Ropa Vieja was the dish I ordered every single time we went out for Cuban food when I was a child. I never even bothered opening the menu to browse other options. I was an unwavering Ropa Vieja loyalist. Needless to say, it’s comfort food and I still order it frequently at our favorite Cuban restaurants. So, it’s very exciting to me that it can be reproduced so easily and authentically in a slow cooker. This Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja is every bit as flavorful and delicious as one you would get at a very good Cuban restaurant, if not better.
Ropa Vieja, for those who don’t know, means “old clothes”. Such an enticing name for a dish. Some other interesting ones from around the globe – The British have Bubble and Squeak, Bangers and Mash, and Toad in the Hole. We have Hoppin’ John, his cousin Limpin’ Susan, and their friend, Sloppy Joe (who are these people anyway?). There’s also Shoo-Fly Pie and perhaps my favorite one to dislike, the Turducken. I mean, can we make a decision?
The Ropa Vieja Legend states that a destitute man desperately trying to provide a meal for his family placed a bunch of old clothes into a large pot of boiling water. He prayed over it and then it miraculously turned into a flavorful stew of shredded beef. Please don’t try that at home. Call me a pessimist, but I have a feeling it may not work.
Regardless of its name (which I truly think comes from the beef and vegetable shreds looking like tattered old clothes), this is one of the most delicious and popular of all Cuban dishes. It is made with flank steak, onions, red (or green) bell peppers, garlic, tomato paste, white wine, cumin, oregano, bay leaves, white vinegar, and olives.
This recipe is broken down into two parts. The first involves cooking down the onions, peppers, tomato, and garlic in a saucepan, which makes a sofrito. The word sofrito, meaning to lightly fry, is a familiar cooking term in Latin American, Spanish, and Portuguese cooking. It is made by sautéeing or braising onions, bell peppers, garlic, and tomato. The result is a flavorful base used for making many different types of stews, rice dishes, and sauces.
The second part of the recipe just requires transferring the sofrito along with the flank steak into the slow cooker and setting it to cook for about six hours. Your kitchen will smell amazing all day. Towards the end of the cooking time (when there’s about 30 minutes left), prepare rice to serve along with it. If you happen to have access to sweet plantains (maduros), I highly recommend them as a side dish. Their sweetness goes perfectly with this tomato-based dish.
Once it’s finished cooking, the steak is shredded (I used two forks) and a little white vinegar is added along with sliced olives. You could leave them out if you prefer, but they add a really nice touch. The end result – a succulent and beautifully flavored stew with tender shreds of beef, onions, and peppers. Served over rice, these old clothes are pure bliss. If you like slow cooker stews, I highly recommend this Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja. It will make you believe that Ropa Vieja miracles still exist.
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Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja
This Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja is perfection - tender shredded beef, onions, and red bell peppers in a delicious tomato-based sauce. It is amazingly flavorful and easy to make.
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons Vegetable, Canola, or Olive oil
- 1 large (or 2 small) onions, halved & sliced thin
- 2 red bell peppers, seeds removed, sliced into 1/2 inch wide strips
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 lb flank steak, cut crosswise against grain into 4 equal pieces
- 3/4 cup pitted green olives, sliced
- 1 Tablespoon distilled white vinegar
Instructions
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Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and peppers and cook covered for 8-10 minutes to lightly brown, stirring occasionally.
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Make a space in the middle of the vegetables and add tomato paste, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, and water. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring frequently.
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Stir onions and peppers into tomato paste mixture. Add white wine and cook for 2 minutes until almost evaporated.
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Transfer mixture to slow cooker. Add bay leaves and nestle steak pieces into tomato-vegetable mixture. Cook on low setting for 6 hours or on high setting for 5 hours.
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Once cooked, shred flank steak using two forks. Stir in olives and white vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with rice.
Adapted (slightly modified) from Cook’s Country Magazine
Luz
This is really good! The green olives add a nice touch of flavor to the meat. It reminds me of the meat my Mom uses to make tamales. Yum! Everyone in my family gave it a thumbs up. Thank you Blanca for another great Cuban recipe ☺
Blanca
Hi Luz. I’m so glad you and the family enjoyed it 🙂 Thanks for letting me know
Magda
Just made it and it came out perfectly! The entire family loved it! Thank you for such a delicious recipe. I think sauteeing the sauce first is essential for the flavor. Tastes very similar to how my mami used to make it.
I cooked it on LOW for 8 hours bc it was more convenient and the meat didn’t come out dry or bland.
Thanks for our new slow cooker staple recipe!
Blanca
Hi Magda. I’m so glad you and your family liked it. I love this recipe too! Thanks for the feedback 🙂