Simple Sofrito Recipe

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On one hand, sofrito is seemingly complex, but on the other hand, it's actually incredibly simple. So, then, what is sofrito exactly? Let's take the simple part first: sofrito is incredibly delicious and very versatile. Stirred into rice, spooned into soups, spread into wraps, tacos, burritos, and more, dolloped over steak, chicken, fish, pork, or tofu, and on it goes, there's really no wrong way to enjoy this savory stuff.

A bit more complex is explaining exactly what sofrito is and where it came from. Is it a condiment, a spread, or a sauce? You can essentially say yes to all of those. It can be added in minute bits to add flavor to dishes or it can be used heavily as the dominant flavor. Sofrito is common in cuisines ranging from Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic and even Greece, though it's safe to say that it's very popular in Mexican and American culture, too. One taste of this simple sofrito recipe, courtesy of chef and recipe developer Jaime Shelbert of Wholly Nourished, and you'll see exactly why the sauce has withstood the test of time. "It's so simple and adds so much flavor to every dish," Shelbert says. Keep reading to find out for yourself.

For a quick and easy yet surprisingly flavorful batch of sofrito, all you need is a medium onion, sliced into chunks, the cloves from one head of garlic, peeled, a red bell pepper, sliced into chunks, a green bell pepper, sliced into chunks, a few green onions, the white and green parts, sliced, and a cup of cilantro, packed, with the stems and the leaves.

Once you have the ingredients measured out, rinsed, chopped, and at the ready, the "cooking" process here is blissfully simple. Just place all of the ingredients in a food processor or a good blender, then pulse the blades until a chunky sauce forms. You want to chop at the ingredients until there are no big pieces left, but also don't blend things into a liquid.

Once it's pulse blended to semi-smooth, chunky perfection, spoon your sofrito into a container that can be sealed shut tight. You can store it in an airtight container in the fridge until you are ready to use it on fish or steak or even as a base for chicken noodle soup. As you can probably tell, you can use sofrito however you want and you'll be doing it right.

And as for how long it will keep, there are two answers there: "To keep its freshness I would store this in the refrigerator for up to five days," Shelbert says. "Or you can freeze the sofrito in ice cube trays to pull out whenever needed."

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Despite being such a simple recipe, there are plenty of ways that you could customize this sofrito to really make it your own. For starters, play around with the herbs and vegetables included. "Herbs such as parsley can be added or other vegetables like carrots or leeks," Shelbert suggests. If you do opt to add parsley to the mix, consider reducing the amount of cilantro you include — go half and half with the herbs — and add more after you initially blend the sofrito as desired. Pairing lime juice with cilantro is also a great way to give sofrito a little extra pizzazz, so feel free to add a citrusy element.

Another way to customize sofrito is to add some heat. As-is, this recipe doesn't have any spicy elements, but Shelbert suggests adding some red chili flakes for a simple and quick way to amp up the heat. As an alternative, you can easily add some heat by including a hot chile in addition to the mild bell peppers. The type of chile that you include is ultimately up to you, depending on what you have on hand and how spicy you want the sofrito, but good options include jalapeño, Serrano, or Bird's eye chiles.

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