Summary:
Ropa vieja is a slow-cooked Cuban beef stew featuring juicy shredded meat, tender bell peppers, and flavorful spices in a tomato-based sauce. This dish is affectionately called "old clothes" in Spanish because the shreds of beef and bell peppers look like a mess of colorful rags.
INGREDIENTS
- 1.5 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-2 inch chunks (Note 1)
- 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 head garlic, peeled and minced
- 28-ounce can unsalted crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1/2 teaspoon
ground cumin - 1/2 teaspoon
dried oregano - 1/2 teaspoon
paprika - 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
INSTRUCTIONS
- Brown Beef: Heat oil on large skillet over medium heat. Add beef and sear until mostly brown, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to
slow cooker . Sprinkle salt, cumin, oregano, paprika, and pepper over beef in slow cooker. - Sear Peppers: Add sliced bell peppers to now-empty skillet over medium-high heat. Sear until starting to soften, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to slow cooker on top of beef. Distribute minced garlic over bell peppers.
- Slow Cook: Pour crushed tomatoes over contents of slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.
- Serve: Shred beef using two forks. Stir everything together until well-mixed, and serve (Note 2).
NUTRITION
| Makes 4 Servings (Note 3) |
| Amount Per Serving: |
| Calories 520 (52% from fat) | |
| Total Fat 30g | 46% |
| Saturated Fat 11g | 54% |
| Cholesterol 134mg | 45% |
| Sodium 700mg | 29% |
| Net Carb 10g | |
| Total Carb 15g | 5% |
| Dietary Fiber 5g | 20% |
| Sugars 7g | |
| Protein 48g |
PHOTOS
I love this recipe! Ive been on the hunt for Spanish style food. My family is hispanic but we dont truly cook Hispanic flavors. This is perfect. Even my picky mother loved it, lol. Im making it for the 2nd time today. Could i cook it on low for 8 Hrs instead? Because I’m gonna be out for a while. Thanks😃
I’m glad your family loved it, Sylvanna. I haven’t tried making this for 8 hours on low, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work out.
Julia, have you converted this recipe for use in the Instant Pot?
Not yet 🙂 But I do have a similar beef stew with vegetables for the Instant Pot https://www.savorytooth.com/instant-pot-beef-stew/
Can you make this in a 4 quart slow cooker, or does the recipe need a bigger crockpot?
Hi Camille! I’ve only ever used a 6 quart slow cooker for this recipe, but I think a 4 quart will be able to fit everything. If you try it, let me know how it goes!
How long would you cook this in the instant pot? Looks delicious!
Hi Sophia 🙂 I haven’t tried making this in the instant pot, but I would probably cook at high pressure for 40 minutes or so. Let me know if you give it a try!
On an instant pot it takes about 40 minutes with just water. The only thing is that when you take it out you will need to shred it and season it and put some tomato sauce on it. It is delicious!!!
Yum! Thanks for your tips. I’ll have to try it sometime 🙂