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!
How to Video:
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I had never made this before because I was always hooked on Roast Pork Mojo. I followed the recipe closely with only a few minor variations. Bottom round was on sale so I used a 2 lb. roast. My slow cooker is a metal one so I cut the roast into 2 pieces and browned it for more flavor. I did the first part of the recipe exactly as directed and then cooked it on low for 8 hours. I opened it up and shredded the meat and added red peppers from a jar and then cooked it for one more hour on low. I made a big pot of yellow rice and served the ropa vieja on top of the yellow rice. It was a real hit with everyone, even my picky eater. Thanks for such a great recipe!
I will have to try roast pork mojo! Glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Can you substitute the steak with a roast?
yes, that will work fine!
Accidentally grabbed skirt steak instead of flank. Should still be fine, right? I’ve made this recipe quite a few times and I love it!
Yes, I think it will be fine, and who knows you may like it better!
We love this recipe!! I have a question though, have you ever made it in the oven? I have my Cuban family coming in 3 weeks and we need more than my slow-cooker can accommodate! I was wanting to do it in a roasting pan, obviously low heat, but have you ever experimented with oven cooking?
Haven,t made it yet but can,t wait to try it. Looks great!
My family calls it Ropa Vieja because the day before my mom would boil the beef to make soup stock then the meat would make Ropa Vieja the next day. We also put the cooked meat in a large baggie and carefully smash it to shred it.
One of my most requested dishes.
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!