Easy Green Chile Tofu Sofritas

Last summer, the farm where we get our CSA started fire roasting chiles to distribute, in addition to fresh peppers. Not only did the roasted chiles keep in the freezer until I figured out what to do with them, they tasted amazing and were so easy to work with! I made the first iteration of this tofu sofritas recipe, which was incredibly flavorful for the amount of effort that went in. Since then, I’ve adapted the recipe to use canned chiles knowing that while it sacrifices a bit on flavor, realistically I’ll hardly ever roast my own chiles. If you can find fresh fire roasted chiles, say, from a roadside stand or farmers’ market, those will elevate this recipe significantly.

Ingredients

• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 4 large fire-roasted green chiles (fresh or from a can), stemmed, seeded, and chopped
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Smoked paprika, to taste
• 2 12-oz. blocks of firm tofu
• Avocado oil

Directions

1. Heat a splash of avocado oil over high heat in a large skillet. When hot, add the bell pepper and onion and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the veggies are soft. Add the tomato, garlic, tomato paste, cumin, and chili powder and cook for another 3-4 minutes until the tomatoes are soft. Add the soy sauce and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet, then remove from heat.
2. Carefully transfer the contents of the skillet into a high-speed blender. Add the fire-roasted chiles, salt, and smoked paprika along with about 1/4 cup of water and blend until you have a smooth sauce. Add water 2 tablespoons at a time if needed to reach a consistency of medium thickness.
3. Heat another splash of oil in the skillet over high heat. Use your hands to crumble the tofu into a bowl, aiming for bite size-ish pieces, then add the tofu to the skillet once it’s hot. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the tofu is beginning to brown.
4. Lower the heat to medium and pour the sauce from the blender into the skillet, stirring to coat the tofu. Heat for another few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sofritas are hot.
5. Serve the sofritas in a bowl or tortilla with your choice of accompaniments - we like pinto or black beans, avocado, and salsa.

Nutrition Facts