Mexican Ropa Vieja Recipe

Mexican ropa vieja is a classic Cuban dish with delicious Mexican flavors. This traditional recipe includes skirt steak, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, and Mexican oregano cooked in a beef broth. It's an easy meal with big flavor! You can serve it over rice or on its own as a hearty soup.

Ropa Vieja (which translates to “old clothes”) is a dish that is popular in Cuba, and many Latin American countries, obviously including Mexico. We have our own versions that change from one region to another.

Some Mexican cooks add hot peppers and other sweet peppers. Many housewives like to prepare this dish when they have leftover meat and vegetables from a Sunday roast or a beef soup like the popular Caldo de Res.

The other day I cooked some flank steak in a skillet and it came out too hard to chew, and no one at the table wanted to eat it. Instead of throwing it away, my husband said: why don’t you make some ropa vieja?

So, the fate of that hard-to-chew meat was decided, and I cooked the meat overnight in the crock-pot to have it ready for dinner the next day.

My husband loves soups and stews, and that flank steak gave me the opportunity to cook one of his favorite dishes. He likes when I add olives and capers to the stew, but since I’m still in the process of stocking the pantry in my new place, I realized that I didn’t have olives, but it is now on my list for my next grocery store trip.

I hope you enjoy this dish and make it your own!

Frequently Asked Questions About Ropa Vieja Recipe

Before I share my shredded beef recipe, here are a few questions I’ve been asked about homemade ropa vieja.

What is the best type of meat for ropa vieja?

The best part about this recipe is that you can use whatever type of leftover meat that you have. Some people like to make it with brisket, others use leftover steak. I used flank steak and that's actually really popular meat to use in the stew.

Can you make ropa vieja in the slow cooker?

Yes, you can make this in the slow cooker. Just place all the ingredients in the slow cooker and let it cook on low for about 6-8 hours.

How do you make ropa vieja without tomatoes?

If you don't have tomatoes or don't like how they taste, you can just leave them out. I used a beef broth that tastes delicious with it, even without tomatoes.

How do you store leftover ropa vieja?

The best way to store leftover stew is in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh for up to 5 days.

Savory Ropa Vieja

Here is a list of ingredients you will need to make this dish…

• Steak
• White Onion
• Garlic Cloves
• Bay Leaf
• Tomatoes
• Vegetable Oil
• Potatoes
• Beef Borth
• Dried Mexican Oregano
• Ground Cumin
• Pickled Jalapeño Peppers
• Jalapeño Peppers Vinegar

Please note: For exact measurements of the ingredients listed above, scroll down to the recipe card located at the bottom of this post!

JUMP TO FULL INSTRUCTIONS

How To Make Mexican Ropa Vieja Recipe: Step By Step Tutorial

To make things easier for you, I am going to break down the directions to this recipe into sections.

Cook The Meat

• Place the cubed meat, onion, garlic, and bay leaf in a large stockpot, cover the meat with water, and place over high heat for some minutes until the water starts boiling.
• Then, reduce heat, place the pot lid, and simmer for 2 to 3 hours until meat is tender enough to shred.

Note: You can cook overnight using a crock-pot on the low setting for 8 hours or cook in a pressure cooker for 45 minutes.

• Once the meat is cooked, remove it from the pot and let it cool until you can handle it.
• Shred and set aside. Reserve at least one cup of the cooking broth to use with the stew.

Prepare The Tomato Broth

• Place tomatoes and garlic cloves in a saucepan, and cover with water. Place over a high heat to cook, and when water starts boiling reduce heat to medium-low and place lid on the saucepan.
• Cook until tomatoes are tender and skins are peeling. This step will take about 15 minutes total cooking time. Set aside to slightly cool.

Cook The Vegetables

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the sliced onion and cook for one minute.
• Add the diced potatoes and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to keep them from sticking to the pan.
• While the potatoes are cooking and once tomatoes have cooled a little, remove skins and place them into a blender with the garlic cloves. Process until you have a very smooth sauce. No need to add water here.

Cook The Ropa Vieja Together

• Pour the tomato sauce, one cup of beef broth, and bay leaf over the onion slices and potatoes.
• Stir and keep cooking for another 5 minutes, reduce heat and add the shredded meat. Keep cooking for about 8 to 10 more minutes. Check the potatoes for doneness, making sure they don’t overcook and still keep their shape.
• Stir in the oregano and cumin, jalapeño slices, and the vinegar (if using).
• Season with salt and pepper.

Note: The stew will be ready when the potatoes are cooked and all the flavors have blended.

What To Serve With Ropa Vieja

This stew is a very filling meal, so all you need are some light Mexican side dishes to go along with it. I like how the flavors in my fresh corn salad taste when you serve it with this stew.

I also love serving it with some Moros y Cristianos - black beans and rice. Easy red rice is another very popular recipe to make with a hearty soup.

More Authentic Mexican Recipes To Enjoy

If you enjoyed this recipe for ropa vieja, take a look at some of these other authentic Mexican recipes:

• Shredded Beef for Tacos
• Beef Tongue in Salsa Verde
• Red Wine Beef Stew
• Shredded Beef Quesadillas
• Beef In Tomato Sauce and Swiss Chard

I hope you make this ropa vieja recipe! If this recipe was of any help to you, come back to let me know your experience. Please leave us a comment done below and tell us all about it!

¡Buen provecho!

Mely

Mexican ropa vieja

Mely Martínez

Mexican Ropa Vieja is a dish that is popular in Cuba, and many Latin American countries, obviously including Mexico. We have our own versions that change from one region to another.  This stew consists of shredded beef cooked with vegetables in a tomato broth.

4.34 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 50 mins

Total Time 1 hr 5 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 6

Calories 290 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

TO COOK THE MEAT:

• ▢ 1 ½ Lb. skirt steak flank steak or rump roast, cut into
• ▢ large cubes
• ▢ ⅓ medium size white onion
• ▢ 4 large garlic cloves
• ▢ 1 bay leaf
• ▢ Water to cover the meat

FOR THE STEW:

• ▢ 3 Large tomatoes about 1 ½ lb.
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• ▢ ¾ white onion sliced
• ▢ 2 medium size potatoes cut into bite-size cubes (about 2
• ▢ cups)
• ▢ 1 Bay leaf
• ▢ 1 cup of beef broth where you cook the meat
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• ▢ ⅓ teaspoon freshly ground cumin
• ▢ 2 pickled jalapeño peppers sliced (See note)
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon of the jalapeño peppers vinegar
• ▢ Salt and pepper to season

Instructions

 

TO COOK THE MEAT

• Place the cubed meat, onion, garlic, and bay leaf in a large stockpot, cover the meat with water, and place over high heat for some minutes until water starts boiling. Then, reduce heat, place the pot lid and simmer for 2 to 3 hours until meat is tender enough to shred. You can cook overnight using a crock-pot on the low setting for 8 hours or cook in a pressure cooker for 45 minutes.
• Once the meat is cooked, remove from the pot and let it cool until you can handle it. Shred and set aside. Reserve at least one cup of the cooking broth to use with the stew.

TO PREPARE THE STEW

• Place tomatoes and garlic cloves in a saucepan, and cover with water. Place over a high heat to cook, and when water starts boiling reduce heat to medium-low and place lid on the saucepan. Cook until tomatoes are tender and skins are peeling. This step will take about 15 minutes total cooking time. Set aside to slightly cool.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the sliced onion and cook for one minute. Add the diced potatoes and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to keep them from sticking to the pan.
• While the potatoes are cooking and once tomatoes have cooled a little, remove skins and place into a blender with the garlic cloves. Process until you have a very smooth sauce. No need to add water here.
• Pour the tomato sauce, one cup of beef broth, and bay leaf over the onion slices and potatoes. Stir and keep cooking for another 5 minutes, reduce heat and add the shredded meat. Keep cooking for about 8 to 10 more minutes. Check the potatoes for doneness, making sure they don’t overcook and still keep their shape. Stir in the oregano and cumin, jalapeño slices and the vinegar (if using). Season with salt and pepper.
• The stew will be ready when the potatoes are cooked and all the flavors have blended. Serve with rice and corn tortillas.

Enjoy.

Notes

• As with any recipe, some people prefer their dishes with more herbs or spices added. Adjust the addition of oregano and cumin to your own liking.
• You can omit the addition of the jalapenos in this dish, or you can add more or use fresh jalapeños instead.
• Sometimes, I add sliced pimiento-stuffed olives and a teaspoon of chopped capers to the dish, my husband likes it that way.

Nutrition

Calories: 290kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 27gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 71mgSodium: 241mgPotassium: 859mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 520IUVitamin C: 16.9mgCalcium: 31mgIron: 2.8mg

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