Chipotle Sofritas Copycat Recipe (Vegan)

About this Recipe

This is a copycat recipe of Chipotle sofritas. What is sofritas? Sofritas is a popular protein option at Chipotle restaurants and features crumbled braised tofu in a spicy sauce.

To make sofritas, you’ll need extra-firm tofu, plus a handful of simple ingredients to make the spicy sauce. The sauce is made with roasted poblano pepper and onion blended with spices and chipotle pepper for a spicy flavour combo.

Sofritas is also easy to make! Cook everything up in a skillet and serve it over cilantro lime rice with all your favourite burrito bowl toppings for a healthy and delicious plant-based meal!

This recipe is vegan, guten-free, can be made in advance and has lots of delicious uses!

What’s in sofritas?

The tofu sofritas consist extra-firm tofu browned and then braised in a spicy sauce made from roasted onion and poblano pepper. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Tofu: Extra-firm tofu is best but firm tofu is ok too. Do not use soft or silken tofu.
• Poblano Pepper: Use one medium to large-sized poblano pepper. Note that while you could substitute Anaheim pepper or jalapeno, the sauce will be very spicy if you do. If you’re quite sensitive to spice, you can use green bell pepper.
• Onion: Use a white or yellow onion.
• Chipotle Pepper in Adobo: These are found in a small can usually located with other Mexican items in the grocery store. You’ll need 1 of the the chipotle peppers and a bit of the sauce from the can. Freeze the extra in an ice cube tray and then store in a container to avoid waste and so you’ve always got some on hand. If you can’t find this ingredient, you can substitute up to 1 tsp chipotle powder.
• Garlic: The recipe calls for whole garlic cloves but if you only have ground garlic, you can substitute 1 tsp.
• Tomato Paste: Canned tomato paste. Like the chipotle peppers, freeze the extra in an ice cube tray if you don’t plan to use it within a couple days.
• Tamari: You can substitute soy sauce if you don’t have tamari, though note that soy sauce is not gluten-free.
• Spices: The recipe calls for cumin, chili powder and oregano. Try to use them all if you can but if you don’t have oregano, it’s not a deal-breaker!
• Sugar: You’ll need just a little sweetener to balance the acidity in the rest of the ingredients. You can use sugar, maple syrup or brown sugar.
• Oil: Use any cooking oil you like for browning the tofu.
• Lime: You’ll need 1 fresh lime.

Bowl Ingredients

If you want to make a sofritas burrito bowl, here are some ingredients that work well for that.

Pick a few you like or keep it simple with just sofritas, rice and guacamole, yum!

• Rice or Cilantro Lime Rice: See the notes section of the recipe for the cilantro lime rice otherwise use any rice or other grain such as quinoa.
• Romaine Lettuce: Shredded romaine lettuce is a nice addition though I’d recommend leaving it off until serving if you’re making these bowls for meal prep.
• Avocado or Guacamole: Use diced/sliced avocado, make your own quick guacamole with avocado, lime, salt, red onion, etc. or use store-bought guacamole. Leave this off until serving if you’re storing the bowls for meal prep.
• Sautéed Peppers and Onions: These can be cooked in a separate pan while you’re cooking the tofu. Use 1 white onion and 2-3 bell peppers of any colour. I cook them in a bit of water but you can use oil if you like. I like to add a bit of spices like cumin, paprika and chili powder but that’s optional! Cook them until they’re nice and soft, about 8-10 minutes.
• Black Beans: Add a scoop of rinsed canned black beans. You could also make these refried black beans.
• Corn: Fresh, thawed frozen or canned corn would work.
• Salsa or Fresh Tomato: Any salsa, pica de gallo or salsa verde you enjoy works! Any diced fresh tomato also works well.
• Sour Cream: Vegan sour cream, homemade sour cream of choice or plain Greek yogurt are good for some tanginess!
• Cilantro: Finely chopped fresh cilantro is always a tasty addition!

Step-by-Step Instructions

Press the Tofu

Start by pressing the tofu for at least 20 minutes. This helps to squeeze out excess moisture so the tofu can absorb more of the sofritas sauce.

You can use a tofu press or wrap the tofu in a dish cloth or paper towel and place on a plate or cutting board and weight it down with a heavy object like a cast iron pan or some canned goods.

Once you’ve pressed the tofu, break it up into approximately 1-inch pieces. Breaking or tearing it creates more texture than chopping it into cubes.

Char the Poblano and Onion

Place the poblano pepper and onion on a baking sheet lined with foil. Rub them with a little oil then broil for 12-15 minutes until the skin is blistered and blackened.

Remove the pan from the oven and set aside until they’re cool enough to handle. Once you can handle the poblano pepper, cut it in half and remove the stems and seeds.

Mix the Sauce and Tofu

Add the sauce to the pan with the tofu and reduce the heat to medium-low. Add 3-4 tablespoons of water to make it nice and saucy.

Cook the sofritas for 8-10 minutes until the mixture reduces (thickens). While it’s cooking, use a wooden spoon to break the tofu into smaller pieces if you haven’t already.

Once the sauce has thickened up, stir in the lime juice and season it with salt, if needed.

Assemble the Bowls

Now the fun! Time to assemble your sofritas bowl. You can use anything you like here. The suggested bowl ingredients are:

• cilantro lime rice
• sautéed peppers and onions
• avocado or guacamole
• shredded lettuce
• salsa
• cilantro

Sauces

In addition to sauces like sour cream, salsa and guacamole for your bowl, you might like:

Storing

• The tofu sofritas can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days and reheated in the microwave or in a pan.
• I haven’t tried freezing the sofritas. You could freeze it but just note that the texture of tofu changes once it’s been frozen and thawed.
• The sofritas sauce can be made 1-2 days in advance to save time.
• Assembled bowls can be stored for 3-4 days in the fridge and eaten cold or reheated in the microwave. If storing, do not add ingredients like lettuce and avocado until serving.