Sofrito

Cocina Boricua

Boricua Weeknights

Ortiz family recipes on your table in 30 minutes, every night — no recipe required.

The 6-step planning-to-table workflow
The 30-minute template that makes any dinner
50 “no-recipe” dinners, five categories
Grocery-to-menu matching tool
Pantry checklist + shopping trip planner

The Weeknights System • Sofrito — Cocina Boricua

The 6-Step Workflow

Del plan a la mesa, sin estrés

Boricua cooking isn’t hard — it’s just built on one base and a lot of repetition. Do these six steps once, and dinner answers itself all week.

STEP 1Master the base20 min, once a month

Batch your sofrito and freeze 28 cubes. This is the engine of the whole system — every single dinner below starts with one cube.

STEP 2Stock the pantry20 min, once a month

Check the pantry list (page 7) and top up. Rice, beans, sofrito, oil, garlic and onions cover 80% of the 50 dinners.

STEP 3Plan from the 5010 min, Sunday

Pick 3–5 dinners from the 50 list. Write them on the weekly planner — done in minutes because there’s no recipe to read.

STEP 4Match to your fridge2 min

Use the matching tool (page 6): what you already have decides tonight. Leftover rice? You’re 20 minutes from mampostiao.

STEP 5Prep the base60 min, Sunday

One pot of arroz blanco, one pot of habichuelas, one tray of seasoned chicken. Pre-cooked bases turn 30-minute dinners into 15.

STEP 6Cook the template30 min, every night

Never memorize a recipe again — run the 30-minute template (next page). Sofrito + protein + starch + rest, every time.

The weekly rhythm: Sunday = plan + prep (90 min total). Monday–Friday = cook only (30 min). Saturday = the fun one — mofongo, alcapurrias, or a proper pernil day.

The 30-Minute Template

La plantilla que nunca falla

Every boricua weeknight dinner is this same five-move pattern with different players. Learn the template, and the 50 dinners write themselves.

1 — SofritoThe base1 cube in hot oil2 min

2 — ProteinThe starchicken, beef, pork, fish, beans5–8 min

3 — SauceThe flavortomato, broth, olives, calabaza5 min

4 — StarchThe comfortpre-made rice, or rice into the pot10–15 min

5 — RestThe payoff5 min off heat, then fluff & plate5 min

Swap any player

Protein: chicken, ground beef, pork chops, fish, shrimp, beans
Sauce: tomato sauce, broth, sofrito + water, calabaza purée
Starch: arroz blanco, gandules rice, leftover rice, tostones
Bases pre-made Sunday → dinner in 15 minutes flat

Seasoning shortlist

Adobo on every protein — the default
Sazón for color and depth in rice and guisos
Oregano + bay leaf for stews
Alcaparrado whenever you want a pop

Pro tip: if the protein is pre-seasoned (Step 5), skip the adobo — you’re already at 20 minutes. This template is the “no-recipe” in the 50 no-recipe dinners.

The 50 No-Recipe Dinners

Part 1 — the first 25

No measuring. No cards. Each line is a pattern your sofrito cube already knows how to run.

A · Arroz & habichuelas (1–10)

1Arroz con Pollo — chicken, sofrito, rice, broth

2Arroz con Gandules — gandules, sofrito, rice

3Arroz con Salchichas — sausages, tomato, rice

4Arroz Blanco + Habichuelas — the daily plate

5Mampostiao — leftover rice + beans, fried crisp

6Mampostiao + Pollo Guisado — double leftovers, double win

7Arroz con Bacalao — salt cod, sofrito, rice

8Arroz con Maíz Dulce — sweet corn folded in

9Arroz con Frijoles Negros — island-style black beans

10Arroz con Cilantro y Ajo — bright green side-star as a main

B · Guisos & one-pots (11–20)

11Pollo Guisado — stewed chicken, potato, calabaza

12Carne Guisada — stewed beef, deep color

13Habichuelas con Papa — beans + potatoes, thicker sauce

14Bacalao Guisado — salt cod, peppers, tomato

15Sancocho de Res — roots + corn, a Sunday-long one

16Picadillo — ground beef, olives, raisins

17Picadillo con Huevo Frito — the crowning fried egg

18Pollo en Salsa — saucy chicken over rice

19Costillas Guisadas — stewed ribs, fall-apart

20Chuletas Guisadas — pork chops in guiso

C · Skillet, grill & fritura mains (21–25)

21Bistec Encebollado — steak + onions, plate licking

22Chuletas a la Plancha + Maduros — grilled chops, sweet plantain

23Pollo al Horno + Amarillos — baked adobo chicken

24Pollo Frito + Tostones — the kiosk combo at home

25Mofongo con Sopa de Pollo — plantain dome + broth

Part 1 of 2. Twenty-five more in part 2 — seafood, meatless, eggs, and the fun ones.

The 50 No-Recipe Dinners

Part 2 — the final 25

C · Skillet, grill & fritura mains (26–30)

26Mofongo Relleno de Camarones — stuffed, saucy shrimp

27Tostones con Guiso — crisp disks + beef stew

28Sorullos con Queso — cornmeal sticks, cheese core

29Bacalaitos con Aguacate — cod fritters + creamy avocado

30Alcapurrias Night — batch-fry a big platter

D · Eggs, quick & breakfast-for-dinner (31–40)

31Huevos Revueltos + Salchichas + Amarillos — the 15-minute plate

32Tortilla de Papa y Cebolla — the Spanish classic, boricua-style

33Huevos Guisados con Arroz — eggs in guiso over rice

34Revuelto de Bacalao — salt cod + eggs scramble

35Arepas de Maíz con Queso — corn cakes, melty center

36Sándwich de Pernil — leftover roast + mayo-kétchup

37Quesadilla Boricua — pernil or pollo + maduros inside

38Pizza de Tostones — plantain rounds, sauce, cheese

39Arroz Frito Boricua — leftover rice, egg, peas, sofrito

40Empanadillas — frozen dough + any guiso filling

E · Seafood & meatless (41–50)

41Camarones al Ajillo — garlic shrimp, fast

42Camarones Guisados — shrimp in guiso + rice

43Pescado Guisado — white fish, tomato, olives

44Pescado Frito + Tostones — the beach-plate dinner

45Sopa de Mariscos — seafood stew, island warmth

46Habichuelas con Calabaza — vegan guiso, creamy depth

47Arroz con Gandules Vegetariano — skip the pork, keep the flavor

48Ensalada de Garbanzos — chickpeas, olive oil, lime

49Mofongo Vegano + Guiso de Habichuelas — no chicharrón, all soul

50Arroz con Coco — sweet-salty island rice, alone it wins

That’s the fifty. Five categories, ten each. You only ever need three a week — the other forty-seven are insurance against a boring Monday.

Grocery-to-Menu Matching Tool

Qué tienes en la nevera → qué cenas

The reverse way to plan: look at what you actually have, not what a recipe demands. Tonight’s dinner is one row away.

In your fridge / pantry	Tonight’s dinner
Chicken + rice + sofrito	Arroz con Pollo (1)
Ground beef + sofrito + olives	Picadillo (16) — or stuffed empanadillas (40)
Pork chops + sofrito	Chuletas Guisadas (20)
White fish or shrimp + sofrito	Pescado/Camarones Guisados (42–43)
Shrimp + garlic + butter	Camarones al Ajillo (41)
Pink beans + calabaza	Habichuelas con Calabaza (46)
Leftover arroz blanco + beans	Mampostiao (5)
Leftover rice + eggs + peas	Arroz Frito Boricua (39)
Green plantains + broth	Mofongo con Sopa de Pollo (25)
Ripe plantains + eggs + salchichas	Huevos + Amarillos (31)
Salt cod + tomato + peppers	Bacalao Guisado (14)
Salt cod + flour + cornmeal	Bacalaitos (29)
Frozen empanada dough + any guiso	Empanadillas (40)
Black beans + rice	Arroz con Frijoles Negros (9)
Cornmeal + cheese	Sorullos (28)
Leftover pernil	Sándwich de Pernil (36) — celebrate

How to use it: scan the left column before you shop. Whatever you land on three times = your three dinners this week. The tool kills the “what’s for dinner?” panic because it starts from the truth of your fridge.

Pantry Staple Checklist

Lo que siempre tienes que tener

Stock this once and 80% of the 50 dinners are always an option. Print it, magnet it to the fridge, cross things off as you run low.

Bases & seasonings

Sofrito cubes (28 in the freezer)
Sazón with annatto
Adobo
Dried oregano & bay leaves
Ground cumin & coriander
Black pepper & salt
Garlic (always two heads)

Rice & beans

Medium-grain rice (5 lb)
Canned gandules (pigeon peas)
Pink beans, canned or dried
Black beans
Chickpeas (garbanzos)

Cans & jars

Tomato sauce
Tomato paste
Diced tomatoes
Alcaparrado (olives + capers)
Chicken & beef broth
Olive oil & canola oil
Distilled vinegar
Mayonnaise & ketchup (the classic sauce)

Fresh (weekly)

Yellow onions
Green & red bell peppers
Fresh cilantro / culantro
Green plantains
Ripe plantains
Calabaza (tropical pumpkin)
Potatoes
Limes & avocados

Frozen & fridge

Chicken thighs & breasts
Ground beef & pork chops
Shrimp (quick thaw)
Vienna sausages / smoked links
Eggs (dozen)
Frozen empanada dough
Butter & queso blanco

Weekend & holidays

Pork shoulder (pernil)
Salt cod (bacalao)
Cornmeal
All-purpose flour
Coconut milk
Condensed & evaporated milk
White rum (coquito season)

Shopping Trip Planner

Una sola vuelta, toda la semana

One trip a week, never a sad empty fridge on a Tuesday. Fill this in Sunday, shop Monday, cook all week.

1 — Menu picks (from the 50)

Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday (the fun one):

2 — Out of pantry stock?

3 — Produce this week

4 — Protein

5 — Frozen & fridge

6 — Everything else

Copy the whole system to your fridge: print the pantry checklist (page 7), the matching tool (page 6), and this planner — three pages, zero decision fatigue all month.

The system

You’ve got fifty dinners in your back pocket.

Plan once on Sunday, prep for an hour, cook 30 minutes a night — no recipes, no panic, no cereal for dinner.

The Full Table — cookbook + weeknights + printables$97

+ La Mesa Boricua — full 30-recipe cookbook$47

+ The Kitchen Bundle — printables pack$67

Mofongo & More — the 6-week course$197

— ¡Pa'lante! Plan it, cook it, enjoy it. Con amor, de la cocina Ortiz.