How to Make and Freeze Soffritto for Easy Cooking Later
Make cooking future meals a breeze by freezing a big batch of soffritto for later use. Italian soffritto is very easy to freeze and adds a delicious flavor base for a variety of dishes. Learn how to freeze soffritto the easy way!
What is Soffritto?
Soffritto is an aromatic mix of vegetables that is a flavorful base for a variety of Italian dishes. A classic soffritto recipe is a mixture of onion, celery, and carrots that are chopped into small pieces or finely minced.
Soffritto adds a depth of flavor to dishes and is crucial for many recipes in Italian cooking and more. With a few garlic cloves and some soffritto, any dish will have a great flavor!
Can You Freeze Soffritto?
Soffritto freezes very well and can be done with little preparation. While some vegetables require blanching to maintain their color and texture in the freezer, the onions, carrots, and celery in soffritto taste great when frozen raw.
If you want to avoid some washing, peeling, and chopping in future meals, making a big batch of soffritto to freeze is a must! I like to stock up on ingredients at the farmer’s market or grocery store and make a big batch to save some time later.
Soffritto vs. Mirepoix
There are a lot of different names for aromatic bases and it can get confusing quickly. Once you know the difference, however, it is quite simple.
Soffritto is the Italian equivalent of French mirepoix. Both are a combination of chopped celery, onions, and carrots, which make an aromatic base for a variety of soups, stews, and sauces. Soffritto is used in Italian dishes while mirepoix is used in French dishes.
You may have also heard of the “Holy Trinity” and Puerto Rican Sofrito. These are similar flavor bases, but each has its own unique twist.
The Holy Trinity is a flavor base used in Creole cuisine and it is made up of onion, celery, and green bell peppers (rather than carrots).
Puerto Rican Sofrito (spelled a bit differently) is used in Latin American cuisine and includes bell peppers, cubanelle peppers, cilantro, garlic, and culantro (a fresh herb similar to cilantro).
How to Make Soffritto
Soffritto is easy to make, but when you’re cooking a large meal, the added step can be a nuisance. That’s why I love making a big batch one day and having it in the freezer to make cooking easy later.
Soffritto is just chopped onions, celery, and carrots, so to prepare it you simply need to chop those three vegetables. The standard ratio for soffritto is 2:1:1, meaning two parts onion to one part celery and one part carrots. You can change the ratio to suit your personal preferences, too. Another popular ratio is equal amounts of each ingredient.
Soffritto vegetables can be chopped with a sharp knife into ¼ inch cubes or smaller. To make it easier, you can also run the vegetables through the chop setting on a food processor. This can quickly make the vegetables into a paste, however, so be careful to pulse the processor slowly and check frequently.
How small you chop or processor your vegetables ultimately comes down to personal preference. Traditional soffritto is made up of finely chopped or minced vegetables, but you can make the veggies larger if that’s how you enjoy eating them. The only rule of thumb that really matters is to make them all the same size so they cook evenly.
How to Freeze Soffritto
Soffritto is very easy to freeze because it doesn’t need blanched or cooked beforehand. Simply prepare the soffritto and freeze it for later.
There are, however, a few different ways to freeze it that make using the frozen soffritto easier. If you pack a freezer bag with soffritto and freeze it, you will end up with a large chunk of soffritto that is very difficult to use. There are a few different ways soffritto can be frozen to avoid this.
Flash Freeze
If you want a storage bag or jar of soffritto that can be scooped out of, flash freezing is the best way to freeze it. Spread the prepared soffritto out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and pop that in the freezer for a few hours.
Once the soffrito has frozen completely, transfer the soffritto mix to a freezer bag and put it back in the freezer immediately. Freezing the sofritto in a single layer prevents it from sticking together and as long as it is not thawed, the vegetables will remain separate in the freezer.
Single Servings
Another easy way to freeze the soffritto is in single servings. Once the mixture is prepared, scoop it into a silicone ice cube tray, silicone muffin cups, or small freezer bags in small portion sizes you would like to use. When you need soffritto, you can simply take out a single serving or a couple of soffritto cubes and toss them in the pan.
How to Use Frozen Soffritto
Frozen soffritto is easy to use because it doesn’t need to be thawed. To use frozen soffritto, simply take it out of the freezer and put it in a hot pan with broth or olive oil. The soffritto will thaw and cook while in the pan. Frozen soffritto cooks more quickly than raw soffritto, so watch it carefully.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you buy frozen soffritto at the grocery store?
Whether you can purchase already frozen soffritto at the store depends on where you live. I have not found it in any American grocery stores, but I’ve heard it’s typically available in parts of Europe. Fortunately, soffritto is very easy to make with fresh ingredients found in stores or farmers markets!
Can I use red onion instead of yellow onion?
Red onion isn’t a traditional ingredient in Italian soffritto, but you can certainly substitute it if you like. I use red onion in my holiday hash recipe and love it!
How long can you freeze soffritto for?
Soffritto can be frozen for about six months. It will be edible much longer than that, but you may experience degraded flavor or texture if it’s left too long. For best results, use sooner than later.
More Freezer Preservation Articles
Easy Freezer Soffritto
Make a big batch of this easy soffritto and freeze it to make future cooking a breeze!
Ingredients
- 2 parts yellow onion
- 1 part celery
- 1 part carrots
Instructions
To Make
- Prepare the vegetables by washing the celery, peeling the carrots, and removing the onion skins.
- Using a cutting board and a sharp knife, chop the veggies into evenly sized pieces. The size can range from minced to ½ inch wide, depending on your preference.
To Freeze
- To flash freeze, spread the soffritto out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze it for a few hours, then transfer it to a freezer bag or airtight container and immediately return to the freezer.
- To freeze in small portions, scoop single servings into a silicone ice cube tray, silicone muffin cups, or small freezer bags. Label and place in the freezer for later use.
- To use frozen soffritto, take a serving out of the freezer and place it into a preheated pan with extra virgin olive oil or unsalted butter and cook over medium-low heat. Use as the flavor base of many dishes, such as soups, pasta sauces, roasts, rice dishes, and more.
