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Ropa vieja served Cuban style
Tender shredded beef simmered in a rich tomato and pepper sauce with green olives

Ropa vieja (Cuban shredded beef stew)

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Main Courses
The name literally means 'old clothes', referring to the meat's appearance: beef cooked until falling apart and shredded into strands, mixed with colourful strips of peppers, truly resembling rags – but tasting royal. This is Cuba's national dish, a rich, tomatoey, peppery ragu where the meat absorbs all the flavours of the sofrito (onion-pepper-garlic base) during slow cooking.
🕒 Prep Time 30 mins
🍳 Cook Time 3 hrs
⌛ Total Time 3 hrs 30 mins
🍽️ Servings 4 servings
🔥 Calories 650 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Caribbean

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Large pot or pressure cooker (for cooking meat)
  • Large frying pan (for the ragu)
  • Two forks (for shredding)

Instructions

1 ✓

Place the meat in a pot and cover with water. Add salt and half an onion (extra to the ingredients list). Simmer on very low heat for 2-3 hours until the meat almost falls apart.

Tip: Tough muscle fibres need time to tenderise.
2 ✓

When the meat is ready, remove it, rest briefly, then shred into thin strands using two forks. Reserve the cooking liquor.

Tip: It's easier to shred the meat whilst warm.
3 ✓

Heat olive oil in a pan. Sauté the sliced onion and pepper strips until soft (approx. 8-10 mins). Add the crushed garlic, cumin and paprika, and fry for 1 minute.

Tip: This vegetable base (sofrito) provides the sweet and spicy backbone of the dish.
4 ✓

Stir in the tomato purée and chopped tomatoes. Pour in the stock (or meat cooking liquor) and add the bay leaves. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Tip: The acidity of the tomatoes helps balance the richness of the meat.
5 ✓

Fold in the shredded beef and olives. Simmer together for another 15-20 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the meat strands.

Tip: The salty, tangy flavour of the olives is essential for the Cuban character.

Recipe FAQ

Can I use a pressure cooker?
Yes! In a pressure cooker, the cooking time reduces from 2-3 hours to about 45-60 minutes.
Which cut of meat should I buy?
Beef shoulder, chuck or flank are best, as these are fattier, tougher cuts that become juicy with slow cooking.

Ingredients

  • 800 g Beef (shoulder or chuck)
  • 1 whole Onion
  • 1 whole Red pepper
  • 1 whole Green pepper
  • 4 cloves Garlic
  • 100 g Tomato purée
  • 400 g Chopped tomatoes (tinned)
  • 300 ml Beef stock (or the meat cooking liquor)
  • 30 ml Olive oil
  • 50 g Green olives (pitted)
  • 2 leaves Bay leaves
  • 1 tsp Ground cumin
  • 1 tsp Smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 0.5 tsp Ground black pepper