with a hint of heat.
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How to Make Sofritas Meat (a copycat recipe)
step by step
Traci’s Tips
- Ground or Chunkier Sofritas? I prefer my tofu ground a bit more, a little finer than Chipotle’s sofritas, and as seen in the pictures on this post. If you like chunkier sofritas, pulse the food processor only a few times, scraping the bowl down several times, to bring the ingredients together.
- Spicier Sofritas? Let’s Go! This recipe as written is about a medium spicy. To take the heat up, add a whole or 1 1/2 chipotle peppers to your tomato mix. Chipotle pepper gives this recipe SO much flavor!
Let’s Make an Epic Sofritas Bowl!
There are so many ways to love this versatile recipe! Here are component options to make an epic vegetarian or vegan burrito bowl. Choose at least three to go with your sofritas and make an epic bowl!
- Spanish Brown Rice
- Chili-Lime Pepita Crema
- Mexican Black Beans – or Slow Cooker Pinto Beans
- Sautéed Onion and Bell Peppers (see recipe card)
- Chili Lime Corn Salsa
- Refried Black Beans
- Avocado Cream Sauce
Homemade Spicy Sofritas for Tacos, Burritos & More!
An easy to make homemade tofu Sofritas recipe featuring all the mouthwatering ingredients and spices we've come to love from Chipotle's Sofritas! Easy to make, freezer friendly and oh so crave-worthy! vegetarian + vegan + easily gluten free | This recipe yields 4 C (915g) Sofritas | *SEE BLOG POST recipes to build an Epic Burrito Bowl!
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Ingredients
For the Sofritas:
- 1 block (200g) Firm Tofu* (see notes), drained, pressed and cut into bite size pieces (about) 1" (2.5cm) cubes
- 1 Tbs Vegetable Oil, like olive or coconut
- 1 C (110g) Poblano Pepper, medium dice, about one large poblano
- 1 C (110g) Green Bell Pepper, medium dice, about one large bell pepper
- 1 C (150g) Red or Yellow Onion, medium dice, about 1/2 large onion
- 1 tsp Fine Sea Salt
- 1 Tbs Cumin
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- 2 tsp Minced Garlic, or 1/2 tsp garlic granules
- 2 Tbs Tomato Paste
- 2 Tbs Adobo Sauce***, see note, reduce to 1 Tbs for less heat. Look for gluten free if needed.
- 1 Chipotle Chili , (optional) chopped fine, to take the spicy up!! Look for gluten free if needed.
- 1 Can (411g) Fire Roasted Tomatoes
- 1/2 C (110g) Vegetable Broth
- 1/2 Lime, juiced, plus more for serving
For the Peppers/Onion (optional):
- 2 1/2 Tbs Vegetable Oil, like olive or coconut, divided
- 2 (430g) Bell Peppers, large, one red, one green, sliced in long thin strips
- 1 (150g) Red Onion, large, sliced in 1/2 moons
Instructions
- Prepare the Tofu:Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Slice the pressed/drained tofu (using a tofu press or press with something heavy*) into (about) 1" (2.5cm) cubes and place on a parchment or silpat lined sheet pan. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the tofu is lightly golden. Some crispy edges is ok. This will dry the tofu out.
- Make the Sofritas: In a large saute pan, add the oil and heat on high heat until it shimmers. Keeping the heat on high and adjusting as needed, add the poblano, bell pepper and onion. Saute, stirring/tossing/flipping only occasionally for about 8-9 minutes. Charring is good!
- To the veggie mixture add the cumin, chili powder, and garlic. Stir to coat the veggies, then add the tomato paste, adobo sauce, chipotle chili (if using), fire roasted tomatoes, vegetable broth, and baked tofu. Stir and bring to a simmer. Stir, lid and simmer on medium-low for about 12-15 minutes.
- Once the sofritas are done braising, spoon them into a food processor and either pulse for chunky sofrias, or process with longer pulses until the sofritas are of the desired consistency, stopping a few times to scrape the bowl down.
- Transfer the sofritas back to the pan, squeeze in the lime juice, stir and taste for salt adjustment. Either cook on low a bit longer, lid off, to reduce the liquid further, or simply lid to keep warm.
- Saute the Peppers/Onions (optional): **In your largest saute' skillet (I use non-stick), and working in two batches if needed, add the half the oil and heat on high until it shimmers. Add the onion/pepper mixture, a pinch of salt and saute' on high heat stirring occasionally for about 8-9 minutes. Charring is good and encouraged! The veggies should be tender crisp when done. Remove from pan as soon as they're done cooking, and place them in a bowl. The longer they set, the softer they get, so if possible, enjoy right away.
- To Build an Epic Burrito Bowl: Spoon the sofritas and pepper/onion mixture into a serving bowl along with any or all of the following: Mexican brown rice or cilantro-lime brown rice, Mexican black beans, Mexican corn salsa, guacamole or avocado slices, chopped romaine lettuce or chili lime slaw, chopped cilantro, salsa, shredded cheddar and/or sour cream, lime wedges. A handful of crushed corn chips is really nice too – for the crunch.
- Storage:Store sofritas and peppers/onion mixture in lidded containers in the refrigerator for up to three days. They both freeze beautifully too for up to two weeks. Gently rewarm on stovetop with a splash of water.
Notes
*TOFU: Look for organic and sprouted tofu. If time permits, I typically freeze firm tofu when I bring it home from the store. Doing this improves the texture of firm tofu. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight, before use. Since tofu is packaged in water, we need press the water out of it to make room for flavor! To press thawed tofu, use a tea towel and place it under and on top of the tofu. Set it on a plate. Place something heavy on top, like a cutting board, another plate or a not-so-full box of wine to press the water out. We don’t want it too heavy or it will squash the tofu. Move the tea towel a few times to a dryer area of the towel so it can absorb more water. Press for about 20-30 minutes, up to an hour if you have time.
**PEPPERS/ONION: The goal is to quickly cook the veggies so that they are tender-crisp, but not mushy. To many in the pan means the mixture will steam rather than saute. So, if cooking in a pan smaller than 12″, cook the pepper/onion mixture in two batches. They need a bit of room to cook properly.
***Find Chipotle Chilis in Adobo sauce in the Mexican food isle at your grocery. Look for gluten free if needed. Leftovers can stay fresh in a lidded container in the fridge for several weeks or months in the freezer.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 135kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 1244mg | Potassium: 302mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2212IU | Vitamin C: 105mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
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I’ve never tried freezing my tofu, I can’t wait to try that! Oh and my kid’s love EVERYTHING Chipotle, especially the sofritas, so this is going on my meal list for next week.
So happy to hear Alaina! LMK what you think about freezing the tofu (I jus pulled a block out of the freezer this morning :D ). I hope y’all enjoy the recipe!
Always so glad we get to reap the tasty benefits of your recipe developments. Two years shows lots of dedication to getting it right! I’m enjoying tofu so much more in my diet lately and it’s the perfect ingredient to capture all of the Mexican flavors in this dish. Also love that I can prepare extra to freeze for a future meal. Mexican food is a big hit in my house. Thanks, Traci!