An easy, flavorful Chipotle copycat sofritas recipe with 1-step cooking! Tofu, chipotles in adobo sauce, poblano peppers, garlic & onion roast together for a saucy, spicy, delicious meal.
At our house, we love a good Mexican-inspired dish. From our healthy chile relleños and easy black beans and rice, to our quinoa tacos. And while I've always like tofu--even raw tofu dishes, Hemant is just starting to get on board.
But this new vegan sofritas recipe--made with crumbled extra firm tofu cooked in a smoky, spicy chipotle pepper sauce is quickly becoming a favorite.
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What's so great about this sofritas recipe?
This sofritas recipe is simpler than most other recipes I've seen because you bake all of the ingredients together in the oven.
No roasting peppers over open flames or multiple cooking steps. And it uses easy-to-find ingredients, too.
It's vegetarian and vegan. And it's healthier than eating out. This recipe has a trace amount of oil (from the canned peppers), but I included several options to make it 100% oil free if you prefer. It's also naturally gluten-free and low in fat and calories.
The sofritas at Chipotle Mexican Grill--the fast food place--are made with shredded, braised tofu in a sauce of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.
Sure, it's tasty, but in terms of nutrition, it's high in fat, salt and sugar. (In fact if you check out the Chipotle Sofritas nutrition information, almost half of the calories are from fat.)
If you have a food processor, a bowl and a sheet pan, you can mix these up and pop them in the oven for some hands-off cooking. Which gives you more time to prep the ingredients you typically enjoy with your sofritas--like beans, lettuce, rice, guacamole, etc.
Ingredients
- Extra firm tofu. No, this won't work with soft tofu like silken.
- Poblano pepper. Or Anaheim, if you can't find a poblano.
- Tomato paste.
- Red onion.
- Garlic.
- Chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. These peppers are hot! See recipe notes to adjust to your preferred spice level and to make it oil free.
- Cumin, chili powder and oregano.
- Lime juice.
- Maple syrup (or date syrup).
Step-by-step instructions
Follow these photos and instructions to help make it great, every time. Please also see the full recipe card at the bottom of this page.
How to press tofu
Step 1. Press the tofu.
You can skip this section if you're already a pro at pressing tofu or have a tofu press. But this is how I do it, the old school way--and what I did for this recipe.
Cut the tofu lengthwise.
Place the tofu pieces on a plate covered with a paper towel.
Cover with more paper towels and a heavy object.
When it's ready, remove the object and press a little to remove more liquid.
While the tofu is resting, move on to the next steps:
Step 2. Place everything (except the tofu) in a food processor...
...and process until completely blended together into a chipotle-flavored paste/marinade.
Step 3. Crumble the pressed tofu in a large mixing bowl...
...until it looks like this.
Step 4. Pour the sauce over the tofu crumbles...
...and mix it together well, breaking up any large pieces of tofu.
Step 5. Spread the coated tofu crumbles out evenly over a sheet pan.
Step 6. Bake in the oven until the tofu is firm and smells wonderful--about 20 minutes.
That's it! I swear, the smell of the peppers, onion and garlic roasting in the oven is absolutely heavenly. Which is probably why I can't stop making this amazing Mexican-inspired meal.
Plus, this sheet pan version is so simple and tasty, you're going to want to make it all the time. It's perfect as an easy, weeknight dinner and yummy enough that everyone's going to love it.
Pro tips
- Watch the cooking time. 20 minutes (in my oven) yields a still soft but cooked tofu crumble. An extra 5 is firmer but still great. More will likely yield a too-dry crumble.
- Remove ALL of the seeds from your poblano pepper. Whole seeds tend to ruin the texture of the finished dish.
- Test the heat level. Chipotles in adobe are quite hot. One pepper is mild, two is spicy, and three is quite hot, in my opinion. But if you're timid with heat, add a small pepper (they do vary in size), or even half a pepper, and taste test the sauce.
- Don't put the tofu in the food processor. It's tempting, and while it's probably possible to get the right size crumbles, it's so easy to accidentally over process. (I tried it and ended up with something like a Mexican-flavored vegan ricotta.)
Substitutions and variations
I've tried a few variations, and still had good results. Here are my recommendations, and a few you could try if you prefer.
- Tofu. I used extra firm, but firm would probably be okay as long as it's well pressed. DO NOT use soft or silken tofu.
- Poblano pepper. I can't always find them, but Anaheim peppers are similar and work well here. A green bell pepper might work, but I haven't tried it and I think it would noticeably alter the flavor.
- Maple syrup. Date paste works equally well. I use a bit of sweetener because the sauce is pretty acidic, and it knocks back the acidity a little. I used the same amount. It's a bit less sweet but barely noticeable in the final result.
- Chipotles in adobo sauce. They're not only hot, they're typically not complete oil free. I used a brand with the least amount of oil I could find, which results in just a trace amount in the finished dish. But you can sub 1 tablespoon of tomato paste + ½ teaspoon of chipotle powder per pepper (2 if you're following the recipe) and get a similar result. I also included some links to oil-free chipotle products in the recipe notes if you want to give those a try.
How to eat sofritas
These work great in tacos or burritos, but our personal favorite is to make a homemade sofritas bowl--like the Chipotle restaurant version, only better!
We like to start with brown rice or another whole grain, then layer on healthy ingredients like pinto beans or black beans, corn, lettuce, pico de gallo or diced tomatoes, guacamole, green onions, etc.
FAQs
At Chipotle Grill, sofritas is a meat substitute (or as they like to say, a protein option, although we know plenty of plant foods are good sources of protein.) Its's basically shredded tofu braised in a chipotle pepper sauce
It's got a slightly spicy, smoky flavor which dominates the tofu. Probably a good thing for people who aren't huge tofu fans.
Yes! When you make your own at home. This recipe uses all whole food, plant-based ingredients, and tofu, the main ingredient, is a healthy soy-based product. The recipe can be made as is with only a trace amount of oil, or there are options for none at all. Plus it's low in calories, fat, salt and sugar.
Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Happy, whole food plant-based cooking, y'all!
-Elizabeth xo
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More whole food, plant-based recipes
📖 Recipe
Sofritas [Sheet Pan Recipe]
Ingredients
- 1 14 ounce package extra firm tofu drained and pressed (see instructions)
- 1 poblano pepper seeded and chopped into 2-inch pieces. (or sub Anaheim pepper)
- 1 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce Use 1 pepper for milder, 3 peppers for very spice. I used La Costeña Brand. See notes re: oil
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¼ large red onion (or ½ small) copped into 2-inch pieces
- 4 garlic cloves trimmed and skins removed
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ lime juiced
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or date syrup
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Place one rack in the center of the oven and pre-heat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Press the tofu to remove excess water. Cut the tofu lengthwise into 3-4 slices, and place on a plate covered in paper towels. Cover with more paper towels, then place a heavy object on top. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- Place the remaining ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well blended, stopping to scrape down the sides. The consistency should be like a paste or thick marinade.
- Remove the heavy object from the tofu, and press gently with more paper towel to remove a bit more liquid. Add the slices to a large mixing bowl and crumble into about ½-inch chunks with your hands. (See the article above for pictures.)
- Add the sauce to the bowl, and use a large spoon to toss together until well combined and all of the tofu is coated with the sauce. (Once tossed together, the chunks should get smaller, about ¼ inch. Break up any larger chunks with the spoon.)
- Spread the tofu mixture out evenly onto the baking sheet. Check again for any oversized chunks and break them up with the spoon.
- Place in the center rack in the oven, and bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through the cooking time. (Note, the tofu will be cooked but still quite soft. If you prefer firmer/drier tofu, cook for an additional 5 minutes.)
Notes
- Watch the cooking time. 20 minutes (in my oven) yields a still soft but cooked tofu crumble. An extra 5 is firmer but still great. More will likely yield a too-dry crumble.
- Remove ALL of the seeds from your poblano pepper. Whole seeds tend to ruin the texture of the finished dish.
- Test the heat level. Chipotles in adobe are quite hot. One pepper is mild, two is spicy, and three is quite hot, in my opinion. But if you're timid with heat, add a small pepper (they do vary in size), or even half a pepper, and taste test the sauce.
- Don't put the tofu in the food processor. It's tempting, and while it's probably possible to get the right size crumbles, it's so easy to accidentally over process. (I tried it and ended up with something like a Mexican-flavored vegan ricotta.)
- Regarding oil. I could not find chipotle peppers in adobo sauce that were oil free, but since this recipe uses a very small amount of this ingredient compared to the entire dish, AND I always try to use ingredients that are easy to find, I felt it was acceptable to use a very low oil brand.
Stacey
This was just as delicious as I thought it would be! I've never had Chipotles version, but this was perfect. A spicy Saucy delight. I only used 1/2 a Chipotle pepper because my son likes things mild. I served on a bed of romaine, black beans & corn, with dairy free sour cream. Thank you for this lovely recipe!
Elizabeth Shah
Thanks so much for your awesome feedback, Stacey! I'm thrilled you like this Sofritas recipe as much as we do.
Jean bogardus
How much lime juice?
Elizabeth Shah
It's 1/4 lime, juiced (per the recipe at the bottom of the page), which is about 1.5 teaspoons if you prefer to measure. Basically just a small squeeze of lime for flavor.