Easy Instant Pot ropa vieja features tender Cuban-style shredded beef stewed in a savory tomato and sofrito base, flavored with warm spices and green olives to create a rich, comforting dish. Complete the meal with piping hot rice and frijoles negros.
For more like this, try boliche and beef picadillo!
What is Ropa Vieja?
Ropa vieja means ‘old clothes,’ referring to the tattered appearance of the slow-cooked, shredded beef; it is also the national dish of Cuba. However, ropa vieja is well known in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Philippines.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Ropa vieja is a delicious meal traditionally cooked over a long period to achieve its tender, rope-like consistency. Using an Instant Pot significantly speeds up the cooking time while producing the same juicy shredded beef. Here’s what you need to get started.
- Olive Oil: Saute the vegetables in extra-virgin olive oil.
- Sofrito: I prepare homemade sofrito with onions, bell pepper, and a handful of fresh garlic cloves to create the base for Instant Pot ropa vieja. You can also purchase store-bought sofrito.
- Spices: Season the dish with kosher salt, ground cumin, ground coriander, black pepper, and dried oregano.
- Tomato Paste: Adding a spoonful of tomato paste intensifies the tomato flavor and deepens the color of the stew.
- Tomatoes: Canned San Marzano tomatoes are my go-to for ropa vieja, though you can also use 2-3 fresh Roma tomatoes.
- Beef: Opt for traditional cuts like skirt steak or flank steak, but chuck roast or brisket work just as well. These cuts thrive in pressure cooking, turning tender and juicy with ease.
- Green Olives: Green olives add the right amount of saltiness to the dish.
- Lime Juice: Finish the meal with freshly squeezed lime juice.
Additions and Substitutions
- Use a different protein. Replace the skirt steak in the recipe with chicken breast or pork shoulder.
- Get in your veggies. Prepare the Instant Pot ropa vieja recipe with extra vegetables like carrots and peas.
Expert Tips
- Adjust the cooking time. For perfectly tender shredded beef, pressure cook the skirt steak in the Instant Pot on manual high pressure for 40 to 60 minutes, depending on the size. After cooking, switch to sauté mode to simmer it with the other ingredients.
- Rest the skirt steak. Once the beef cooks, carefully remove it from the Instant Pot and let it rest for 5-10 minutes so the juices have time to redistribute.
- Shred the meat. Shred the beef with two forks. If the meat doesn’t shred easily, pressure cook it for an additional 10 minutes.
If you enjoy Instant Pot ropa vieja, try more Instant Pot recipes!
What to Serve With Ropa Vieja
- Yellow Rice, White Rice, Cilantro-Lime Rice, Quinoa
- Black Beans, Moro, Congri
- Air Fryer Plantains
- Avocado Cucumber Tomato Salad, Homemade Coleslaw
- Mango Pico De Gallo, Pico De Gallo
- Roasted Potatoes, Boiled Potatoes
- Blackened Mahi Mahi
What to do with the Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store the leftover beef in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: Let the dish cool and transfer it to a freezer-safe container or bag. Instant Pot ropa vieja freezes for 2-3 months.
- Reheat: Warm the leftovers in the microwave or stovetop until heated through.
- Repurpose: Use any leftover shredded beef as a filling for tacos, tostadas, or a burrito bowl. Better yet, use it as a filling for an empanada!
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of beef is used in ropa vieja?
Use skirt steak to make traditional ropa vieja, which has long, thick strands of muscle fiber. Flank steak or chuck roast is a tasty alternative that produces similar results.
What does ropa vieja consist of?
For the characteristically long fibers that earned the name “old clothes,” flank steak is the star of most recipes, along with onions, peppers, garlic, olives, and warm spices like cumin, coriander, and oregano.
What is the difference between ropa vieja and vaca frita?
Vaca frita is closely related to ropa vieja in terms of appearance and ingredients, but they differ in preparation. Ropa vieja undergoes a single cooking process, whereas vaca frita is braised and then pan-fried for its distinctive flavor.
Instant Pot Ropa Vieja
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 medium white onion, thinly sliced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 8 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 2½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 2½ teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 can (28 ounces( whole tomatoes, drained except for ¼ cup
- 2 pounds skirt steak
- 1 cup green olives, sliced
- fresh lime juice, 2-3 limes
- Warm olive oil in the Instant Pot in saute mode. Then, add the onions and bell pepper. Saute until the onions become translucent and soften, for about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute for another minute.
- Add the tomato paste, ground cumin, ground coriander, black pepper, and oregano; cook for 30 seconds until aromatic.
- Deglaze the pot by crushing the canned tomatoes with your hand and adding them to the Instant Pot with ¼ cup of the sauce.
- Nestle the skirt steak into the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and set the Instant Pot to manual high pressure for 20 minutes with a 20-minute natural release.
- Remove the lid and use two forks to shred the beef, moving the onions and peppers aside. Then, stir in the sliced olives and fresh lime juice. Simmer in saute mode for about 15 minutes.
- Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl and garnish with lime wedges.
- Adjust the cooking time. For perfectly tender shredded beef, pressure cook the skirt steak in the Instant Pot on manual high pressure for 40 to 60 minutes, depending on the size. After cooking, switch to sauté mode to simmer it with the other ingredients.
- Rest the skirt steak. Once the beef cooks, carefully remove it from the Instant Pot and let it rest for 5-10 minutes so the juices have time to redistribute.
- Shred the meat. Shred the beef with two forks. If the meat doesn’t shred easily, pressure cook it for an additional 10 minutes.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.
Charlotte
Friday 18th of August 2023
Ropa vieja is my favorite and making it in the instant pot makes it so tender and delicious and saves a ton of time! Thanks for the wonderful tips you shared in the recipe!
Tressa Jamil
Friday 18th of August 2023
Using the Instant Pot for recipes like this is my favorite!