Ropa Vieja (Ropa Vieja Cubana) • Keeping It Simple Blog

Name: Cuban Ropa Vieja
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 280 min
Ingredients: 1 Flank Steak (I get a cut the about the length of my elbow to hand approx. 2 lbs. It shrinks up in the cooking process); 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes; 1 large red pepper; 1 large green pepper; 1 large spanish onion; 2 cloves of garlic; 1 bay leaf; 2 tsp cumin (divided); 1 tsp black peppercorns; 1 tsp kosher salt (plus more to taste); 1/2 tsp fresh black pepper; water (enough to fill a pot 3/4 full.)

Jump to Recipe

Cuban Ropa Vieja is made from shredded beef, peppers, onions, and spices that are cooked for hours until tender and so full of flavor. This ropa vieja recipe produces really tender shredded beef and is perfect for leftovers.

This Cuban ropa vieja recipe is a great dish to make on the weekend when you are home and have time to pop in and check on the dish simmering on the stovetop. I love starting it in the afternoon on Sundays and having the whole house smell amazing from the scent of the meat cooking for hours.

Growing up in South Florida, one of the things that I always knew I could count on with my Cuban friends was knowing that at least once a week there would be this delicious Cuban shredded beef cooking in their home. This is where I learned to make this recipe and I have been making it ever since.

It is so full of flavor and really easy to make.

What is Ropa Vieja

Ropa Vieja (which translates to old clothes in Spanish) is the national dish of Cuba and it consists of shredded meat, peppers, onions and spices that are cooked until tender and so full of flavor. It is traditionally made with flank steak although alternative cuts of meat can also be used.

I have seen many recipes out there that add capers and olives but for me, this is not how I learned to make it. My Cuban friends who made this shredded beef recipe, make it very simple with flank steak, peppers, onions, and spices and with no olives and no capers.

ropa vieja simmering in pan — Ropa vieja simmering after the meat was shredded.

Now, making this recipe is really easy. It just requires some time for the cooking of the meat but you do not need to stand over it.

You can just pop into the kitchen from time to time to check on it.

Ropa Vieja Ingredients

Flank steak. This is the traditional cut of meat used.
Red bell peppers and green bell peppers. The deep notes of the green pepper and the sweetness from the red peppers add so much flavor to the dish.
Yellow Onions. You want to use regular onions, not sweet onions here.
Bay leaf. The bay leaf adds a bit of earthiness to the dish.
Ground Cumin. This is so important because the cumin adds flavor to the sauce.
Diced tomatoes (canned). Diced canned tomatoes are fine. If you prefer dicing fresh tomatoes, you can do that too.
Salt and pepper. I use kosher salt.
Garlic Cloves. Fresh garlic is best for this recipe.

How to make this Cuban Ropa Vieja Recipe

Making ropa vieja is very easy. You just cook the meat and veggies in water for a few hours until the meat is tender and you can easily shred it with two forks.

Here are the steps:

Add flank steak, water, and ½ of your veggies to a large pot of water.
Cook for about 3-4 hours until testing the meat shows it will fall apart easily.
Begin to shred your meat by using 2 forks to create strings with the meat.
Cook peppers and onion: In a large skillet over medium heat, cook up bell peppers and onions.
Add diced tomatoes, spices, and liquid from the pot the meat cooked in along with the shredded meat.
Simmer for about 30 minutes.

Once the meat has fallen apart tender and shredded, you just saute the peppers and onions then add the tomatoes with a little of the cooking liquid from the beef. This makes that delicious ropa vieja sauce!

Recipe Tips

If you are making Cuban ropa vieja, you want to use flank steak which is the traditional cut of meat used in making this dish. The flank steak, while tough at first, will break down with slow cooking and can easily be shredded which is what you want in this recipe.
If you are looking for alternatives to flank steak when making ropa vieja, skirt steak or brisket can also be used and will produce that shreddable beef that you want with ropa vieja. You will need to adjust the cooking times a bit if you do decide to use one of these alternative cuts of beef.

Storing And Reheating

To store leftover ropa vieja, allow the meat to cool down then place the shredded meat and the juices into a container with a lid. You can refrigerate it for up to 3 days.

To reheat the ropa vieja, place the meat and the juices (it will be a bit solidified from refrigeration) into a medium saucepan. Heat on low heat, covered, for about 10-15 minutes or until the meat is heated all the way through. Make sure to stir occasionally and if the meat is drying out, you can add a little bit of water to the pot.

Ropa Vieja Recipe Faqs

What does ropa vieja mean?

Ropa vieja in English means old clothes. Not exactly an exciting name for a food dish but Cubans called it this because this recipe used up inexpensive meat to make this dish

What is the national dish of Cuba?

Ropa vieja is the national dish of Cuba.

What is Cuban Ropa Vieja?

Cuban ropa vieja is a Cuban shredded meat dish made up of shredded flank steak, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, and spices.

What to serve with ropa vieja

There are so many wonderful things to serve with this classic Cuban shredded beef dish. Here are some of our favorites:

More Like This

If you love this recipe, you will also love these other slow-cooked beef recipes:

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Cuban Ropa Vieja

Cuban Ropa Vieja is made from shredded beef, peppers, onions and spices that are cooked for hours until tender and so full of flavor. This ropa vieja recipe produces really tender shredded beef and is perfect for leftovers. Serve it with fluffy basmati rice for the ultimate meal.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Cooking meat until tender4

Total Time4 40

Servings: servings

Author: Melissa Oleary

Ingredients

1 Flank Steak I get a cut the about the length of my elbow to hand approx. 2 lbs. It shrinks up in the cooking process
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 large red pepper
1 large green pepper
1 large spanish onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoon cumin (divided)
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
½ teaspoon fresh black pepper
water enough to fill a pot ¾ full.

Instructions

In a large stock pot (with a lid), add the flank steak and fill with water about ¾ full. If you would prefer to use a slow cooker, see notes above.
1 Flank Steak, water
Next, cut the red and green peppers in half then remove and discard the seeds.
1 large red pepper, 1 large green pepper
Add one of the green pepper and red pepper halves to the stock pot. Reserve the remaining halves of the peppers for later.
Next, cut off about ¼ of the onion and throw that into the stock pot as well. Remember to reserve the remaining peppers and onion for later.
1 large spanish onion
Add the bay leaf, black peppercorns and 1 teaspoon of the cumin to the stock pot and cover.
1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, 2 teaspoon cumin (divided)
Bring to a boil and then reduce to low to keep a steady simmer going but not boiling over. Cook for about 3-4 hours until testing the meat shows it will fall apart easily.
You may need to top off your pot with more water if too much of the cooking liquid evaporates during cooking.
Once the meat is ready (easy to pull apart) take it out of the pot and place it on a plate to rest.
Scoop up 3 cups or so of the water that the meat cooked in and set aside for later (I use my large measuring cup). You can now discard the rest of the water in the stock pot.
After the meat has cooled, begin shredding it by using 2 forks to create strings with the meat.
After that is done, get out the peppers and onion from earlier and thinly slice them along with the garlic.
2 cloves of garlic
With a deep saute pan, saute the peppers, onion and garlic for about 3-4 minutes and add a pinch of salt to get them to release their juices.
Next add the can of diced tomatoes and the remaining 1 teaspoon of cumin and stir together.
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes, 2 teaspoon cumin (divided)
Add the shredded meat to the pan along with about 1 cup of the cooking liquid (or more if needed to surround the meat well with the broth). Mix well so that the meat is sitting in all of the yummy broth.
Let this simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve over a bed of rice that will soak up all of the yummy juices.
1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon fresh black pepper
Enjoy!

Notes

How to make Ropa Vieja In The Slow Cooker

The whole method of making Ropa Vieja is to cook the meat for a long time so you can eventually shred it and then cook it a second time with vegetables and seasoning.

If you would prefer to not have to be home watching a boiling pot of meat, you could definitely add the ropa vieja meat and liquid into a slow cooker. Just set the cooker to high and cook the meat for about 5 hours until the meat is tender and able to be shredded easily.

From there, you just follow the recipe above for shredding the meat and cooking it a second time which takes only about 30 minutes.

Nutrition