Ropa Vieja (Caribbean Shredded Beef)
Ropa vieja, which is Spanish for "old clothes," is a popular Caribbean dish consisting of shredded beef (often skirt or flank steak), vegetables, and a sauce. The origin of ropa vieja is from the Canary Islands, which are Spanish islands off the coast of North Africa in the Atlantic Ocean. The original version of Ropa Vieja contained leftovers, but later became a shredded meat dish with garbanzo beans and potatoes in the Canary Islands. Some versions in the Canary Islands contain beef or chicken or pork, or a combination of any of the three.

Ingredients
- 1 kg boiled beef (preferably flank steak, but any meat with long threads will do)
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1½ cup tomato sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup red cooking wine or beer
Ingredients for 10 servings (2 kg) · the original recipe
Method
- 1
Cut the meat in pieces, not too small, not too big. Using a pressure cooker, boil the meat for about 15 minutes. Add a teaspoon of olive oil to the water to avoid foaming; also, add a teaspoon of salt. After boiling the meat, save 1 cup of the broth.
Pressure cookerStovetop - 2
Shred the meat in thin strips using a fork. Chop the onion, cut the peppers in thin strips and mince the garlic cloves.
- 3
Sauté the garlic and the onion for a bit in hot oil, then add the peppers, sauté a bit more. Add the meat and the rest of the ingredients, including the cup of broth.
- 4
Cook the mix over low heat for 20–30 minutes. Stir a few times. Season to taste.
Stovetop
Recipe from Wikibooks Cookbook, written by Wikibooks contributors. Used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; the ingredient list and method on this page are taken from that page and edited (its notes, tips and variations are not reproduced), and are available under the same licence. The macros, equipment tags and scaling are Ma Kitchen’s own and are not the source’s figures. Ma Kitchen is not affiliated with or endorsed by Wikibooks Cookbook. Copied on 2026-11-12.
Ratings and comments
0 votes · 0 comments. Rate it on its own, or add a comment for the next cook.
Made it? Sign in to rate it and leave a note for the next cook.