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This Ropa Vieja recipe is my version of a well-known Cuban dish with shredded beef, tomatoes, peppers, onions, and spices. And when I was researching the recipe I found that many recipes include green olives which was definitely a winner for me, but you can omit those if you prefer!

Pin the Ropa Vieja Recipe to try it later!


Ropa Vieja Recipe shown in serving bowl with side dish and limes.

In April I went on a wonderful trip to Cuba with my friends Cristina and Carol. We traveled with Holbrook Travel, who did an amazing job of organizing everything (and they are not giving me free trips or paying me to mention them!) On the trip I met some lovely people, toured Old Town Havana, learned a lot about the history of relations between the U.S. and Cuba, saw interesting wildlife like the Bee Hummingbird and Red Crabs, visited an amazing all-organic farm and farm-to-table restaurant, and got to ride in the famous old cars!

And of course I enjoyed trying some authentic Cuban food! I had visited Little Havana in Miami several times, and always had delicious food in the restaurants there. It was interesting to compare those memories to the actual food I tried in Cuba, and in general I’d say the authentic Cuban food was more simply prepared and not as strongly-flavored as the Cuban American food I’d had in Miami.

But the famous Cuban dish called Ropa Vieja was one thing I had in Cuba where it seemed like the Cuban restaurants in the U.S. had captured the same flavors I enjoyed when I tried this at two different restaurants in Cuba. Of course this is one of those classic recipes (like beef stew in the U.S.) where every Cuban cook has their own variation of the recipe. But I loved it so much when I got to try this dish in Cuba that I decided to try creating a Ropa Vieja recipe that would be easy to make at home.

I spent a few weeks researching and comparing the recipes I found in cookbooks and on the web, and then Kara and I tried it a few times to get a version of Ropa Vieja that we absolutely loved! We did think the Instant Pot was the perfect method to make the tender shreds of beef that this dish is known for, but I’m also giving you stovetop instructions for people who don’t have an Instant Pot. And this recipe is also very low in carbs for my readers who care about that and has over 50 grams of protein per serving; I hope you enjoy trying it!

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

What does the name Ropa Vieja mean?

The literal translation of ropa vieja is “old clothes” and it refers to the way the beef shreds apart. I’m pretty sure that before I went to Cuba and then researched this recipe I used to call it Ropa Viejo, but the correct spelling is firmly in my mind now!

What other cuts of beef could you use for Ropa Vieja?

This traditional Cuban dish is often made with flank steak, but I prefer using chuck roast which gives shorter shreds of beef. Use whichevr cut of beef you prefer.

How low in carbs is this Ropa Vieja Recipe?

My recipe for Ropa Vieja has only 7 net carbs per serving and over 50 grams of protein!

Do you have to use green olives in Ropa Vieja?

The Ropa Vieja I had in Cuba didn’t have green olives, which are probably expensive and hard to get for the people there. But when researched the recipe it often contained green olives. I’m a green olive fan so I love the extra pop of briny flavor they added, but you can definitely leave them out if you prefer.

What side dishes are served with Ropa Vieja in Cuba?

There’s no doubt that in Cuba this would be served with black beans and white rice, or maybe the famous Cuban dish Moros y Cristianos (Moors and Christians) which combines black beans and rice in a dish where they’re usually cooked together. (I saw lots of recipes for this online but most of them had ingredients like green bell pepper, red bell pepper, or bacon which I don’t remember being in the black beans and rice I had in Cuba.) Most of the Cuban food we had was also served with what we started calling Cuban Salad which is simply thinly sliced cucumbers, thinly sliced tomatoes, and shredded cabbage layered on a plate and the drizzled with oil and vinegar.

Ropa Vieja Recipe collage image of recipe steps.

How to make this Ropa Vieja Recipe:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe made in the Instant Pot; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe. Look after the complete recipe below for stovetop instructions.)

  1. Trim chuck roast and cut into pieces as needed. Combine garlic powder, kosher salt, dried oregano (or Mexican oregano), ground cumin, and black pepper and rub meat with that mixture.
  2. Heat olive oil in large frying pan and brown meat well. (You can brown meat in the Instant Pot if you prefer, but I think meat browns better in a pan and this might need to be browned in two batches in the Instant Pot.) 
  3. Remove meat and deglaze pan with beef broth, scraping off any bits that are stuck to the pan. (Deglaze instant Pot if you used that.)
  4. Arrange meat in Instant Pot, in a single layer. Add beef broth, one cut onion, garlic cloves, and bay leaves.
  5. Lock lid on Instant Pot, make sure pressure valve is closed, and set Instant Pot to MANUAL (PRESSURE COOK), HIGH, 40 MINUTES.
  6. Let pressure release naturally and when all pressure has released, remove meat to a cutting board.
  7. While pressure releases, cut onion, red bell peppers and green pepper into slivers and cut green olives into slices.
  8. After you remove meat, add those ingredients to liquid in Instant Pot with petite diced tomatoes and tomato paste. 
  9. Set Instant Pot to SAUTE, HIGH HEAT, and let peppers, onions, and olives cook until peppers are starting to soften and liquid has slightly reduced. 
  10. As soon as meat has cooled enough to handle, shred meat apart with two forks.
  11. When peppers are softened and liquid has reduced slightly, reduce heat to MEDIUM and add shredded beef and lime juice into Instant Pot. Cook a few minutes longer, until meat is hot.
  12. Taste, then season as needed with salt and fresh ground black pepper.
  13. Serve hot, with cut limes to squeeze on at the table if desired.
  14. Scroll down to complete recipe to see stovetop instructions if you prefer that method.

Ropa Vieja Recipe close-up of Ropa Vieja in bowl with side dishes.

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

If you’re watching your carbs, you probably don’t want to eat black beans and rice with your Ropa Vieja! When Kara and I tested the recipe we thought it was absolutely delicious over Pureed Cauliflower, which is what you see in these photos. I think it would also be great with Easy Cauliflower Rice, Pesto Spaghetti Squash, or Roasted Turnips. And when my sister Sandee and my niece Jennica got to try this at my house, they both thought it would be great served in low-carb tortillas.

More Ropa Vieja from Around the Web:

Ropa Vieja Recipe close-up of Ropa Vieja in bowl with side dishes.
Yield: 8 servings

Ropa Vieja Recipe (Instant Pot or Stovetop)

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Additional Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

After I was lucky enough to travel to Cuba, I became obsessed with the idea of making Ropa Vieja at home. After much research and experimenting Kara and I created this Ropa Vieja Recipe that we thought was absolutely delicious, and you can make it in the Instant Pot or on the Stove.

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs. chuck shoulder roast
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. Kosher salt
  • 2 tsp. dried oregano (or Mexican oregano)
  • 1 T ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
  • 1 T olive oil
  • one 14 oz. can low sodium beef broth
  • 2 small onions
  • 3 garlic cloves (or more)
  • 3 large bay leaves
  • 2 red bell peppers
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • one 14.5 oz. can petite dice tomatoes, drained
  • 2 T tomato paste
  • 1 cup green olives, sliced
  • 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice (more or less to taste)
  • salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
  • fresh lime pieces for serving, optional

Instructions

  1. Trim the chuck roast, cut into pieces as needed.
  2. Combine garlic powder, kosher salt, dried oregano (or Mexican oregano), ground cumin, and coarse ground black pepper and rub each piece of meat on both sides with that spice mixture.
  3. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in large frying pan over medium-high heat and brown meat well, about 3 minutes on each side.
  4. (You can also brown meat in the Instant Pot if you prefer, although I think meat browns better in a pan on the stove and this much meat might need to be browned in two batches if you use the Instant Pot.) 
  5. Remove meat and deglaze pan with low sodium beef broth, scraping off any bits of meat or browned bits that are stuck to the pan. (Remove meat and deglaze instant Pot if you used that.)
  6. Arrange browned meat in Instant Pot, in a single layer if possible.
  7. Add the beef broth, one onion cut into quarters, garlic cloves, and bay leaves.
  8. Lock lid on the Instant Pot, make sure pressure valve is closed, and set Instant Pot to MANUAL (PRESSURE COOK), HIGH, 40 MINUTES.
  9. Let Instant Pot release pressure naturally and when all pressure has released, remove meat to a cutting board.
  10. While the pressure releases, cut the other onion, red bell peppers and green pepper into slivers and cut green olives into slices.
  11. After you remove meat, add those ingredients to the liquid in the Instant Pot with drained petite diced tomatoes and tomato paste.
  12. Set Instant Pot to SAUTE, HIGH HEAT, and let peppers, onions, and olives cook uncovered until peppers are starting to soften and liquid has slightly reduced. (This will be at a slight boil to reduce the liquid but if it seems to be boiling too much you can turn down to medium.)
  13. As soon as meat has cooled enough to handle, shred meat apart with two forks.
  14. When peppers are as soft as you prefer and liquid has reduced slightly, about 10-15 minutes, reduce heat to MEDIUM and add shredded beef and lime juice back into Instant Pot.  Cook a few minutes longer, until meat is hot..
  15. Remove bay leaves and discard, Taste and then season with additional salt and fresh ground black pepper if desired.
  16. Serve hot, with fresh lime to squeeze on at the table if desired.

STOVETOP INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Trim meat and rub with spices as above.
  2. Heat 1 T olive oil over medium-high heat in large heavy dutch oven (big enough to fit the meat in one layer if possible.) Brown meat well on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.
  3. When meat is brown add the beef broth, one onion cut into quarters, garlic cloves, and bay leaves.
  4. Cover the pan and cook at a very low simmer until meat is tender and will shred apart easily, about 2 hours. Remove meat to a cutting board.
  5. While meat cooks, cut the other onion, red bell peppers, and green pepper into slivers and cut green olives into slices.
  6. Add those ingredients to liquid in the dutch oven with drained petite dice tomatoes and tomato paste,
  7. Turn heat to medium-low and let the mixture cook uncovered at a low boil to soften the vegetable and slightly reduce the liquid.
  8. As soon as meat has cooled enough to handle, shred meat apart with two forks.
  9. When peppers are as soft as you prefer and liquid has reduced slightly, about 10-15 minutes, turn heat to low and add the shredded beef and lime juice to the dutch oven.
  10. Cook until meat is hot, about 5 minutes more.
  11. Remove bay leaves and discard, Taste and then season with additional salt and fresh ground black pepper if desired.
  12. Serve hot, with fresh lime to squeeze on at the table if desired.

    Notes

    This Cuban favorite is traditionally served with black beans and rice if you don't care about the carbs!

    This Ropa Vieja Recipe was created by Kalyn and Kara after much research in cookbooks and on the web, and after Kalyn had loved Ropa Vieja when she tried it in Miami's Little Havana and then in Cuba!

    Nutrition Information

    Yield

    8

    Serving Size

    1
    Amount Per Serving Calories 416Total Fat 18gSaturated Fat 6gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 168mgSodium 889mgCarbohydrates 9gFiber 2gSugar 3gProtein 57g

    Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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    © All images and text ©Kalyn Denny for Kalyn's Kitchen.
    Category: Instant Pot

    Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
    Everything in this Ropa Vieja recipe is perfect for low-carb or Keto diet plans. If you use well-trimmed beef this recipe would be suitable for the original South Beach Diet as well.

    Find More Recipes Like This One:
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    Square image of Ropa Vieja shown in serving bowl with limes and side dish.

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