easy dinners Archives - ¡HOLA! JALAPEÑO

Authentic Cuban Ropa Vieja Recipe

October 21, 2022 by Kate Ramos 12 Comments

This Authentic Cuban Ropa Vieja Recipe made with peppers, onions, and garlic. Easy and deeply satisfying, this dairy-free dish can be made in advance and reheated for a quick dinner or lunch.

This post was first published on July 31, 2018 and last updated on October 21, 2022.

A stainless steel pan sitting on top of a white dish cloth on a wooden table with Cuban Ropa Vieja inside of it.

My love for Cuban food started with garlic. Any culture that drenches its food in garlic sauce is one I am in to. Mojo Criollo, the traditional Cuban dressing, calls for 10 cloves of garlic, bitter orange juice, and salt.

Count me in.

When Cuba: The Cookbook by Madelaine Vazquez Galvez and Imogene Tondre appeared at my doorstep, I couldn’t wait to dig in.

More To Explore
How To Make Carne Picada
Shredded Beef For Tacos {Carne Deshebrada}
Green Tomato and Beef Chili

what is cuban food?

A white plate with Ropa Vieja on it as well as some white rice and green beans sitting on a wooden table.

What I found most surprising about this book was not the number of garlic heads used in each recipe but the origins of how Cuban food came to be.

You’d think being an island in the middle of the Caribbean would have an enormous influence on the country’s gastronomy but in fact there is very little fish consumption at all. Cuban food is a literal melting pot of Spain and Africa and even Russia and China.

Its food is more heavily influenced by its migrant populations than by its geography. You’ll find recipes in this book for Russian Salad, Vegetable Chicken Chop Suey, and Cuban Paella.

what is cuban ropa vieja?

An overhead image of shredded meat, peppers, onions, and bay leaf on a white plate with rice and green beans.

Maybe even more interesting is the relative subtleness of the cuisine.

In addition to the array of cultural influences, Cuban food, it turns out, is a gentle mix of braised meats, steamed rice, sweet plantains, and tropical fruit. I feel as if the Cuban food I’ve had here in the states is amped up, maybe to suit the American palate, the way Chinese-American buffets add sugar and canned bamboo shoots to everything.

This recipe for Ropa Vieja is a perfect example.

A quick search of Ropa Vieja recipes online will give you 48,000,000 (not an exaggeration) and almost all of them are drenched in a thick tomato sauce, typically flecked with sliced green olives, white vinegar, cilantro, and a whole laundry list of ingredients.

The Ropa Vieja recipe from the book however is simple.

It keeps the idea of beef, simmered until tender and shredded—Ropa Vieja translates to old clothes in Spanish and the strands of beef resemble the tattered threads.

But the remainder of the recipe is pared way back from most I’ve read. A few sautéed green bell peppers, some paprika, cumin, white wine, and yes, garlic, but only three cloves.

A pleasant dish served over white rice that is easy enough to whip up on any given weeknight. Cuban dressing drizzled over the top for kicks, if you desire.

What Is Ropa Vieja Made Of?

All the ingredients to make Ropa Vieja including chuck roast, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, onions, and more.

The best thing about this dish, is you don’t need anything too crazy to make it. You will find everything you need with a trip to any grocery store whenever the urge hits. Here’s what you need:

Beef. The cut of beef the recipe calls for skirt steak but you could also use flank steak or even chuck roast.
Onions and peppers, garlic and a carrot. Use a combination of green and red bell peppers for a balance of flavors.
Herbs and spices like bay leaves, oregano, ground cumin, paprika, pepper, chives, and parsley.
Dry white wine. Substitute beef broth if you want to stay away from alcohol.

How To Make Ropa Vieja (step-by-step instructions)

step one

Cook the beef. Fill a large Dutch oven with 6 cups of water, add 2 tablespoons of kosher salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the meat and cook for 10-15 minutes. Skim off any foam that rises to the top with a ladle then add the bay leaves, onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper.

A blue Dutch oven filled with beef, water, parsley, chives, bay leaf, onions, and garlic.

step two

Slow cooking. Lower to medium heat (or even lower) just so it is barely simmering and gently cook until the beef is melt-in-your-mouth tender, about 3 hours.

step three

Let cool. Remove the beef from the broth and let cool slightly. Strain broth and set aside 2 cups, save the remainder for making soup later in the week. Shred the meat into thin strips with a fork.

Shredded pieces of beef on a baking sheet sitting on a wood counter.

step four

Sauté the vegetables. Heat olive oil or vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrot, peppers, the other two cloves garlic, onions, and chives. You’ve already added the tbsp of salt to the cooking liquid but season the vegetables with more salt and pepper. Cook until the onions start to become translucent, stir frequently.

A stainless steel pan filled with sliced onions, carrots, green bell peppers, and red bell peppers cooking on the stove.

step five

Add meat. Add the shredded beef to the pan along with the reserved broth, the 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika, cumin, and 1/3 cup dry white wine. Cook the beef dish a few minutes more just to allow the flavors to combine and serve!

A stainless steel pan filled with ropa vieja, a mixture of shredded beef, sliced onions, bell peppers, and sliced carrots.

What To Serve With Ropa Vieja

Cilantro-Lime Rice is fragrant with fresh cilantro and lime zest and juice.
Black beans are a given. If you’ve never made these Sofrito Black Beans, you need to STAT.
Short on time? Give these Best Ever Canned Black Beans a try.
Or potatoes would be nice. I recommend the most delicious Papas con Chile.

tips for success

An overhead image of a bowl of shredded beef and a cooked onion sitting on a white cloth on a wooden table.

This is a simple dish that is made in two steps.

First, fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the garlic, beef and other aromatics like onion, bay leaf, parsley, oregano, and black pepper then simmer until the beef is very tender.

This is the longest part of the recipe. It takes 2-3 hours for the beef to get supple enough to shred. If you’d like, you can do this part in a slow cooker. Follow the same instructions, just put everything in the slow cooker instead of a pot on the stove. Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8.

Next, simmer the shredded meat with the carrot, peppers, more garlic and onions. Deglaze the pan with white wine and add a few more spices like paprika and cumin.

Serve with steamed rice and sautéed green beans or sofrito black beans!

Can I Freeze It?

Absolutely! This recipe actually gets better as it sits. Once it cools store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze for up to 3 months.

If frozen, let thaw overnight in the refrigerator then reheat over medium heat on the stove or in the microwave.

more cuban recipes you might like:

cuban comfort food at its best!

Looking for a taste of Cuba? Bring the national dish of Cuba to your table tonight! If you make this Cuban Ropa Vieja recipe, let me know how you like it! Share a photo and tag me on Instagram using @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating)!

Cuban Ropa Vieja

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 55 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours 20 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes

Recipe from Cuba: The Cookbook by Madelaine Vázquez Galvez and Imogene Tondre This recipe, which has its origins in Spain, is considered a classic Cuban dish and is still popular today. Serve with an avocado salad and white rice, black beans, tostones, or Fried Sweet Plantains.

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds beef skirt steak or chuck roast
2 bay leaves
2 medium white onions—1 1/2 sliced and 1/2 left whole
3 garlic cloves—1 whole peeled clove and 2 cloves, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
1 small carrot, sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
8 chives, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/3 cup dry white wine

Instructions

Simmer beef. In a large Dutch oven, bring 6 cups water and the measured 2 tablespoons salt to a boil over high heat. Add the meat and cook for 10-15 minutes, skimming any foam from the surface.
After removing the foam two or three times, add 1 of the bay leaves, the 1/2 onion, the whole garlic clove, half the parsley, the oregano, and 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper. Cover and continue to gently simmer (lower the heat if necessary) until meat is very tender and easily shreds, about 3 hours.
Remove from the heat. Transfer the meat to a baking sheet to cool. Strain the broth and set aside 2 cups. Save extra broth for making soup later in the week. Shred the meat into thin strips.
In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the carrot, bell peppers, chopped garlic, sliced onions, and chives and cook until the onion turns translucent, about 3 minutes.
Add the meat, stir, and add the reserved 2 cups broth. Add the paprika, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, the remaining bay leaf, remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and the wine.
Cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Add the remaining parsley and salt to taste. Cook for 2 more minutes.
Serve with white rice and black beans.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 577Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 154mgSodium: 2007mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 49g

In support of this small business, ¡Hola! Jalapeño earns revenue in a few different ways. Several sponsored posts are published each month. I also earn an affiliate commission on the sales of products I link to— there are a few of those links in this post. I only feature items I genuinely love and personally use on a regular basis. This commission is an arrangement between the retailer and ¡Hola! Jalapeño (readers never pay more for products). This income allows me to run the site. Thank you for reading!

Instant Pot Pork Tinga Recipe

February 16, 2022 by Kate Ramos Leave a Comment

Pork Tinga is easily one of our family’s favorite recipes. This stewy mixture of tender pork, tomatoes, and chipotle chile is one of the easiest and tastiest Mexican recipes out there and cooking it in the Instant Pot also makes it the fastest! {Recipe first posted on September 1, 2020. Last updated February 15, 2022}

Let’s talk about the one recipe you will be making over and over again from now until forever: Pork Tinga!

I’m sure, like us, you had lots of travel plans that got thwarted this past summer.

I kept hoping that conditions would improve enough for us to take even a small weekend getaway, but it never happened, and now all of the sudden, school has started again! As a way to keep our sanity, we’ve been having nightly discussions around the dinner table about where we dream of going once it’s safe to travel again.

A plate of pork Tinga, white rice, and green beans sitting on a wood table with a fork on the plate, a blue and white napkin beside the plate.

We’ve tossed around everywhere from Thailand to Paris but one thing Armando and I are committed to, is visiting Mexico more often with our kids.

One beautiful part of the country we have yet to explore is Puebla. Armando wants to visit the museums, historical sites, and take in all the Renaissance and Baroque architecture.

I want to eat all the food!

Puebla is considered a gastronomic capital when it comes to Mexican food. Mole Poblano, Chiles en Nogada, and Tacos Árabes all come from Puebla. Not to mention, Tinga!

More Taco Recipes
Shredded Beef {Carne Deshebrada}
Beer Battered Fish Tacos with Radish Pico de Gallo
Grilled Fish Tacos with Sweet Corn Salsa

A blue plate with a pork Tinga taco on it, tortilla chips on the side, and small dish of salsa with a spoon in the dish. A few more chips are scattered on the table.

What Does Tinga Mean Anyway?

There’s no literal translation like “shredded” {deshebrada} or “chipotle sauce” {salsa de chipotle} that would give you any indication as to why this particular dish has this particular name. It just is what it is.

Tinga typically refers to cooked chicken in a sauce of tomatoes, chipotles, and onions. I decided to switch it up and use pork, but the dead-simple, super delicious sauce stays the same, and so does the name.

Pork Tinga in an metal pot mixed with onions, tomatoes, and garlic. The pork is raw and is getting ready to be cooked. There is a spoon on one side.

The Best Cut of Pork For Tinga

Pork is so versatile, from ribs to chops to tenderloin there’s a tons of ways to escape the ordinary with different cuts of pork. Check out this helpful chart for picking the right piece of pork for your recipe.

For this dish, I chose boneless pork shoulder because it is a bit more indulgent and stays tender and juicy when cooked in the Instant Pot. If you are in the mood for a leaner cut you could go with a sirloin roast.

The nice thing about using a pork shoulder is you never have to worry about it overcooking. This cut is well marbled with fat so it stays succulent and almost impossible to mess up.

If you are a big time pork lover, you could also add pork chorizo! Many Authentic Mexican Tinga recipes include it. Simply add the chorizo with the onion and garlic and cook until browned, then continue with the recipe as instructed.

A close up of cooked pieces of pork in a tomato broth with cooked onions, and garlic. There is a fork in one piece of the pork.

4 Reasons You Will Be Making This Again and Again

With most of us working from home now, we are cooking practically every meal. Here’s why you’ll want to add this Pork Tinga recipe to your rotation.

It is super easy! Enrique Olvera has said Tinga is the first recipe every Mexican learns when they leave home because it is basically foolproof with very few ingredients.
It is fast! If you follow these Instant Pot instructions it can be on the table in 30 minutes.
It makes amazing leftovers! Now that we also have to think about what’s for lunch, I love having some Tinga in the fridge for easy lunch tacos or tostadas.
It’s easy on the wallet! One hefty pork shoulder is very reasonable and the rest of the ingredients cost next to nothing. Meaning you can have a few meals without breaking the bank.

An overhead view of a Instant Pot pressure cooker filled with pieces of pork, onions, and garlic in a tomato sauce. A wood spoon is in the pot.

No Instant Pot? No Problem

You can easily make this recipe in a slow cooker or on the stove, it will just take a bit longer.

To Make It In A Slow Cooker:

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a skillet. Add the vegetables to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, season with salt and pepper.
Transfer vegetables and pork to the slow cooker and add a cup of chicken broth.
Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

To Make It On The Stove:

The traditional way of making Tinga is to cook the pork and sauce separately.

Place the pork in a large pot and cover with water. Add generous handful of salt, a chopped onion, a few cloves of garlic and a couple of bay leaves. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until pork is tender. Start checking after 45 minutes.
In a separate skillet, add the oil and sauté the onions and garlic. Add the tomatoes and chipotle peppers and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes break down and create a nice sauce. Add a cup or so of the broth the pork is cooking in if it is too thick.
Once pork is tender, drain (reserve the broth for another soup or stew) toss the chunks of pork in the sauce or shred the pork and mix with the sauce.

A white plate on a wood table with stewed pork, green beans, and white rice on the plate. A fork is next to the green beans.

How To Serve Pork Tinga

When I first make Tinga, I like to leave it in larger pieces and serve it with white rice, a green vegetable, and warm tortillas. Some people like to pass lime wedges (if you want a kick of lime juice) and sour cream at the table.

The next day I shred the meat and use it to make tacos, tostadas, or tingadillas (quesadillas made with Tinga).

You could also freeze half for a later meal as well. Just let the mixture cool to room temperature, then seal tightly and freeze for up to three months.

A blue plate with a small dish of salsa, tortilla chips, lime wedges, and a taco on it. The taco is topped with avocado, onions, and cilantro.

More Pork Recipes You’ll Love!

Wanderlust From Home!

We may not be able to hop on a plane and travel to Mexico right now, but we can bring those flavors home with this delicious Pork Tinga recipe. When you make it, show me your stuff! Share a photo and tag me on Instagram using @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see! Happy eating!