Skip the takeout and make Chipotle’s spicy tofu sofritas at home

My most recent takeout experience at Chipotle — one of our teenager’s favorite sources of quick food — didn’t go so well.

I had ordered bowls for him and my husband, and for myself I wanted hard-shell tacos filled not with my usual beans but this time with sofritas, the tofu protein option the chain debuted more than a decade ago (to much gratitude from vegan customers).

When I unpacked the bags at home, just a few minutes’ drive from the nearest Chipotle, my tacos had gone soggy — so much so that when I tried to pick one up, all of the filling fell out of the bottom and I was left holding two pieces of shell. I dumped the filling out of the other shells, broke them into pieces and tried to reassemble them on my plate into some sad excuse for nachos.

I should’ve known not to get crispy tacos as takeout — not fully assembled ones, anyhow — and I won’t make that mistake again. But an even bigger disappointment was the sofritas itself: I remember enjoying the smoky, slightly spicy flavor the first few times I tried it, but this go-around it was squarely on the bland side. Repeat visits reinforced my opinion.

As readers of this column no doubt have noticed, I’ve gotten into “dupe” recipes of late. I find it fun — and economical — to come up with home techniques for some of my go-to fast-casual orders. The recipes are homages, not meant to replace the originals but to offer an option to other home cooks who might get a kick out of the DIY approach.

This time, I wouldn’t be imitating something I found delicious, but improving on something I found lacking. I went into the testing and development with confidence. How hard could it be to make a version of sofritas that would be spicier, smokier and altogether more flavorful than Chipotle’s?

I looked to some of my favorite sources for plant-based brilliance: Jeanine Donofrio of Love & Lemons and Nisha Vora of Rainbow Plant Life. They both have taken a swing at sofritas dupes in recent years and both of their recipes looked like winners, so I cherry-picked my favorite ingredients and techniques from each.

The basic method involves braising crumbled tofu in a sauce. Both Donofrio and Vora employ canned chipotles in adobo, tomato paste, garlic, onion and tomatoes. But I loved Vora’s use of poblano instead of red bell pepper. And I was drawn to Donofrio’s idea of roasting the sauce ingredients and the tofu separately before blending the sauce and cooking the tofu in it on the stovetop.

The result of the mashup is something I’ll now make all the time to put on burrito bowls, salads and soft tacos — or even crunchy ones like in the recipe I’m sharing here. Because when the distance from kitchen to table is measured in feet rather than miles, there’s no danger of losing that crunch on the trip.

• Joe Yonan is the author of “Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking” (Ten Speed Press, 2024).

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Crunchy Tacos With Spicy Tofu

2 poblano peppers, stemmed, halved lengthwise and seeded

2 garlic cloves, left unpeeled

1 jalapeño pepper

1 small white onion (6 ounces), quartered

1 plum tomato, halved lengthwise

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

¾ teaspoon fine salt, divided, plus more as needed

One (16-ounce) block extra-firm tofu or super-firm tofu, patted dry and torn into large crumbles

1 chipotle in adobo

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

12 corn tortilla taco shells

1½ cups fresh or frozen corn (preferably fire-roasted)

¼ cup water

½ cup salsa verde

¼ cup queso fresco, crumbled

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, and preheat to 450°F.

Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper, and add the poblanos, garlic, jalapeño, onion and tomato. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil, sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and toss until coated. On another large sheet pan, toss the tofu crumbles with 1 tablespoon of the oil and ¼ teaspoon of the salt until coated, and spread in a thin layer. Transfer both sheet pans to the oven (it doesn’t matter which sheet pan goes on which rack) and roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the onions and peppers are brown, the tomato is soft, and the tofu crumbles are browned and firm around the edges.

While the sheet pans are in the oven, in a food processor, combine the chipotle, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt.

When the vegetables are ready, squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins and stem the jalapeño. Transfer them to the food processor, add the poblanos, onion and tomato, and process to form a thick and chunky sauce.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Discard the parchment paper from the sheet pan and add the taco shells. Bake according to the package instructions until crisp, then remove from the oven.

In a large (12-inch), deep skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until shimmering. Add the corn and cook, stirring frequently, until heated through. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a small bowl.

Return the skillet to medium heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and heat until shimmering. Add the sauce and tofu, and stir to combine. Add the water and cook, stirring, until the flavors meld, 2 to 3 minutes. Taste, and season with salt, as needed.

To assemble the tacos, spoon about ¼ cup of the spicy tofu mixture into the bottom of each taco shell, followed by 2 tablespoons of the corn, 2 teaspoons of the salsa verde, 1 teaspoon of the queso fresco and 1 teaspoon of the cilantro. Serve warm.

Servings: 4 (makes 12 tacos)

Substitutions: For store-bought taco shells, use homemade taco shells. To make it less spicy, use 1 green and 1 red bell pepper instead of the poblanos; seed the jalapeño; use ½ teaspoon chili powder (or omit); or use half of one canned chipotle in adobo. To make it more spicy, use a serrano pepper instead of the jalapeño; 2 chipotles in adobo; or 2 teaspoons chili powder. For queso fresco, use feta. To make it vegan, use a nondairy feta, such as Violife, or another favorite nondairy cheese instead of queso fresco. For salsa verde, use your favorite salsa. For cilantro, use parsley.

Variations: To make your own taco shells, preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly brush or spray 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas with oil, and carefully drape them over two bars of the oven rack. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until crisp.

Storage: Refrigerate the spicy tofu for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Where to buy: Frozen fire-roasted corn from such brands as Birds Eye can be found in the freezer section of well-stocked supermarkets.

Nutritional information per serving (3 tacos): 539 calories, 31 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 47 g carbohydrates, 929 mg sodium, 10 mg cholesterol, 20 g protein, 7 g fiber, 7 g sugar.

— Joe Yonan, based on recipes from Jeanine Donofrio at Love & Lemons and Nisha Vora at Rainbow Plant Life