Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja (Cuban Beef)
Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja (Cuban Beef Recipe) Cuba’s National Dish is fabulous on sandwiches or served with traditional rice, beans, and plantains. However, as-is it’s low carb, paleo, gluten free and keto!
Simple Cuban Recipes
My daughter Ava went on a school trip to Cuba a few months ago.
Because she has to eat gluten-free to stay healthy, we were a little concerned about what she would eat in Cuba.
When other people are preparing your food, and they don’t fully understand just how sick an ingredient can make you, and there’s a language barrier… You get a little worried.
However, her teacher told me not to fret, that the food in Cuba is very simply prepared (meaning no filler ingredients with hidden gluten) and they would mainly be eating rice, beans, and a little meat.
I said a prayer (or a bunch of prayers) and sent her off.
Ava did, in fact, stay healthy through her entire time in Cuba. And when she had internet access she would text me photos of her food.
Most often the plates were filled with rice, black beans, fried plantains, and shredded beef.
When she returned home, she insisted we learn to make this Cuban beef… Ropa Vieja.
Cuba’s National Dish
The stated national dish of Cuba usually depends on who you ask. There are several very popular Cuban recipes that are considered the national dish.
However, Arroz con Pollo and Ropa Vieja are always at the top of the list.
A traditional Ropa Vieja recipe is essentially beef flank steak slow-cooked with wine, herbs, and spices.
Most “authentic” Ropa Vieja recipes in cookbooks and online include bell peppers and olives.
However, according to Ava, these are ingredients that are not always available to most of the Cuban population and therefore left out.
She said they never once had Ropa Vieja with peppers and olives.
We decided to make the fancy when-you’ve-got-everything-at-your-finger-tips version today, because it offers more flavor and visual appeal.
Yet just know, you can skip the wine, peppers, and olives, substituting broth for the wine.
Without them, you will end up with more of what you would be served in a casual Cuban restaurant or in a home.
Authentic Ropa Vieja Recipe
After making and taste-testing Ropa Vieja several times, Ava also mentioned that no matter how I changed the recipe, the Cuban version they ate was always more intense in flavor, and a little bit dry or crispy.
We decided this is because they usually make it ahead, so the beef has (potentially) several days to soak up the spices.
They also, warm up the Ropa Vieja on a hot griddle before serving, so the sauce dries up and the beef shreds get a little crispy around the edges, similar to traditional carnitas.
When we tried this method, our recipe tasted even more authentic.
However, we feel it’s just as delicious fresh and saucy. So you can enjoy it immediately after cooking. Or you can let it sit in the fridge for a couple of days then reheat it in a skillet.
You really can’t go wrong.
Low Carb Cuban Beef Recipe?
Although Ropa Vieja is usually paired with rice and beans, on its own it’s very low in carbs.
You can make it even lower in carbs by removing the wine.
Instead of traditional rice, you can serve this Low Carb Ropa Vieja with Cauliflower Rice or Broccoli Rice!
Ropa Vieja is also a fabulous Meal Prep Recipe because the flavor intensifies over time!
Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja Ingredients
- Olive oil – To brown the beef and onions.
- Flank steak – Some recipes call for beef chuck roast, but flank steak is more traditional.
- Sweet onion – Softened in a skillet before adding to the crockpot.
- Garlic – The more the merrier!
- Bay leaves – For a deep herby note.
- Cumin – To offer a smoky peppery flavor.
- Oregano – For sweet herby essence.
- Smoked paprika – To bring in a stronger smoky taste and add color.
- Allspice – For island appeal.
- Crushed tomatoes – To add tang and color.
- White wine – For more tang and depth of flavor.
- Carrots – To add a touch of natural sweetness. Optional for low carb variations
- Bell peppers – Buy three colors. Optional for a more casual version.
- Spanish green olives – Pitted. Optional.
Get the Full (Printable) Slow Cooker Ropa Veija Cuban Beef Recipe Below
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Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja (Cuban Beef)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 pounds flank steak
- 1 large sweet onion, peeled and sliced
- 5-7 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 1 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 28 ounce crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 3 whole bell peppers (three colors)
- 7 ounce spanish green olives, pitted
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Set a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil to the skillet. Cut the flank steaks in half so they fit in the skillet. Then salt and pepper them generously on both sides.
- Place the flank steaks in the skillet and brown on both sides. You may need to do this in batches if your skillet is not huge. Once the flank steaks are browned, move them to a large crockpot.
- Add the sliced onions to the skillet. Stir and saute to soften the onions. Then add them to the crockpot as well. Turn off the burner.
- Add the garlic, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, paprika, and allspice to the slow cooker. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Then stir in the tomatoes, wine, and sliced carrots.
- Cover the crockpot. Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours, or on HIGH for 4-6 hours. Once the meat can be easily shredded with a fork it’s done cooking. Remove the bay leaves and shred the meat, leaving it in the sauce.
- At some point before the meat is fully cooked, char the bell peppers. You can do this by placing them directly on a gas burner, turning them with tongs as the skin blackens. You can also do this on a hot grill or under the broiler. They just need to be blistered on all sides.
- Once the peppers are blistered, place them in a large zip bag and let them steam for 15 minutes. Then peel off the waxy skins, remove the stems and seeds, and slices them into thin slivers.
- Drain the olives and cut them in half. Then stir the olives and pepper strips into the beef. Serve warm.
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I made this and it was awesome!! Served over rice, then on day # 2 I made tacos with the left overs. I liked the tacos even better than over rice!
5 stars!
To substitute the wine with broth, is it measured the same?
Hi Donna!
Yes, use the same amount of broth as you would wine. :)
his was absolutely delicious! Very simple to make. I was only baking for two so I adjusted recipe to an 8” round pie pan. I’d also pre-bake the crust next time because even though I drained the tomatoes on a paper towel, I still had a slightly soggy bottom. Thank you for sharing this recipe. By the way, the great pic is what prompted me to make it!
I made this yesterday. Outrageously great! I do not have a slow cooker and made with a 100+ year old Dutch oven. It took 4 hours @275 degrees convection oven then 1 hour and 45 minutes @ 250 degrees to complete. I was shocked how the flank steak shredded so easily! DH charred the peppers and what a Friday night treat. An interesting note was you could “smell” the moment it was done. I had anticipated an 8 hour cook… Thank you, this needs NO adjustment for perfection!
The recipe is excellent, as are a lot of your posted recipes – BUT, I am quite certain your Daughter was eating shredded pork as any beef in Cuba is very hard to come by. In eight trips to Cuba, I have never seen a pepper of any color, and they seldom use spices of any kind. Even difficult to get a tomato? Cuba is not known for it’s culinary skills, but for it’s beautiful beaches and really nice/friendly Cuban people, and a very safe place to visit! Can’t have it all! The recipe is of Spanish origin, (where beef is plentiful) and one can’t just assume that Cuba, because is Spanish-speaking, ( with very little available beef although they have tried unsuccessfully to change this), claims your excellent recipe as their national Dish. Just not even close to being true. Perhaps in Miami? Great blog! I hope your Daughter came back with a greater respect for the ever-struggling country of Cuba, than most of your American counterparts? Cheers!.
I’m so glad she found something she could eat there! This looks amazing!
Everyone at my house loved it! It was so good!
What an amazing recipe! I am adding this to my dinner line up for the week; looks delicious!
Very flavorful and delicious!
My family devoured this dinner!!
This looks so colorful and full of flavor! I know what I’m making for dinner this week.
This looks really good. I’m going to be adding it to my menu soon.