Ropa vieja means old clothes in Spanish. A national dish of Cuba and very popular in other countries as well. Shredded beef stew with peppers, garlic, onions, and spices in a delicious tomato broth.
My ultimate favorite Cuban dish hands down! Bistec encebollado is another one of my favorite Cuban recipes. I normally crave this dish on cold winter nights because it’s so comforting. This is my grandmother’s recipe although she prefers to use brisket. For this recipe, you may use flank steak or brisket.
Great low carb and keto-friendly meal as well.
Tips for Successful Ropa Vieja:
Use a knife if the strands are too long.
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Boneless flank steak
- Onions
- Red and green bell peppers
- Fresh garlic
- Tomato sauce
- Oregano, cumin, granulated garlic, Sazon
- Bay leaves
- Dry white wine
- Sofrito
How do you make ropa vieja?
Saute some onions, red and green bell peppers, sofrito, and fresh garlic in the instant pot. Stir in the cumin, oregano, granulated garlic, and sazon.
Add the tomato sauce, dry white wine, water, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper.
Place the flank steak in the instant pot, and stir. Seal the lid and press the “pressure cook” function. Cook for 40 minutes. Once the 40 minutes are up, release all of the steam before opening the lid. Check for seasoning and enjoy with some white fluffy rice or some tortillas.
You can certainly cook this on the stove top instead. Completely optional.
More Cuban recipes
- Instant Pot Arroz con Leche
- 15-minute Cuban black beans
- Picadillo Cubano con Papas
- Cuban Carne con Papa
Ropa Vieja
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless flank steak
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper sliced
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 5 garlic cloves finely minced
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 2 tsp sazon
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp sofrito
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 16 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 3-4 tbsp olives
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Press the saute function on your instant pot and add some oil.
- Once the oil gets hot, add the onions and peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the fresh garlic, sofrito, sazon, cumin, oregano, and granulated garlic.
- Add the tomato sauce, dry white wine, water, bay leaves, and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the flank steak and make sure the flank steak is covered with the tomato and water mixture.
- Seal the lid and press the pressure cook function. Cook for 40 minutes.
- Once the 40 minutes are up, release all of the steam before opening.
- Place the flank steak on a cutting board and shred using 2 forks.
- Place the shredded beef back into the instant pot.
- Add the olives.
- Press the saute function and cook for an additional 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once the tomato broth thickens, check for seasoning, and serve immediately.
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