Ropa Vieja

Ropa Vieja is a popular Cuban dish with tender, slow-cooked shredded beef, onions, bell pepper, olives, and capers in a rich tomato-based sauce that is loaded with flavor. Enjoy this tasty dish over long-grain white rice with Cuban black beans and fried plantains.

Known as Cuba’s national dish, this tasty stew has been around for over 500 years. Its Spanish name translates to old clothes, as legend has it that a poor man tore his clothes into shreds and tried to cook them because he did not have money for food.

This dish is traditionally made with flank steak, but I prefer to make it with chuck steak, which cooks up far more tender. Chuck has more fat and flavor; when it is slow-cooked, it melts in your mouth. If you like flavor-packed recipes cooked with chuck roast, try chile colorado, beef birria, and Texas chile.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.

• Chuck roast: You can make this recipe with flank steak, but it may require a longer simmering time to tenderize. This is why I recommend you go with a chuck roast.
• Bell peppers: Any colored bell pepper works with this recipe, but the red and orange bell peppers are sweeter.
• Paprika: I like a balance of smoked and sweet paprika, but you could use all of one or the other.
• Dry white wine: Use a dry white wine like a pinot grigio or a sauvignon blanc. Make sure the quality is decent enough that you would enjoy a glass.
• Stock or broth: You can use beef stock, chicken stock, or low-sodium beef or chicken broth.
• Manzilla olives: Most pimento-stuffed green olives are manzilla olives.
• Capers: They are the unripened flower buds of the caper plant. They add a salty tartness that complements the dish. I can usually find them in the same aisle as the olives.
• Pimentos: diced and jarred. They are usually in the same aisle as the pickles at the grocery store.

How to make Ropa Vieja

This is the summary version; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, see the recipe card below.

First, trim any large sections of fat from the chuck roast. Small amounts of fat are fine to leave as they lend flavor and tenderness to the meat. In this particular chuck roast, I cut out that large area of fat in the center.

Then heat a little vegetable oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Generously salt and pepper the roast on both sides. Then brown the roast on both sides and remove it to a plate. If needed, work in batches. Add a little more vegetable oil to the skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and peppers and cook until the onions are slightly browned on the edges and soft. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, dried oregano, and allspice. Cook for 1 minute while stirring continuously.

Add the wine and bring it to a boil while scraping to deglaze the bottom. Add the chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, carrot, celery, and bay leaves. Then add the beef back to the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 2 1/2-3 hours or until fork tender.

Remove the beef from the pot and use two forks to shred the beef, removing any cartilage or large amounts of fat. Remove the carrot, celery, and bay leaves and discard. Add the beef back to the pot over medium-low heat. Stir in the olives, pimentos, and capers and cook over low heat until heated through. Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro or parsley.

Preparation Tips and Storage

• If using a Dutch oven, instead of simmering, place the covered dish in the oven at 350 degrees for about 2 1/2 hours. This works even better than simmering on the stovetop, which is the advantage of a Dutch oven.
• Remove the carrot, celery, and bay leaves and discard.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave at reduced power or on the stovetop on low.
• To freeze, first cool completely. Then place in airtight containers in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.

Serving Suggestions for Ropa Vieja

For a traditional meal, serve with white rice and Cuban black beans. Or try Mexican rice or cilantro lime rice. For dessert, try some fried plantains.

More Chuck Roast Recipes

Chili con Carne

Instant Pot Beef Stew

Beef Ragu

Italian Beef Sandwiches

Mississippi Pot Roast

Beef Ragu

Ropa Vieja Recipe

This flavor-packed Ropa Vieja combines tender, slow-cooked melt-in your mouth chuck roast with onions, bell peppers, garlic, green olives, pimentos, and capers into a tasty tomato sauce seasoned with paprika and cumin.

5 from 17 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: main meal beef

Cuisine: Cuban

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 3 hours hours 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 397kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

• 3 lbs chuck roast
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large yellow onion thinly sliced
• 3 bell peppers seeded and thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chicken stock or low sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 carrot halved
• 1 rib celery halved
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup pimento stuffed manzilla green olives, drained
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• 1 (4-ounce) jar pimentos, drained
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro

Instructions

• Trim any large sections of fat from the chuck roast. Salt and pepper both sides of the roast.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the roast on both sides and remove it to a plate.
• If necessary, add a little more vegetable oil to the skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and peppers and cook until the onions are slightly browned on the edges and soft.
• Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, dried oregano, and allspice. Cook for 1 minute while stirring continuously.
• Add the wine and bring it to a boil while scraping to deglaze the bottom. Add the chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, carrot, celery, and bay leaves. Add the beef back to the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 2 1/2-3 hours or until fork tender.
• Remove the beef from the pot and use two forks to shred the beef removing any cartilage or large amounts of fat.
• Remove the carrot, celery, and bay leaves and discard. Add the beef back to the pot over medium-low heat.
• Add the olives, pimentos, and capers and cook over low heat until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro or parsley.

Notes

• If using a Dutch oven, instead of simmering, place the covered dish in the oven at 350 degrees for about 2 1/2 hours. This works even better than simmering on the stovetop, which is the advantage of a Dutch oven.
• Remove the carrot, celery, and bay leaves and discard.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave at reduced power or on the stovetop on low.
• To freeze, first cool completely. Then place in airtight containers in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.

Nutrition

Calories: 397kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 286mg | Potassium: 880mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 3714IU | Vitamin C: 86mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 5mg

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