Ropa Vieja
Ropa Vieja, a tasty Cuban dish with tender flank steak, delicious peppers and onions, smothered in a well seasoned tomato sauce.
Serve with Spanish Rice or serve over Homemade Tortillas.
This recipe is definitely a favorite because prep is minimal, it can be thrown in the slow cooker so you don’t have to rush during dinner hour, and it is the perfect dish to pull you out of that dinner rut.
While I love some good Baked Chicken Tacos, sometimes it’s nice to mix it up a little with a dish that not everyone makes and is so convenient since it can be thrown into the slow cooker.
What You Need to Make Ropa Vieja
Ready for a delicious, Cuban inspired dish? Let’s get shopping so we have the perfect ingredients on hand to make some fabulous Ropa Vieja.
- Vegetable Oil
- Onions
- Tomato Paste
- Spices: Minced Garlic, Paprika, Cumin, Oregano, Salt and Pepper, Bay Leaves
- Dry White Wine
- Soy Sauce
- Flank Steak
- Sliced, Pitted, Large Brine-Cured Green Olives
- Distilled White Vinegar
How to Make Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja
Time needed: 6 hours.
After some brief skillet cooking, dump all your ingredients into the slow cooker, and forget about your dish until dinner time. Easy, simple, yet Ropa Vieja is a dish that will bring new flavor and flare to your dinner rotation.
- Cook Pepper and Onions in the Skillet.
Once oil is simmering in the skillet, add onions, peppers, and then cover and cook until softened. Stir occasionally.
- Add Tomato Paste and Spices to the Skillet.
Push peppers and onions to the side, add tomato paste to the empty side of the skillet. Additionally add to the paste spices, and ½ tsp of salt.
- Cook and Combine Ingredients.
Cook for one minute and then combine sauce with peppers and onions. Add in wine until nearly evaporated, 1 minute.
- Put All Ingredients Into The Slow Cooker.
Transfer ingredients in the skillet into the slow cooker. Season steak and then add to the slow cooker with soy sauce and bay leaves, making sure steak is covered. Then cook ingredients in the slow cooker.
- Shred Steak, Return to Slow Cooker, and then Serve.
Transfer steak from slow cooker to cutting board. Discard bay leaves. Let cool for 3-5 minutes. Then shred into bite size pieces. Put back in the slow cooker with olives. Let sit for 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar, salt and pepper. Serve with rice or in tortillas.
Tips and Tricks
Making this recipe is Eazy Peazy, but here are a few tips to help you get perfect results every time.
- Make Ahead: Ropa Vieja actually tastes even better the next day. More time for flavors to meld together. So, make sure not to toss those leftovers. Or prep it the day before so you get the best flavor.
- Uniform Cutting = Uniform Cooking: Make sure to cut onions and peppers all the same size so they will cook more evenly in the skillet.
- Shred with Forks: Preferred method of shredding for this dish is to use two forks. Nothing special is needed, but you can use meat shredding claws if you want.
- Get Versatile: If you want to serve this dish in the most authentic way, then lose the tortillas and serve over white rice, accompanied with black beans. However, I sure love this dish sitting on top of a delicious, homemade flour tortilla.
- Splurge for Flank Steak: Although other meat can be substituted in a pinch, I highly recommend flanks steak if you really want your dish to impress. It will turn out so tender and tasty. But you can sub skirt steak if in a pinch.
Make Ahead and Storage
How to make this recipe ahead of time:
Make A Day Ahead:
- Follow instructions like normal.
- Let the dish cool completely.
- Transfer meat into an airtight container and put in the fridge.
- Reheat the next day on the stove until heated through.
- Serve in tortillas or with rice.
Freezer Meal:
- Follow instructions like normal.
- Let the dish cool completely.
- Transfer meat into gallon sized freezer bags.
- Freeze up to 2 months.
- Defrost in the fridge the day before you want to eat.
- Reheat on the stove until heated all the way through.
- Serve.
Fresh, made a day in advance, or served after frozen, either way this dish will be fantastic and flavorful!
Other Great Recipes:
- Zesty White Chicken Enchiladas
- Baked Chimichangas
- Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Tacos
- Navajo Tacos
- Sheet Pan Chicken Nachos
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Ropa Vieja
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 ½ cups onions halved and sliced thin (about 2 onions)
- 2 red bell peppers stemmed, seeded, and cut into ½ inch wide strips
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- Salt and pepper
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 pounds flank steak trimmed and cut crosswise against the grain into 4 equal pieces
- ¾ cup pitted large, brine-cured green olives, sliced
- 1 Tablespoon distilled white vinegar
Instructions
- Heat a 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once oil is shimmering, add onions and peppers, and cover and cook, until softened and spotty brown, about 8-10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Push to one side of the pan.
- On the empty side of the pan, add tomato paste, garlic, paprika, cumin, oregano, and ½ teaspoon salt.
- Cook uncovered for 1 minute, then stir it all together.
- Add in wine and cook until nearly evaporated, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer to a slow cooker.
- Season flank steak with salt and pepper, and add to the slow cooker.
- Add in soy sauce and bay leaves.
- Make sure steak is covered, and cook until meat is fork tender, 6 to 7 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high.
- Transfer the steak to a cutting board, and let cool for 3-5 minutes, and then shred into bite-size pieces using forks.
- Discard the bay leaves.
- Stir shredded beef and olives into the slow cooker and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Stir in vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve with rice.
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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