Slowly braised beef in a tasty Cuban style sauce with onions, peppers, garlic, olives and capers!
Ropa vieja is a tasty dish with origins in Spain and it’s popular in Cuba. This is a stew where beef is slowly simmered in a tomato based sauce with onions, bell peppers and garlic. The beef, typically flank steak, is braised until it’s falling apart tender before being shredded and mixed back in with everything else. The stew is seasoned with cumin, paprika, oregano with hints of allspice and cloves. Olives, capers and a splash of vinegar round everything off and the combination of all of these flavours is amazingly tasty! I like to serve ropa vieja over rice with a side of beans. This recipe makes a big batch, which is good since any leftovers taste even better the next day!
Ropa Vieja (aka Cuban Style Shredded Beef)
Prep Time:15 minutes Cook Time:2 hours 15 minutes Total Time:2 hours 30 minutes Servings: 8
Slowly braised beef in a tasty Cuban style sauce with onions, peppers, garlic, olives and capers!
ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 pounds beef (flank, chuck, brisket, etc.)
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 3 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup green olives (optionally sliced)
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or lime juice)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
directions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the beef and brown on all sides before setting aside.
- Add the onion, and bell peppers to the pan and cook until tender, about 7-10 minutes. (Add more olive oil if needed.)
- Add the garlic, tomato paste, cumin, paprika, allspice, and cloves, and cook until fragrant, about a minute, mixing it in as it cooks.
- Add the beef broth, crushed tomatoes, oregano, and bay leaves, and mix before adding the beef.
- Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the beef is falling apart tender, about 2 hours.
- Remove the beef from the pot, shredd and mix back in, along with the olives and capers and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste before mixing in the cilantro and enjoying!
Slow Cooker: Implement steps 1-4, transfer to a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-10 hours or high for 2-4 hours.
Option: Add 1/4 cup diced roasted red peppers near the end for some extra sweetness!
Option: Add 1/4 cup raisins!
Note: The leftovers taste even better the next day!
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