Ropa Vieja - Cuban Meat Stew

A Filling Beef Meal

Ropa Vieja is a main course of shredded and braised beef with plenty of healthy, tasty vegetables, like onions, peppers and olives. Our GOYA® Ropa Vieja recipe is sure to satisfy the hungriest of appetites.

Lots of rice adds fluffy texture to a full plate, too. Serve Ropa Vieja with GOYA Frozen Ripe Plantains for a classic Latin pairing.

Serves 6

Prep time: 25 min.

Total time: 3 hrs.

2 tbsp. GOYA® Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 ½ lbs. flank steak, cut in 3”x 4”pieces

GOYA Adobo with Pepper, to taste

2 large yellow onions, finely chopped (about 2½ cups)

1½ green bell peppers, finely chopped (about 1½ cups)

1 jar (6 oz.) GOYA Sofrito

3 tsp. GOYA Minced Garlic or 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 can (8 oz.) GOYA Tomato Sauce

1 packet Sazón GOYA with Coriander and Annatto

1 packet GOYA Powdered Beef Bouillon

¼ tsp. GOYA Ground Black Pepper

1 cup GOYA Spanish Olives Stuffed with Minced Pimientos, sliced

1 jar (2 oz.) GOYA Capers, drained

1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro

2 cups cooked CANILLA Extra Long Grain Rice

1.	Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Season meat with adobo. Add steak to pot and cook in batches, flipping once, until well browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer meat to a plate. Lower heat to medium. Stir in onions and peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add Sofrito and garlic to pot; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2.	Stir in 3 of cups water, tomato sauce, Sazón, beef bouillon and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil. Return beef to pot. Lower heat to medium low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Stir in olives and capers. Cover pot; simmer until meat shreds easily with fork, 1 – 1½ hours, adding more water in ¼ cup measurements, if pot becomes dry.
3.	Transfer meat to work surface; shred meat with two forks. Bring remaining sauce to a boil. Mix meat and cilantro into sauce. Serve with white rice.

Fork-Tender Meat

The key to a successful Ropa Vieja is flank steak. The reason: this type of meat is the perfect candidate for a low, slow cooking process; as the meat slowly cooks in the simmering liquid, the fat and connective tissue melt, and baste the meat from the inside out. The results: fork-tender meat that shreds effortlessly. If flank isn’t available at your market, skirt steak and chuck work great, too.