This Puerto Rican Sofrito is a flavor powerhouse. It is a perfect addition to soups, rice and beans, and sauces. Easy to make and yields a lot to make your dishes delicious.
There are several versions of this recipe, but this is the one I stand by and it has worked great for me. I was able to find all the ingredients from my local Hispanic grocery store, but I put substitutions for any uncommon ingredients to make them more accessible.
You can use it in everything, the more the better. The rich flavors of garlic, onion, and culantro make this great in various dishes. It will elevate your food.
Check it out below!
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Ingredients for Puerto Rican Sofrito
- Garlic. You will need a lot. Approximately 3 heads worth. The best way to separate them is to cut the head’s top and bottom. Slightly crush the top with the flat part of the knife. Peeling all of them can be tedious, so the best method for me is to put them in a Tupperware or mason jar and shake them vigorously. By then it should be easier and faster to peel.
- Spanish Onions. This is a type of yellow onion, so they are easily interchangeable.
- Aji Dulce is a small pepper that looks similar to a habanero, but it is not spicy. You can use bell pepper instead.
- Cilantro. Gives a beautiful green color and flavor.
- Culantro looks like a wide-leafed cilantro. It is more flavorful than cilantro. It can be harder to find but look in most Spanish grocery stores.
- Roma tomatoes
Storing It
I like to store this in ice cube trays. Once frozen, I store it in a ziploc bag in the freezer. When making rice or soup, I will pop a few ice cubes in. There is no need to defrost.
In the fridge, it lasts up to a week, after that it can start to lose flavor and turn bad.
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Puerto Rican Sofrito
Equipment
- food processor or blender
Materials
- 3 garlic heads, peeled
- 3 spanish onions or small yellow onions
- 1/2 lb aji dulce or bell pepper
- 1 large bunch of cilantro
- 1 large bunch of culantro or parsley
- 4 roma tomatoes deseeded
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients. Remove stems from the herbs, deseed the tomatoes and aji dulces. Peel the onions and cut in quarters. Peel the garlic heads. Add all ingredients to the blender.
- Blend until finely minced. It should be a beautiful green color.
- Store in fridge for up to a week. Any leftovers can be stored in the freezer. To make it easier, store in ice cube trays for a simple transfer to any recipe. Use in rice, soups, or sauces.
I hope you try this recipe. If you tried this recipe, let me know in the comments below.
Everything, everything tastes better with the Puerto Rican sofrito.