Ropa vieja, a traditional Cuban pulled beef recipe, is made in the slow cooker for convenience.
One of my favorite time savers in the kitchen is to cook up a large cut of beef, such as a chuck roast, at the start of the week to have on hand all week long for tacos, salads, soups and more.
Most recently I decided to create a slow cooker version of ropa vieja, a traditional Cuban dish.
Typically made with flank steak, I prefer to use the chuck roast when preparing it in the slow cooker since it has 4-8 hours to stew and break down.
Beef is simmered with peppers, tomatoes, lime juice, cumin, garlic and other warm spices like cloves and allspice. When it’s done cooking I love to shred it and serve with warmed corn tortillas.
Versatile, delicious and great for feeding a crowd, I highly recommend you save leftovers for taco bowls, to serve with rice or for a giant salad later in the week.
Your fork is waiting.
Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja
Ingredients
- 3 pound beef chuck roast
- 1 red bell pepper (seeded and thinly sliced)
- 1 green bell pepper (seeded and thinly sliced)
- 1 medium onion (thinly sliced)
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- 2 cups beef broth
- 14 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1 lime (juiced)
Instructions
- Scatter the sliced peppers and onions all over the bottom of a slow cooker insert.
- In a small bowl, mix together spices (cumin through cloves). Rub spice mixture evenly all over all sides of the chuck roast then place chuck roast on top of the sliced veggies in the slow cooker.
- Add beef broth, crushed tomatoes and lime juice to the slow cooker and cover with lid. Heat on Low for 8 hours or High for 4 hours. Shred with a fork before serving with rice, in tortillas or on a salad.
I Googled this so I would know how to say it, when I bragged about its mouth watering deliciousness. To save you the trouble, here’s the phonetic spelling: rOpa VE A ya. I didn’t have Allspice so I threw in 1/4 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp nutmeg. I was concerned about washing off the spice when I added the liquids, so I put the stock and lime juice around the edges. I placed the crushed tomatoes on top. I let it cook awhile and then stirred everything around. I just checked it again and it is starting to shred. I tasted it. My eyes rolled back in my head. This will be great over rice and then in tacos with some salty Cotija cheese and sour cream. When you come home to this aroma…..
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!!!!
I’m so excited for this! I’m making it tonight! You have the best recipes!
I hope you love it!
Amazing! This has become a family favorite that is requested over and over. I make it in the instant pot making sure to have left overs for scrambled eggs the next morning as well as for lunch because tacos. Are there ever enough tacos?
That makes me so happy Sarah!!!! I heart you!