Carne con papas is a Beef stew with potatoes very popular in Latin countries, usually served with rice. A meal that the whole family loves. A foolproof all-time favorite!
Carne con Papas: un platillo económico
Carne con Papas ( Beef and potatoes stew) is another recipe that reminds me of my mother. As all of us know, when you are raising a large family you have to be really creative to feed them. The uncertainty in the economy makes this task sometimes challenging. But my mom always managed to use simple ingredients to prepare savory meals without spending a lot of money.
Some of the easy and low-cost meals with potatoes that my mom cooked often were Picadillo, ground beef with potatoes, Cubed meat with salsa verde, Carne Guisada, Beef with Chile Colorado, Ropa Vieja, Caldo de Res. Some of those dishes used cuts of meats that are affordable like Round Steak, but she used the Pressure cooker to cook that type of meat. Slow cookers or Instant Pot were not invented yet.
This is an easy way to better manage our money at home. She used to add potatoes, carrots, zucchini or chayotes to the meals to take as much advantage of the flavor of the protein of the day, either chicken or beef. Going out to eat was out of the question, just imagine going out for dinner with 8 children!
Yes, those were the good old days of large families! This is a very low cost and popular meal for many families in the region where I grew up, and as I always mention, it changes from household to household.
My mother makes this dish of Carne con papas using only tomatoes, but maybe her next-door neighbor adds a little bit of guajillo or ancho peppers to the mix. We call it Carne con papas, or beef with potatoes. Made with some of the most economical cuts of meat, adding potatoes and tomatoes. A really inexpensive, comforting and delicious meal for your family.
Carne con papas is an everyday type of meal in Latin Countries
I really don't know how my parents managed to raise a large family like ours, some of us went to private schools and others to public schools. In Mexico, from middle school to college, you need to buy your own books, and everyone wears a school uniform, which you have to pay for, even at the high school level. There is not such a thing as “school lunches”; no, you bring your own lunch from home.
Today’s families are smaller, but still, they struggle to make ends meet. I personally believe that we should educate ourselves and our children about money management, not just at school but at home too. Well. you can here to find this delicious recipe for Carne con papas, I just wanted to add my little grain of rice about home economics in the mix. I hope you enjoy the recipe.
How to make Carne con Papas Recipe
DIRECTIONS:
- Season beef with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet or casserole over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add meat cubes and cook until browned on all sides. About 10 minutes. (Please check the ingredients list below)
- While the meat is cooking, place in your blender the tomatoes, onion, garlic and a cup of chicken broth. Puree until you have a smooth sauce.
- Stir in this sauce into the skillet with the meat using a strainer or sieve. Bring it to simmering and cook covered for about 20 minutes. Add more broth if needed.
- Stir in potatoes and serrano peppers; cook until meat and potatoes are tender. Stirring halfway through cooking.
- Just before serving your Carne con papas, add the chopped cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm with rice or warm corn tortillas.
¡Buen provecho!
Mely,
The Mexican Version for Carne con papas is very similar to the Cuban, Venezuelan, Philipino or Puerto Rican recipes. And, I guess countries like Honduras, Colombia and El Salvador, have their own version.
Leave a comment and share your experience with the recipe.
If you are on Pinterest, check our boards with hundreds of delicious ideas I'm pinning for you! Or if you are on Instagram, check out the meals pictures or stories ideas.
More recipes:
Beef Tostadas: a Comfort Food
Ground beef and Potatoes
📖 Recipe
Carne con papas
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Pound Beef Chuck roast trimmed and cut into 1 ½-inch cubes
- Salt and pepper
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 large tomatoes chopped (About 4 cups when chopped)
- 1 cup of chicken broth*
- ½ cup white onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- 2 large potatoes cubed
- 2 serrano peppers**
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- Salt and Pepper to season
Instructions
- Season beef with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet or casserole over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add meat cubes and cook until browned on all sides. About 10 minutes.
- While the meat is cooking, place in your blender the tomatoes, onion, garlic and a cup of chicken broth. Puree until you have a smooth sauce.
- Stir in this sauce into the skillet with the meat using a strainer or sieve. Bring it to simmering and cook covered for about 20 minutes. Add more broth if needed.
- Stir in potatoes and serrano peppers; cook until meat and potatoes are tender. Stirring halfway through cooking.
- Just before serving, add the chopped cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm with rice or warm corn tortillas.
Notes
- If you don’t have Chicken broth, substitute with 1 cup of water and 2 teaspoons of chicken bullion.
- The pepper can also be blended into the sauce if you prefer to have the dish a little spicy.
- You can use other herbs like oregano, Bay leaves or thyme instead of cilantro to season this meal.
Diego
It came out super watery idk what to do or where I went wrong
Mely Martínez
Hello Diego,
Some types of tomatoes are very juicy.
Joyce
I have always wanted to make this whenever I see someone order from a restaurant. Your recipe has finally allowed me to make it for my family.
Thank you for sharing your family's food traditions.
By the way, the Charro Bean Soup was absolutely delicious.
Going to be trying another dish.
Cynthia Gonzales
This was a huge hit in my home. Thank you so much for sharing. Going to pass along to my little sister to try.
Mely Martínez
Hello Cynthia,
Thank you for trying the Carne con papas recipe. I'm so glad to know you like it.
Suresh
I use this as a base. i didn't I also used a can of chipotle sauce instead of the serrano peppers. I used beef broth instead of chicken.
Juan del Coño
So your mom cooked you Cuban and Puerto Rican food?
Nelsis
Can you make this in the crockpot?
Mely Martínez
Hello Nelsis,
If you don't add the potatoes, you can.
Miriam
Mely,
I’ve made this so many times and it always comes out so good. I always make a really big batch so we can have left overs. It always takes me back to my mom’s kitchen. I made it last night and my eight year old daughter asked me to make this for her birthday which isn’t for another 7 months!
Mely Martínez
Hello Miriam,
Wow! That is so cute! I'm so glad to know your family is enjoying it with your personal touch.
Rachael
Just made this recipe and it turned out so good!! I also made some white rice on the side:) The one thing I did before cooking the beef, was marinating it in a bowl with 3 tablespoons of white vinegar to make sure it wasn't chewy or tough after cooking. Then I followed the recipe as listed. The meat turned out perfectly tender and my family loved the dish! Thanks!
Brenda
Gracias. I just made it and our dinner was delicious. Husband was really pleased.
Cynthia
Made this last night and it turned out so well my boyfriend loved it and! We are going to use the left overs to make fried tacos :). Thank you for the recipe!
Mely Martínez
Hi Cynthia,
Carne con papas leftovers are great for tacos! YUM!
Laura Rojano
It was so good! Reminded me of home. I actually made it in my pressure cooker and it was perfect!
Carissa
You think you could give us a receipe you grew up with on rice so that we could add it to this delicious recipe...
I would really lile to make your rice with this too.
mmartinez
Hello Carissa,
Sure we use this recipe at home for rice: https://www.mexicoinmykitchen.com/mexican-rice-recipe-authentic/