Sofrito sauce is my friend.  It’s amazing just how many things I have been able to make with it.

For those just tuning in, sofrito sauce is a basic Spanish sauce of onions, tomatoes, garlic, and a variety of seasonings.  It has many variations and is widely used in Central America, Cuba, and throughout the various Hispanic communities.  It’s good.  And I can buy it jarred.

Tonight’s variation on a theme is a simple stuffed pepper.  The concept came from an item I saw in a grocery store freezer.

I used red peppers and black japonica rice, but any peppers and any rice will work.  I also had a goodly amount of filling left over.  This would easily stuff four peppers (eight halves).

Sofrito Stuffed Peppers

  • 1 cup rice
  • 1 jar sofrito sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups beef broth
  • 1 lb langostinos (or shrimp)
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 5 green onions, diced
  • 2 cups shredded cheese
  • 1 small can sliced black olives, drained
  • 4 bell peppers, halved

Cook rice with 1/2 cup sofrito sauce and 1 1/2 cups beef broth until tender.

When cooked, add remaining sofrito sauce, langostinos, tomato, cheese, green onions, and olives.  Reserve a bit of onion and olives for garnish.

Mix everything well and stuff into pepper halves.

Place on sheet pan and bake at 350° for about 30 minutes.

This is one of those things that is only limited by ones imagination…  Switch out the peppers, any type of rice will work, but so would so many other things – barley, lentils, couscous, beans… The filling could become vegetarian really easily by substituting some diced vegetables for the langostinos.  Different cheeses…

Play with it.  Have fun.

It’s pretty much guaranteed to be good no matter how you do it!