Recipes That Use Sofrito - Latina Mom Meals

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Sofrito is a foundational ingredient in the Latin cuisine. A pureed blend of onions, peppers, garlic, and cilantro is what makes a basic sofrito. Cooking with sofrito adds a herbaceous depth of flavor to dishes and is most commonly found in stews, rice, and beans, and even in marinades for meat.

What is sofrito?

Sofrito is a seasoning blend of vegetables and herbs that is either pureed or finely chopped and typically sauteed to add a depth of flavor to food. It can also be used to marinate meats or seafood.

You can either chop up fresh ingredients to make a small batch of sofrito as needed, or you can prep and make a bulk amount of sofrito by taking the ingredients and pulsing them in the food processor so that the sofrito is well-blended. Then you place the sofrito into a large bowl and mix it.

Bulk Batching Sofrito

I like to make a bulk amount of sofrito, leave a small container in the fridge for the week, and then I will use multiple small containers and store them in the freezer for later use.

Some cooks like to store sofrito in ice cube trays and just use one or two as needed and they add it straight to the pot or thaw it out on a bowl before using it. This is a great way to preportion it!

Ingredients of sofrito:

The basic ingredients that go into sofrito are peppers, onions, garlic, and cilantro. After that, it varies by region or preference.

Typical ingredients used in sofrito:

Peppers: Aji dulce and green bell peppers are popular choices. I also like to use a little red, orange, or yellow if I have it in my garden. For a bit of a kick, you can add jalapeno peppers to it.
Onions: I love to use large Spanish onions.
Garlic: The more the better.
Herbs: Fresh cilantro and culantro.

Pro Tip: Buy fresh peeled garlic to save on time!

Optional add-in's for sofrito:

Herbs: Fresh oregano or thyme are great to add in for more flavor. Be sure to remove the stems.
Olive oil: Some cooks love to add a small amount of olive oil to their sofrito.
Seasoning: If you want an all-in-one experience, you can play around with adding seasonings such as adobo, salt, pepper, or even sazon to your sofrito. I like to build my flavor and control what seasonings, and how much of it goes into my dishes and I prefer not to do this.

Here is my complete homemade sofrito recipe that you can use to make your authentic sofrito recipe.

How long does sofrito last?

In the refrigerator, sofrito can last up to a week or two if stored in an air-tight container.

In the freezer, sofrito can be stored for up to a year, if stored properly, such as in an air-tight container or a freezer bag.

How do you store sofrito?

To store sofrito, the biggest factor is making sure you use an air-tight container to store it in.

Growing up, my mom would clean and reuse containers for sofrito like an empty container of margarine or even a glass container of spaghetti sauce.

You can order small 4oz or 8oz containers online for storing your sofrito.

Soup Recipes That Use sofrito:

Puerto Rican Salami Soup
Pollo Con Mofongo Soup by Delish Delites
Puerto Rican Chicken Noodle Soup by The Noshery
Dominican Black Beans Stew by Smart Little Cookie

Rice and Beans Recipes That Use Sofrito:

Adding sofrito to rice and beans is easily the first thing to do with sofrito. That base layer of sofrito is what beans are built on! For Spanish rice, sofrito with tomato sauce, seasonings, and achiote is what really will create the flavor profile of your S