Most Hispanic cuisines start their cooking process with a sofrito [pronounced soh-free-toh] which is a vegetable base of Cuban dishes that consists of aromatic ingredients that are diced and sautéed in oil.

It is a blend of ingredients, specifically sauteed chopped vegetables, used to flavor Cuban black beans, Spanish yellow rice with tomato-based sofrito, Cuban stews, Cuban rice dishes, and other recipes, including Cuban ropa vieja and Cuban picadillo.

No sofrito recipe is one and the same.

Most Caribbean, Latin American, and European countries have their own version of sofrito. Its color will vary depending on the recipe or cuisine. Some are orange, red, and green, and their flavor ranges from pungent to fragrant.

Recipe For How To Make Cuban Sofrito

In Cuban cuisine, our recipes start with a sofrito that consists of:

• Onions.
• Green bell peppers.
• Garlic.

You will always find these 3 ingredients in any Cuban kitchen. My mom buys these 3 items every time she goes to the grocery store. They are the prime staple in every Cuban kitchen!

The trifecta (onions, green bell peppers, and garlic) will then usually be added to these secondary ingredients:

• Tomatoes. Sometimes tomato sauce, tomato paste, or diced tomatoes.
• Red pimientos. These are roasted red peppers that come conveniently in a jar.
• Dry cooking wine. Also known as vino seco.
• Spanish chorizo, ham, or pork. For some added smokiness.
• Bay leaf and spices like ground cumin, dried oregano, and dried parsley.

As I mentioned, every recipe calls for a different blend of ingredients. There’s no one-size-fits-all for Cuban sofrito!

Difference Between Mirepoix and Sofrito

Similar to sofrito, a mirepoix is a blend of ingredients used as a base in French cuisine. Typically, a mirepoix consists of carrots, onions, and celery.

The real difference between mirepoix and sofrito is that mirepoix doesn’t use garlic, peppers, tomatoes, or spices/herbs. They also slow cook the aromatics in butter while we sauté ours with oil in a skillet.

We also do not strain, dispose of, or remove the sofrito from the recipe after cooking. We happily enjoy it in all its glory in the dish!

How To Use Cuban Sofrito

As stated above, the sofrito is the start of every recipe. It is our very own mirepoix, if you will, for most Cuban recipes.

So, your first task is to chop the veggies depending on the recipe you’re making. Whether that’s chopping the onions and green bell peppers and, then mincing the garlic. That’s your first step.

You then will heat up the oil in a hot skillet and sauté the sofrito in the oil FIRST to release the aromatics before moving on with the rest of the recipe.

How long does it take to prepare Cuban Sofrito?

Depending on the recipe you’re making and the quantity, the preparation time for making Cuban sofrito may vary.

From prep to cooking time, you’re looking at approximately 15-20 minutes which includes chopping the vegetables, heating & sauteeing the aromatics, and cooking with the remaining sofrito ingredients.

Again, depending on the recipe you are making and your personal preferences and variations, this time estimate will look different for everyone.

Prepping & Storing Tips

Personally, I don’t like to make Cuban sofrito ahead of time because different recipes call for different types of sofrito as I explained above.

I do, however, like to prep the sofrito by chopping the trifecta (onions, peppers, and garlic) and transferring it into an airtight container.

This way you have, at least, some of the veggies prepped before moving forward with the rest of the recipe.

Airtight Containers

These glass storage containers are my favorite for storing all my leftovers! They come with plastic lids and the glass ensures you won’t have stained containers!

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Recipes that use Cuban Sofrito

Each recipe will have the exact amount of each ingredient needed for the sofrito. And even then, every cook has their own version of sofrito.