How To Make Mirepoix

Even a small quantity of this classic medley of aromatic vegetables can significantly contribute to the overall success of a finished dish. Try it for yourself the next time you make your favorite soup or stew.

What Is Mirepoix?

Mirepoix (pronounced meer pwah) is a French culinary term for a medley of sautéed onions, carrots, and celery that’s used to add depth of flavor to a variety of dishes.

The standard recipe calls for two parts diced onion, one part diced celery, and one part diced carrot. These vegetables are gently cooked in butter over medium-low heat until soft and just beginning to develop a little bit of caramelization.

When to Use Mirepoix

When prepared correctly, you won’t really detect the flavors of the individual ingredients in a mirepoix. Instead, they will blend to create a harmony of flavors that will add depth and complexity to your finished dish. Here are three basic ways for you to incorporate this technique in your own kitchen:

1. Pot roast: Season your beef with salt and pepper, then sear it on both sides. Remove the meat, turn down the heat, add a little butter, and make your mirepoix as a base for your cooking liquid.
2. Roast chicken with pan gravy: Prepare your mirepoix and add it to the bottom of a roasting pan. Set the chicken on top and roast. The chicken juices will combine with the flavors of the mirepoix adding depth of flavor to the pan drippings you’ll be using for your gravy.
3. Soup stock: Use a classic mirepoix as the flavor base for just about any variety of homemade soup. Our Instant Pot Italian Chicken Soup is a great example.

Tips for Success

• Dicing the vegetables: It’s important to dice the vegetables as uniformly as possible to ensure even cooking. The size of the dice can vary slightly according to the overall cooking time of the dish for which it is intended, e.g. the shorter the cooking time the smaller the dice.
• Add the vegetables in the right order: Add the diced carrot to the pan first and cook until slightly softened before adding the onion. Cook until the onion begins to soften before adding the celery. Depending on the size of your dice, the total cooking time should be 12 to 20 minutes.
• Be careful not to brown the vegetables: The concept behind preparing mirepoix is to slowly extract the mellow sweetness from the vegetables. Browning can impart bitterness and spoil the flavor.
• Adding tomato paste: If desired, a small amount of tomato paste can be added when the vegetables are nearly finished cooking. This step is optional, but it’s a nice enhancement, especially if the mirepoix is being used in brown sauces or gravies.
• Making a white mirepoix: If your mirepoix is being used in a white sauce or light gravy, chopped leeks can be used in place of the carrots.

A World of Variations

Many cuisines from around the world have their own version of a basic French mirepoix. Slight variations in the aromatics, as well as the addition of herbs and spices, can dramatically change the flavor profile of even the simplest dish. Here are a few variations on mirepoix that you might like to try:

• France (Provencal variation): Use olive oil as the fat to cook onions, garlic, leeks, and tomatoes. Optional additions include fennel, thyme, bay leaf, and orange zest.
• Italy: The Italians have a similar combination called “soffrito.” They use olive oil for the cooking fat and often add garlic and some pancetta or prosciutto to the mix. Optional additions include parsley, bay leaf, and sage.
• Spain: A Spanish “sofrito” consists of onions, garlic, tomatoes, and parsley cooked in olive oil or rendered ham fat. Optional additions include saffron, paprika, and dried chiles.
• India: Indian dishes use ghee or vegetable oil and a combination of onion, garlic, ginger, and some variety of hot pepper. Optional add-ins are cardamom, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, and masala.
• Thailand: In Thailand, curry pastes begin with a combination of shallots, garlic and chiles and often include lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and galangal (or ginger).
• Cajun (USA): The Cajun trinity substitutes green pepper for the carrot and is used to flavor dishes like gumbo and étouffée.

How To Make Mirepoix

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Ramp up the flavor of your soups, stews, braises, and more by starting with a base of mirepoix, the classic French blend of diced aromatic vegetables sautéed in butter.

Yield: 10

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time : 30 minutes mins

Total Time : 40 minutes mins

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Ingredients 

• 1/3 cup diced carrot
• 2/3 cup diced onion
• 1/3 cup diced celery
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions 

• Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium-low heat.
• Add the carrots and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly softened.
• Add the onion, continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes more, then add the celery.
• Continue cooking, stirring often, until all the vegetables are tender and just beginning to turn golden around the edges.
• Season lightly with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.

Recipe Notes

• Dicing the vegetables: It’s important to dice the vegetables as uniformly as possible to ensure even cooking. The size of the dice can vary slightly according to the overall cooking time of the dish for which it is intended, e.g. the shorter the cooking time the smaller the dice.
• Add the vegetables in the right order: Add the diced carrot to the pan first and cook until slightly softened before adding the onion. Cook until the onion begins to soften before adding the celery. Depending on the size of your dice, the total cooking time should be 10 to 12 minutes.
• Be careful not to brown the vegetables: The concept behind preparing mirepoix is to slowly extract the mellow sweetness from the vegetables. Browning can impart bitterness and spoil the flavor.
• Adding tomato paste: If desired, a small amount of tomato paste can be added when the vegetables are nearly finished cooking. This step is optional, but it’s a nice enhancement if the mirepoix is being used in brown sauces or gravies.
• Making a white mirepoix: If your mirepoix is being used in a white sauce or light gravy, chopped leeks can be used in place of the carrots.

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts

How To Make Mirepoix

Amount per Serving

Calories

73

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

7

g

11

%

Saturated Fat

 

4

g

25

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

0.3

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

2

g

Cholesterol

 

18

mg

6

%

Sodium

 

13

mg

1

%

Potassium

 

78

mg

2

%

Carbohydrates

 

3

g

1

%

Fiber

 

1

g

4

%

Sugar

 

1

g

1

%

Protein

 

0.4

g

1

%

Trans Fat

 

0.3

g

Vitamin A

 

1666

IU

33

%

Vitamin C

 

2

mg

2

%

Calcium

 

12

mg

1

%

Iron

 

0.1

mg

1

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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