Are you wanting to try something new in your Slow Cooker? Look no further; this Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja is a unique but delicious meal to try!
Shredded beef is wonderful in the slow cooker! In addition to this recipe, also try Amish Pot Roast or Mexican Shredded Beef.
The moment I saw this meal, I knew I must try it in the slow cooker. Shredded beef recipes in the slow cooker are where I shine, LOL.
Why is it called Ropa Vieja?
If you have never heard of Ropa Vieja, it’s a Cuban national dish that means old clothes; I’m guessing because the meat looks like really old shredded clothes?
Not a great name for a recipe, I know! Let’s move past that strange name and see what delicious ingredients create this beautiful dish.
This recipe is not spicy, but still full of great flavors. The sauce has diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, apple cider vinegar, turmeric, cumin, oregano, garlic, bell pepper, onion and green olives.
I wasn’t sure if the green olives would overpower this dish, they did not at all. The olives added a bit more vinegar flavor which lends to the overall character of the sauce.
How to make:
Ingredients:
- Beef flank steak
- Beef broth
- Canned tomato paste
- Canned diced tomatoes
- Salt and pepper
- Oregano
- Cumin
- Tumeric
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Bell peppers
- Spanish Olives
- Garlic cloves
Directions:
- Add the beef broth, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, turmeric, and apple cider vinegar to the slow cooker and stir. Add the flank steak and flip it around in that sauce.
- Add on top of the meat the onion, bell peppers, olives, and garlic cloves.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 9 hours or high for 5 hours.
What to serve with Ropa Vieja:
- Yellow rice; homemade or store-bought
- Green salad and dressing
- Cuban black beans
I was on the hunt for yellow rice to serve with this, since I was in no mood to make it from scratch. Let me tell you that Yellow Rice from Mahatma below is impressive. It tastes like chicken, but the flavor is from saffron and turmeric. I highly recommend trying this and get two bags because they are tiny.
Want pork instead of beef?
Try my Slow Cooker Cuban Pork recipe, it has a citrus-based sauce and is just as good as this Ropa Vieja.
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Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja (Cuban Beef)
Equipment Needed:
- Slow Cooker Size: 4 quart or larger
Ingredients:
- 3 lbs. beef flank steak
- 1 cup beef broth
- 6 oz. can tomato paste
- 14 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. oregano
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric
- 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 small white onion diced
- 2 bell peppers (orange and green) diced
- 1 cup Spanish olives
- 3 whole garlic cloves peeled
Instructions:
- Add the beef broth, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, turmeric and apple cider vinegar to the slow cooker. Stir.
- Add the flank steak and flip it around in the sauce so it gets coated. Add the bell pepper, onion, olives and garlic cloves, mix those items together to combine on top of the meat.
- Cover and cook on low for 9 hours on LOW or on HIGH for 5 hours, without opening the lid during the cooking time. Shred the meat with 2 forks right in the slow cooker.
- Serve with yellow rice and enjoy!
Growing up in Mexico we made another Mexican version of Ropa Vieja adding chipotle peppers and garbanzos. Gives it a spicy and Smokey flavor …
Can you use London broil instead of flank steak?
Made this and it gets 5 stars. The flavor is fantastic. Flank Steak is a bit expensive, and some aren’t fond of the “stringy-ness” of it, but that’s OK. I would imagine a chuck roast or big london broil would also work, if you too aren’t a fan of Flank steak stringy-ness. But if you’re on the fence about this one, dont be. It was a great meal, and I will be making this again.
Made this for the first time in my slow cooker and WOW! The flavor was so good and rich, infused with the garlic, jalapeno and bell peppers. I did leave out the onion to save some time, but I don’t think it affected the flavor much. I’m now going to try several other of your recipes. Thank you!
Can I add potatoes? Would it suck up too much if the sauce?
I think it would be fine!
I couldn’t find flank steak so I’m using a pork butt that’s a little over 3lbs. Any idea what the cook time would be?
I would do 9 hours on low or about 6 on high.
Thank you! Cooked on low for 9 hrs, turned out great!!
You can but I wouldn’t add it. This Cuban dish normally doesn’t contain potato.
I only have 2 lbs of flank steak. Do I need to adjust the other ingredients? If so, what measurements should I use?
You could try to cut back everything by 1/3 or I personally would make everything as is (except 2lbs of steak) and you will just end up with extra sauce.
Could you use a skirt steak for this recipe ?
Yes! will work great.
That’s a very high sodium content, I’m gonna try it with low sodium broth.
I made this 2 days ago. It came out great! The only thing I would change is maybe use 1 1/2 pound of flank steak. I followed directions to the “T”. It didn’t seem to have enough liquid. Still great!! I could not believe the supermarket carried you yellow rice. Went fantastic together. Definitely will make this again.
No pressure cooker or sloow cooker. I was thinking of sealing it tight and cooking overnight on low. Will that work?
You can do it in the oven, here is a good recipe to follow for the times. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/14657/ropa-vieja/
A co- worker made this at a party for work and cooked the everying thing in a presure cooker/ slow cooker at work as soon as he came in. We all ate it over califlower rice (he’s on keto diet) and everyone got at least 3 helpings each. EXCELLENT RECIPE. Thanks!
This is delicious.
Amazing dish. Loved it.
This is my go to ropa veija recipe. Everyone loves it and I never have any leftovers.
Thank you, for the great dinner idea!!
I would love to make this however a little confused on the measurement of salt. Is it 1/2 tsp or 1 1/2 tsp? Thanks
1 1/2
Ropa vieja is not cooked in slow cooker but in a pressure cooker. Should not take 9 hrs. Then let it cool off, shred, make the sofrito with chopped onion, bell peppers, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper to taste, and vino seco (Spanish cooking wine) and tomato sauce. Cook dorito until onion and peppers are soft.Place meat in same skillet and simmer in the sofrito until meat absorbs some of the juice. Serve with white rice, black beans if desired, and can’t leave out the ripened fried plantain.
That’s the Cuban way.
Chill, your way is not the ONLY WAY. Just cuz its the way ur family did it doesnt mean its written in stone. Try it you may like it and of not…oh well. Its cooking not rocket science.
I am making it again today. Received a thumbs up from family and friends the first time.
Pressure cooker? This is a centuries old dish. It’s roots are in the “slow cooked” braises that the Sephardic Jews of Southern Spain made to slow cook in the dying embers of fires as they could not light a fire and cook on their Sabbath. The modern slow cookers were invented to create the perfect environment for such braises. Pressure cooker? In 15th century Cuba?? nonsense
Did this person really come on someone’s slow cooker site to say “don’t use a slow cooker?” Please. I am making this in the AM for dinner tomorrow and am very excited!
I think you will enjoy it!
Delicious recipe! Thanks for sharing!!!
This recipe is delicious, the family loves it. I have a hard time finding flank steak, but it is worth the effort. I wonder what other veggies I could add to it though? Green beans, corn?
I love this dish! It is absolutely delicious! Flank steak turned out very tender, shredding was no problem. The gravy was so good over Basmati rice. It’s a keeper.
Hi, Sarah. This was SO easy to put together and the flavors are incredible. I love it with the saffron rice, too. I didn’t have any bell peppers and did not feel like going to the store so found some sliced carrots and sliced up some celery and used that instead. It is fine with that, too, though the next time I make it I will make sure I have the peppers. Also, we like it so much, we want more “gravy” or “sauce” with it so we are going to increase the beef broth-probably double it and maybe double the tomatoes and increase the apple cider vinegar just a little bit and see how that works out. May have to adjust some other ingredients to make it right. Maybe I should just double all the liquidy stuff but for the paste…hmm, that’s a thought. I don’t know if I should double the herbs/spices though-probably not since I am not planning to double the meat. Also, we will double the olives, or more. We LOVE olives and the flavor they add to this dish. So good! Thanks for the recipe! Sally
I think all your additions will be great next time. In fact I never make anything the same twice!
I forgot to put earlier do you think 6 hours on high would be ok?
I think so!