Ropa Vieja

Ropa Vieja is a zesty and delicious dish of beef with peppers, braised in a rich tomato-based sauce.

What is Ropa Vieja?

Ropa Vieja is a zesty and incredibly flavorful dish made with beef and red peppers – all braised for hours in a rich tomato-based sauce. Once tender, the beef is shredded with a fork for serving.

The Spanish name “ropa vieja” translates to “old clothes” – a nod to the long shreds of beef in this delicious dish.

One of the National Dishes of Cuba

This dish is so good – and so popular – it’s considered one of the national dishes of Cuba!

The beef is super tender, and there is extra richness and flavor in the sauce from roasted red peppers, plus a gentle heat from jarred pimento peppers. Anchovies and green olives give the finished dish a briny, zesty flavor that wonderfully complements the rich, beefy tomato sauce.

• The beef is braised low and slow in the oven until super tender and falling apart.
• The flavors are just simply incredible with the beefy tomato sauce and peppers, both enhanced by spices and briny olives.
• It’s a delicious option for any gathering – dinner parties, game day, or anytime you want a hearty and filling meal.

• Beef – Ropa Vieja is traditionally made with flank steak – a flavorful but tough cut of beef. (Don’t worry, the long cooking process makes it tender enough to eat.) A skirt steak can also be used, but it will take even longer to cook to a tender state. Many Ropa Vieja recipes online make this dish with brisket – and that certainly can be used as an alternative – but to keep with true Cuban tradition, flank steak should be used.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Spanish Onion
• Anchovy Paste or Two Anchovy Fillets – Don’t be tempted to leave this out. It adds an intense, salty flavor but you won’t taste anything fishy.
• Fresh Garlic
• Seasonings – Salt and pepper, dry cumin, dry oregano, bay leaves
• Tomatoes – Canned tomatoes (ground, crushed, or “kitchen-ready”)
• Beef Stock – Make your own or buy canned or boxed stock
• Peppers – You’ll use both jarred roasted red peppers and diced, jarred pimento peppers. (If you can find fresh pimento or cherry peppers at your local market – use those instead of the jarred pimentos. Char them over an open flame to remove skin and discard seeds and stem.)
• Fresh Parsley

1. Preheat oven.
2. Season, then sear meat in the pan until browned. To avoid overcrowding while you sear the meat, you will need to do this in batches. Set cooked beef aside on a platter.
3. Add onions to the pan and saute until softened.
4. Add seasonings, the tomatoes and beef stock. Bring to a low boil.
5. Add seared beef back to the pot.
6. Cover the pot and oven roast for 3 1/2 hours, turning meat halfway through the roasting time.
7. Remove meat and other solids to a platter. Shred the beef with two forks.
8. Simmer the remaining liquid to reduce.
9. Remove bay leaves from liquid. Add in olives, pimento peppers, roasted red peppers, and fresh parsley.
10. Stir the meat back into the pan. Heat through as needed before serving.

• Can I make Ropa Vieja with other cuts of beef? As mentioned above, some recipes call for skirt steak or brisket, but we feel that flank steak yields the best results. You can braise other cuts of beef in the sauce, and while still very delicious, it won’t be Ropa Vieja.
• Can I cook this recipe ahead of time? Yes, this dish reheats nicely.
• How do I reheat leftover Ropa Vieja? You can place the entire baking pan back in the oven to heat through for serving. Or, microwave individual portions.
• Can I make this recipe in a slow cooker? We haven’t tried doing so ourselves, but we have seen other recipes online using a slow cooker. We suspect the cooking time in a slow cooker would be much longer, and the sauce flavors may not develop in the same way as it does when braising this dish in the oven.

This Ropa Vieja recipe originally appeared on A Family Feast in 2017. We’ve updated the post but the delicious recipe remains the same.

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