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OK, so.. sofritas, it’s not a thing. I mean, it’s a thing. But it’s not a real thing. It’s a Chipotle thing. I think?
(I hereby ban the letters t, h, i, and n, in said order, from the remainder of this post!)
But anyway, I thought it was an actual established smoky saucy tofuy dish, but my extensive research (read: cursory Google search) has led me to determine that it’s a Chipotle dish.. which means:
We’ve got Chipotle to thank.
Thank you, Chipotle, for such an intensely flavorful vegetarian take on a Mexican meaty main course. Thank you, Chipotle, for a healthier option when we’re craving Mexican comfort food. Thank you, Chipotle, because this stuff is cheap, y’all. I mean, not at Chipotle, because I can’t get over the fact that Chipotle charges you for chips and salsa and so I, like any reasonable human being, boycott their establishment.. but that’s not the point, OK?
So, if I lost you at the term sofritas–and if not then, then with my circuitous prose–let me catch you up. Sofritas is essentially browned, crumbled tofu with beans in a smoky, spicy, super flavorful sauce. You can load it into burritos or tacos or just eat over rice with some guac, and you miss all of the funky parts of tofu and narrow in on all the perfect parts. What that means is.. even if you “don’t like tofu”, you will love this stuff.
I adapted this recipe from the lovely Lindsay at Pinch of Yum by adding mushrooms, pinto bean aquafaba (fancy way of saying I didn’t drain the beans), upped the garlic, and served over brown rice instead of white.
Tofu Sofritas Bowl
Equipment
- gas range or broiler
- Food processor or blender
- Large saucepan with lid
- bowl with lid or bowl and plate to cover
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Large skillet
- Wooden spoon
- Medium bowl
- Fork
Ingredients
For the Sofritas Sauce
- 1 medium poblano pepper
- 4 chipotle peppers from can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 2 tablespoons adobo sauce from can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- ½ cup fresh tomato salsa
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or avocado oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch sugar
For the Rice
- 1 ½ cups brown long grain rice uncooked
- 4-5 tablespoons fresh lime juice juice from approximately 2 limes
- 1 handful finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 large pinch salt
For the Tofu Sofritas
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil avocado oil, olive oil, refined coconut oil, etc.; divided
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms sliced
- 1 16-ounce block extra-firm tofu pressed
- 1 14-ounce can pinto beans
For the Guacamole
- 2-3 medium avocados pit removed, peeled
- ½ cup minced red onion
- 1 handful finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 4-5 tablespoons fresh lime juice juice from approximately 2 limes
Serving Suggestions (All Optional)
- cotija cheese or queso fresco
- minced red onion
Instructions
To Roast Poblano Pepper
- Gas Range: Carefully hold poblano pepper over flame of gas range, until skin turns dark and blistered. Rotate to treat entire pepper.
- Broiler: Preheat broiler to high. Place pepper directly on oven rack, approximately 6 inches beneath heating element. Place baking pan on rack below pepper to catch any liquid. Broil pepper until skin is dark and blistered, then turn pepper to broil remaining sides.
- Regardless of method, let pepper cool slightly before making sofritas sauce.
For the Sofritas Sauce
- Remove stem from poblano pepper. Add pepper to food processor bowl or blender, then add chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, garlic, salsa, oil, salt, and sugar. Pulse or blend until ingredients form smooth, paste-like mixture. Set sauce aside.
For the Rice
- Cook rice according to package directions, adding juice of 2 limes to cooking liquid.
- Once rice is prepared, fluff with fork then stir in chopped cilantro and salt to taste. Transfer rice to bowl and cover to keep warm.
For the Tofu Sofritas
- Slice tofu into 1-inch cubes.
- Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. When pan is warm, add neutral oil. Continue heating skillet until oil is hot and shimmering.
- When oil is hot, add mushrooms to skillet. Sauté mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until softened.
- Add tofu to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until tofu becomes golden in color and begins to crisp.
- Add sofritas sauce and undrained pinto beans to skillet. Stir to incorporate, then reduce heat to medium. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If sauce becomes too thick, stir in small amounts of water as needed.
For the Guacamole
- While sofritas simmers, add avocado to medium bowl. Mash avocado flesh with fork until desired consistency is achieved, then stir in red onion, cilantro, and lime juice until ingredients are fully incorporated.
To Serve
- Divide rice between serving bowls. Top rice with tofu sofritas and generous spoonful of guacamole. Garnish with cheese and red onion if desired and serve immediately.
- Leftovers: Refrigerate rice, sofritas, and guacamole separately in individual airtight containers. Reheat rice and sofritas in microwave.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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I’ve made this a few times and love it! Just a little confused on when to add the garlic? I normally add it to the blender for the sofritas sauce. And also the ingredients say to drain and rinse the pinto beans, but in the directions it says to add undrained. Thanks!
So sorry about the confusion, Lynn! Thank you for bringing those points to our attention. The garlic should go in with the sauce ingredients, and you’re right, we did use the beans undrained. We’ll get that corrected!
This was amazing. I had no idea it was a Chipotle thing! I would absolutely make this again.
Thank you so much, Katie! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!