Description
Ropa Vieja Slow Cooker is a delightful Cuban-inspired dish that captures the essence of comfort food with its tender, slow-cooked beef and vibrant vegetables. This easy recipe transforms your weeknight dinners into flavorful experiences, making it perfect for both family gatherings and meal prep. The rich combination of spices and fresh ingredients creates a mouthwatering taste that can be enjoyed over fluffy rice, in tacos, or as a filling for hearty sandwiches. With minimal hands-on time required, you can set your slow cooker and let it work its magic while you focus on other things.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2–2½ pounds beef flank steak
- ¼ cup vegetable oil or more
- Salt, pepper, cumin, and Sazon (adjust to taste)
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1 large onion (sliced)
- 4–5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 bell peppers (red or green; seeded and sliced into strips)
- 2 tomatoes (sliced into strips)
- 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
- 1 thyme sprig
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1–2 cups beef broth
- 1–2 packets Sazon (substitute with beef or chicken bouillon if desired)
- 2–3 tablespoons parsley or cilantro
Instructions
- Trim any excess fat from the beef and season all sides generously with salt, pepper, cumin, and Sazon according to your taste.
- Heat about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place the seasoned beef in a single layer in the skillet. Sear the meat on both sides until browned (about 3–4 minutes each side). Add the bay leaf after browning one side.
- Add remaining oil to the skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced onions, minced garlic, bell peppers, tomatoes, tomato sauce, thyme sprig, smoked paprika, ground cumin, and Sazon. Cook for about 3–5 minutes until vegetables soften; then add beef broth. Turn off heat and pour about three-fourths of this mixture into your slow cooker.
- Place the seared beef into the slow cooker with the sauce mixture. Cover and cook on High for about 3½–4 hours or on Low for 7–8 hours until beef is tender enough to shred with two forks.
- Remove cooked beef from slow cooker; set aside. Add 1–2 cups of sauce from the crockpot back into remaining sauce in the skillet; cook for an additional 2 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with more Sazon if necessary; stir in chopped parsley or cilantro.
- Shred the beef using two forks; return it to the skillet with sauce. Stir everything together for about a minute before serving hot alongside rice, beans, or tostones.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Category: Main
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Cuban
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup (240g)
- Calories: 340
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 620mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 28g
- Cholesterol: 70mg