cuban ropa vieja

Cuba&#39;s national dish, Ropa Vieja, is a hearty and delicious dish made with flavorful ingredients such as flank steak, vegetables, and spices and served with rice and black beans.

Ropa Vieja Recipe

flank steak

onion

garlic (peeled)

bay leaves

salt

black pepper

olive oil

white onion

red bell pepper

green bell pepper

garlic (minced)

tomato paste

Mexican oregano

cumin

paprika

low-sodium beef broth (see notes)

dry white wine

tomato sauce

manzanilla olives

Add the flank steak, onion, garlic, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper to a large pot, filling the pot with enough cold water to cover the steak. Bring it to a boil.

Once it reaches a boil, immediately reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot with a lid and let it simmer for approximately 2 hours, or until the steak is fork tender. Carefully remove the steak from the pot and let it cool before shredding. Strain the broth into a clean jar and save it for later use.

Add the olive oil to a large skillet or Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add the diced onion, red bell peppers, and green bell peppers to the hot oil and sauté until the vegetables are softened, about 4 minutes.

Add the minced garlic, tomato paste, oregano, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until the spices become fragrant.

Stir in the beef broth, white wine, tomato sauce, and olives, bringing the mixture to a low boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until the sauce has reduced.

Add the shredded beef to the sauce, mixing well to combine. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until the beef is heated through.

Serve with warm yellow or white rice, black beans, and plantains, and garnish with cilantro, if desired.

Learn how to make authentic Cuban ropa vieja! This slow-cooked Cuban-style shredded beef dish is made with tenderized flank steak, Cuban sofrito, and spices, all simmered in a flavorful tomato-based sauce. This ropa vieja recipe requires only 25 minutes of hands-on work once the meat is tenderized.

Ropa Vieja Recipe (Cuban Shredded Beef)

lbs flank steak

Water ((enough

green bell pepper (sliced lengthwise)

whole red pimientos (sliced lengthwise)

vino seco ((dry cooking wine))

oregano

bay leaf

Salt + pepper

In a Dutch oven or large pot, add the meat with water and salt. Cook at medium-low until the meat is tender, about 2 hours. (In a pressure cooker, this takes about 40 minutes). Transfer the meat to a plate. Using two forks, shred the beef. Set aside.

Cooking The Meat

In a large skillet, heat olive oil at medium heat. Add green pepper, onion, and pimientos. Sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.

Add tomato sauce, vino seco (dry cooking wine), cumin, oregano, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Cook for 15 minutes, at medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Add the shredded beef to the skillet. Stir to combine with the tomato-based sauce. Cover and cook on LOW for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, without letting it dry out. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed. Enjoy!

Making The Ropa Vieja

The best recipe to ever! My husband loved the Ropa Vieja. He said it tasted exactly like the kind his mother would get at El Palacio de los Jugo’s.
It made me feel so good. Thank you for sharing your recipes. You make it so easy by explaining each step and showing pictures. 

It was delicious! I tried this dish at a restaurant and i was looking for a recipe to make it at home. This recipe was easy to make and it tasted great!

This recipe is the most Authentic Cuban Ropa vejia. I do it with Chicken or flank steak, only difference is I add 2 packets of Sazon,  juice to olives with the olives, 2am additional can of sauce , 1 jar of sofrito &amp; maybe 2 teaspoons of Adobo then it comes out like my Cuban mother en-laws. I also through all the ingredients into a pot without sautee, pressure cook for 1 hour. Shred the meat &amp; place into pint jars &amp; pressure can for shelf stability for 45m..Heavily requested in my family

I’m so happy that you posted this recipe! I’m Cuban and my best friend gets really mad at me, because she doesn’t believe me when I say we put a little bit of this, and a little bit of that. She thinks that I don’t wanna give her the recipe. 🤦‍♀️ I showed her your recipe and LOL she just looked at me and said are you for real? Do you guys really cook like that? 
I made the Ropa Vieja last night following your recipe step-by-step. It was awesome. I got some of it and put it in a strainer over a container for most of the liquid would come out and made empanadas with it. It was a total hit. Thank you for sharing the recipe with us. Looking forward to making more of your recipes.. 

This was so tasty and easy to make! Also I am vegan and this was very easy to “veganize”. 👌

My husband does not eat red meat, so I used shredded rotisserie chicken and it came out really good. He loved it.

I made it and it was delicious! My entire family loved it!! Now when I go to a Cuban restaurant I won’t need to order it. I can now make it myself! Yours is the best recipe I’ve tried!! So glad I found it!

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Top 2 cuban ropa vieja recipes from across the web

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Ropa Vieja Recipe

Ropa Vieja Recipe (Cuban Shredded B...

The most viewed cuban ropa vieja recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine