A copycat vegan Chipotle Sofritas recipe with a twist – it’s made with mushrooms instead of tofu! Spicy, smoky and completely paleo-friendly. Enjoy this plant-based protein option in tacos, burrito bowls, or maybe to make a sweet potato sofrita hash? The possibilities are endless. 

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Typically I hate chain restaurants – from an ethical perspective of wanting to support small businesses to a taste standpoint of disliking previously frozen and thoughtlessly prepared food. It crushes me when an adorable restaurant with delicious food closes down and a 5th Applebees in a 10 mile radius opens up.  

With that being said… Oh my god, I love Chipotle, Chipotle is my life! 

In college, the addiction was real. It was my escape from stress. On a typical night,  I would’ve procrastinated all week and it’d be the night before a ten-page paper was due. I’d be staring at my computer screen, in the same sweatpants and t-shirt I was in the day before, ready to pull my hair out,  and my roommate would say “….Chipotleee?” Even though I hadn’t even finished the first page of my paper, I’d have a forkful of delicious sofritas in my mouth within twenty minutes. 

I also wasn’t at my peak health-wise in college. Ok maybe it was the coffee (among other drinks) binging, all-nighters, and stress – but I have a sneaking suspicion the multi-week (or day!) chipotle runs may have had something to do with it.

Since then I’ve learned more about what makes me feel best- which is swapping vegetables for grains and soy products.

So, I came up with this plant-based copycat vegan sofritas recipe, that is soy-free, grain-free, paleo and can be made completely fat-free!

These sofritas MAKE my homemade burrito bowls. The coolest part about them is that they’re made with MUSHROOMS instead of tofu. I actually like the texture of these plant-based mushroom sofritas better and they taste ‘meatier’ to me than tofu. 

P.S. This dish would pair super well with my sweet, spicy, and refreshing healthy mangonada recipe!

How to build a burrito bowl

I like to start off by sauteeing some riced cauliflower with cilantro, freshly squeezed lime, and salt to make my own grain-free version of Chipotle’s cilantro lime rice. If you do eat grains though, rice would be another yummy choice. You can also try experimenting with quinoa, lentils, mmm or mashed potato or sweet potato maybe?

I then add my spicy mushroom sofritas!

Then I add whatever other toppings I’m feeling, like salsa fresca, green tomatillo salsa, fresh cilantro and/or cashew sour cream. 

What are Sofritas?

Sofritas are a tofu based protein option at Chipotle restaurants. It comes from sofrito, which is a Spanish word that translates to “gently fried”. Sofrito is a traditional Latin American dish that is made by sautéing garlic, peppers, onions and tomatoes. The chipotle dish “Sofritas” uses this base and adds tofu, chipotle chilies, roasted poblanos, and additional spices.

Ingridients in Chipotle Sofritas Recipe

Tomatoes: Admittedly I don’t like plain tomatoes but I love them cooked in sauces. I also make sure to get them in when I can because they are a great source of lycopene, vitamin c, potassium folate and vitamin k.

Chipotle Peppers: The star of these Sofritas – they add a delicious smoky spiciness. Operative word SPICY!! You can use less of them if you’re sensitive to spice. Also they have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.

Poblano pepper: I love the flavor a roasted poblano adds to these vegan sofritas. You can roast a poblano in the oven (or alternatively if you have a gas stove you can put it right on the burner) until it’s nice and charred on the outside. From there you can either remove the skin or leave it on for a smokier flavor. 

Garlic: My garlic threshold is very high. I had to seek other opinions when testing this recipe because I often go a little crazy on the garlic. It’s just so good! And so healthy! Garlic is great for gut health and also has natural antibiotic and antiviral properties to keep us from getting sick!

Fresh lime: My main squeeze. Lol. Seriously though it tastes good on pretty much everything. Or at least I put it on everything. Even in my eye once to try to naturally cure an eye infection- don’t judge (or do I don’t blame you) but DONT TRY.  Pretty sure I misread an article on curing eye infections naturally, and/ or maybe I was somewhat inebriated and thought it’d be funny to film. Later I read that people have gone blind from just accidently getting lime juice in their eye! But I digress.. 

Maple Syrup: Kicks up the sweetness from the tomatoes and makes all the flavors pop. It’s packed with nutrients and vitamins too!

How to roast a poblano

You can roast a poblano in a variety of different ways. You can use a culinary torch or the oven. Simply preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, brush a little bit of oil onto your poblano and pop it in the oven for 8-10 minutes. You can then put it in a container, cover it for about 10 minutes, and then carefully remove the charred skin. However, for this recipe I didn’t remove the skin and I loved the charred smoky flavor it gave the sofritas. Totally up to you! 

Mushrooms vs. Tofu

This recipe captures the essence of the chipotle sofritas I love but comes with one very important difference: the protein I use is MUSHROOMS instead of tofu. 

Mushrooms are my favorite. They make me not miss meat. Their texture, especially when paired with the right flavorings, gives any dish that extra little bit of satisfying textural complexity that I sometimes miss out on when making plant-based meals. 

Mushrooms are a great source of protein and fiber, and are packed with nutrients such as vitamin B, selenium, potassium, copper, and even vitamin d (when exposed to the sun)!

Even though im loving on mushrooms, I’m not hating on tofu – I think it can be delicious, very filling, and is naturally low in fat and high in protein. It’s a great option for vegans, vegetarians, or people who just want to cut down on meat. 

The problem is, when I eat it, it doesn’t make me feel great. Here’s potentially why: 

It might be because of several potential issues with tofu, such as scarcity of non-GMO contaminated tofu. In short, not great for gut health. It’s also thought to affect thyroid dysfunction and can cause hormonal disruption.

Yikes. 

But if you love tofu, eat tofu! Many of the most enjoyable things in life have elements of unhealthiness or consequences, so I like to pick my battles. So, if you’re a tofu lover, I wouldn’t feel guilty about it.  

However, with this chipotle Sofritas recipe, I make the choice easy for you. You won’t miss the tofu here. By shredding the mushrooms, it creates a delicate stewed meaty texture that tastes anything but unsatisfying. 

How to make chipotle Sofritas

You’ll start off by adding a roasted poblano, 3 chipotle peppers in adobo, 2 tablespoons of the reserved adobe sauce, garlic cloves, diced tomatoes, lime juice, maple syrup, diced jalapeno, cilantro and salt to the bowl of a food processor. You’ll blend it together until all the ingredients are combined and the mixture is smooth. Then you can add some salt and pepper to taste. Save this mixture for later. 

Next shred any type of mushrooms you like (I’d suggest portabellos) with a hand grater or food processor attachment. Alternatively, you can dice the mushrooms but the texture will be different. Be sure not to shred or chop the mushrooms too thinly, as they will reduce in size significantly when cooked. 

There you have it – a minimal effort, minimal mess, super healthy and satisfying meal!

I’d love to hear how your chipotle inspired mushroom sofritas turned out! Let me know what you think of them or anything else you’d like to share in the comments below. Tag me in a pic of your creations at @wholesomehedonista!

Nutrition Info: Servings: 8. Calories per serving: 78. Fat: 4.3g. Carbs: 9.7g. Fiber: 2.9g. Sugars: 5.4g. Protein: 2.5g.

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