Sofrito Recipe
Published February 3, 2020. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This sofrito recipe is so easy to make and is the perfect accompaniment to rice, beans, veggies, or meat to really enhance the flavor.
If you’re looking for a really simple boost to your everyday cooking, look no further than this. It’s a fantastic way to elevate the taste of everything you make, and it’s as simple as putting everything in a blender to puree.
Just like chimichurri sauce, this makes for an amazing marinade or sauce to finish your beef, pork, seafood, or chicken dishes.
What Is Sofrito?
Sofrito is a simple combination of peppers, onions, and herbs that are used as a base for your rice, beans, or meat recipes. In Spanish, sofrito translates to “lightly fry something.” In other words, this is not a recipe, but rather it’s a technique similar to risotto or picatta, which is why there are so many variations to the ingredients.
Sofrito is to Latin countries as mirepoix is to French cuisine or the trinity is to Cajun cooking. It’s a staple.
Ingredients and Substitutions
The produce in this recipe will vary based on region and personal preference, but here are the ingredients I used:
- Green Bell Peppers
- Red Bell Peppers
- Yellow Onion
- Garlic
- Cilantro
- Culantro
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Olive Oil
- Sea Salt and Pepper
How to Make It
Gather all of your ingredients, and make sure to rinse the peppers and herbs with water to clean them.
Cut the peppers into 1” to 2” cubes making sure to remove the seeds.
Place all the prepared items into a bowl, making them easy to transfer.
Put all of the ingredients from the bowl along with some red wine vinegar into a blender and blend on medium to high speed while pouring in the oil to blend until smooth. It should resemble a pureed soup with a smoother but rough texture.
What Do You Use It In
Here are a few recipes to use it as a base or a marinade:
Different Types of Sofrito
There are a few variations of sofrito depending upon where you live and the flavor profile you’re looking for, which can range from mild to pungent to very spicy.
Puerto Rican – Same as this recipe plus some cubanelle peppers and no vinegar.
Dominican – My version would be most similar to this by adding cubanelle peppers.
Caribbean – Same as my recipe plus scotch bonnet peppers.
Mexican – Same as the Puerto Rican version but uses habanero peppers instead of cubanelles.
Make-Ahead and Storage
How to Store: Place it in small containers with lids in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
How to Freeze: Place in small containers with lids into the freezer for up to 3 months. Simply pull out as much as needed. Thaw for 1 day in the refrigerator before using it.
Make-Ahead: Similar to soup, sofrito will improve with time as it will allow flavors to infuse. With that being said, you can make sofrito up to 3 days before ready to use.
chef notes + tips
- Sofrito is great to freeze in silicone molds for the freezer, where you can pop out like ice cubes and use them where needed.
- I cannot stress this enough; sofrito ingredients will depend on who is making it and the flavor profile that is desired.
- You may need more oil when blending to ensure it blends smoothly and is not too chunky.
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Sofrito Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 seeded and roughly cut red bell peppers
- 2 seeded and roughly cut green bell peppers
- 1 small peeled and roughly cut yellow onion
- 6 to 8 garlic cloves
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro
- 15-20 culantro leaves
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the peppers, onions, garlic, cilantro, cilantro, and red wine vinegar into a blender and blend on medium speed while drizzling in the olive oil until it is smooth and blended.
- Store in small plastic containers in the fridge or freezer and pull out as needed.
I made this recipe and loved the fact that it is puréed. Since I am not a fan of cilantro, I used Italian flat parsley, red and green bell peppers, onions, garlic, olive oil. I added this to my homemade beef enchiladas recipe and it gave a wonderful flavor and the enchiladas were juicier!
What do you call celery, onion and carrots in Italian cooking?
also sofrito
Another version is to color de Oil with annatto (achiote) for yellow rices and soups.
Where do you find culantro?
Question. My Dad does not like cilantro and I can’t find culantro. Can I used Italian flat leaf parsley instead. Thanks so much.
I would not. It would completely change the flavor profile.