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    TaraTeaspoon » Recipes » Soups + Stews + Chili

    Ropa Vieja (Slow Cooker Cuban Braised Beef)

    Published: Jun 9, 2017 · Updated: Aug 14, 2022 by Tara Teaspoon · This page contains affiliate and sponsored links. See my full disclosure

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    Ropa Vieja is a favorite dish at my local Cuban restaurant. It's a slow cooker braised beef stew with peppers and great tomato flavor. I recreated it so I could dish it up any time!


    This ropa vieja braised beef stew with peppers and onions resembles a heap of colorful rags, or "old clothes." Thus the Spanish name: Ropa Vieja! It heralds from clear back to the Middle Ages, but I'm sure there have been some changes (wink).

    Ropa Vieja in white bowl with bread, salt and pepper on wooden table

    What is Ropa Vieja?

    Popular in Spain, it was traditionally a way to stretch the leftovers of other stews. Hmm I'm into this...I am always concocting things from the leftovers lurking in my fridge! The recipe and tradition made it's way to Cuba where it got it's current, and my favorite, flavor profile.

    There's a Cuban Chinese restaurant up the street from my apartment here in NY. Flor de Mayo has been around since I can remember. And yes, it's Cuban and Chinese dishes in one restaurant! Lucky Peach magazine explains:

    "[There was an] exodus of ethnic Chinese from Cuba from 1959 through the 1980s. The Cuban-Chinese are largely the descendants of the quarter million indentured Cantonese laborers who traveled to Latin America in the late nineteenth century in hopes of finding their fortunes or supporting families back home. Instead, they found themselves shunted into backbreaking labor like planting and harvesting sugarcane for Caribbean plantations. In Cuba, many of them remained behind, raised families, and developed a culture that was neither entirely Chinese nor Cuban. For a while, Havana’s Chinatown thrived, and proved a popular dining and drinking destination for both foreign tourists and locals.
    But when Fidel Castro swept into power and began to target the merchant class, the Cuban Chinese found themselves in jeopardy. The ones who moved to the U.S. opened up inexpensive “Criollo China” eateries catering to fellow exiles—ropa vieja on one page of the menu, chow mein on another."

    The ropa vieja there is my favorite. Perfectly tangy and tomatoey, just a little fatty, sweet peppers and onions that melt in your mouth, all served over yellow rice with beans. Of course there are other versions, but I happen to love this one.

     Ropa Vieja Cuban Beef Stew in white bowl with cilantro cropped closely

    Could I make ropa vieja in the slow cooker?

    I knew I had to figure out how to make the same delicious stew at home, because one day, heaven forbid, I won't live in NY or the restaurant will go the way of so many and shutter.

    Plus who doesn't love a good slow cooker recipe? I make mine in my trusty Hamilton Beach slow cooker. But since the recipe calls for browning the beef before stewing it,I have my eye on this gem. You can sear and slow cook all in one machine! Magical.

    Tara Teaspoon Ropa Vieja slow cooker

    Instant Pot Update:

    I wrote this recipe before Instant Pots existed! Now you can make this recipe right in your multi-cooker because of all the capabilities. You can sauté and then turn the machine to slow cook or pressure cook so the meat gets nice and tender. I have a Breville multi cooker and love it!

    How to make Ropa Vieja or Cuban Beef Stew:

    I pulled out my veggies, a little sofrito for depth of flavor and voila! Behold the make-at-home version of this homey, delicious dish.

    Sofrito is similar to mirepoix in that it mixes onions and veggies, often with tomatoes, and is used as a flavor base for many Latin dishes. Usually loaded with garlic, onions and chili peppers, it adds a bit of spice to each dish.

    Traditional sofrito is made in batches and kept in the fridge. Onions, garlic, tomatoes, peppers and herbs are cooked until very soft. The flavor base is spooned into the pan when making soups, stews and sauces. I bought prepared sofrito for this dish because of the ease and traditional flavor.

    I used flank steak, the traditional beef used for this Cuban stew. It is a tough piece of meat, but once braised, it is easy to shred and delicious.

    1. Sear flake steak in vegetable oil.
    2. Add onion, bell peppers, garlic, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, sofrito, sugar, cumin, oregano, a bay leaf and salt.
    3. Braise or slow cook about 5 hours. Serve with rice and beans.

    Be sure to cook up some yellow rice and beans (my preference is black beans in their sauce, but they offer pinto if you'd like!).

    📖 Recipe

    Ropa Vieja Cuban Beef Stew in white bowl

    Ropa Vieja (Slow Cooker Cuban Braised Beef)

    Tara Teaspoon
    I simplified a classic Cuban stew by using sofrito, a jarred sauce base; look for it in the Latin section of your supermarket.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Work Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 5 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 5 hours hrs 40 minutes mins
    Course Dinner
    Servings 6 Servings

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 1½ lbs flank steak (trimmed of fat, cut into 2 pieces)
    • 1 large yellow onion (sliced ½ inch thick)
    • 1 green bell pepper (sliced ½ inch thick)
    • 1 red bell pepper (sliced ½ inch thick)
    • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
    • 1 can (28 oz) can whole tomatoes
    • 3 tablespoon tomato paste
    • ¼ cup sofrito
    • 1 tablespoon sugar
    • 1½ teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1 bay leaf
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • Chopped cilantro

    Instructions
     

    • Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet, Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add steak and brown well on both sides, about 5 min. Transfer to a 4-quart slow cooker using, with all remaining ingredients except cilantro. Cook until meat is fork-tender, 10 to 12 hr on low or 5 to 6 hr on high for slow cooker or 3 hr at a simmer on the stove.
    • Remove meat; shred and return to stew. Serve with cilantro and rice and beans if desired.

    Notes

    Be sure to cook up some yellow rice and beans to serve with this deliciousness.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 214kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 26gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 374mgPotassium: 614mgFiber: 2gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 861IUVitamin C: 45mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 3mg
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    Tara Teaspoon

    I’ve been in food publishing for over 25 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television, food brands, & advertising. With two cookbooks under my belt and thousands of my recipes at your fingertips, I hope you'll be inspired to spend more time in the kitchen!

    More about Tara

    Recipe by Tara Teaspoon & Susan Vajaranant. Originally published LHJ Ladies' Home Journal 02/10. Photography Lisa Hubbard. Food Styling Simon Andrews. Prop Styling Mary Ellen Weinrib

    Comments

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    1. Mary Bench says

      July 18, 2018 at 1:27 pm

      Who invented the slow cooker? Love that person! This meal is so easy and is ready at the end of the day of slowly developing all these fantastic flavors!

      Reply
      • Tara says

        July 18, 2018 at 3:21 pm

        haha! Isn't that the truth!

        Reply
    2. Rima says

      August 10, 2019 at 12:54 pm

      Can I use bottom round or top round? Flank steak is VERY expensive in this area.

      On a different not, can you darken you font in the reply field? It’s almost invisible.

      Thanks

      Reply
      • Tara says

        August 10, 2019 at 5:28 pm

        Hello! Both bottom round and top round are lean and tough cuts of meat. They will not have the same texture as flank steak but will still taste great. I haven't tested the recipe with either of those cuts, as flank is traditional. Oh I'm sorry! The font in my recipe card is black. I can't make it any darker.

        Reply
    3. LUIS BARRERA says

      June 29, 2021 at 10:50 pm

      What liquid to use? Beef broth, wine? Not very clear on this.

      Reply
      • Tara Teaspoon says

        June 30, 2021 at 3:58 pm

        Hi Luis, there is no extra liquid like water or broth. There is a large can of tomatoes called for in the recipe and that is plenty of liquid. I hope you enjoy it!

        Reply

    Hi, I'm Tara Teaspoon!

    I’ve been sharing my original ideas for years. What began as a passion, turned into a publishing career as Food Editor at Martha Stewart Living and Ladies’ Home Journal magazines.

    Now I write cookbooks, and share delicious recipes and expert cooking tips with you here! Thanks for stopping by Tara Teaspoon!

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