Cuban Beef (Ropa Vieja)
This Cuban Beef (Ropa Vieja) is one of the best slimming-friendly hearty meals, whether you’re calorie counting or following a plan like Weight Watchers.
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories279
- Carbs17g
- Protein33g
- Fat5.8g
- Saturates2.1g
- Sugars15g
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For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff to know in the blurb!
Cuban Beef (Ropa Vieja) rather unsurprisingly is made with beef! It’s known in Cuba as Ropa Vieja AKA “old clothes”. Don’t worry, it’s no indication of the taste, this Cuban Beef is DELICIOUS!
Rich and hearty, it’s a super simple dish that will become a firm family favourite in no time. The best bit is that you can pop the whole lot in the slow cooker and get on with your day. As the time passes, you’ll start to smell the tomatoey, spicy goodness filling the kitchen until it’s ready to tuck in. Cooking it low and slow gives the beef time to tenderise and all the flavours to combine. It’s worth the wait, we promise!
What diets is this Cuban Beef (Ropa Vieja) suitable for?
This recipe is suitable if you’re gluten free as long as you swap out the following ingredients for gluten free versions;
- Stock cubes
You could also enjoy this Cuban Beef (Ropa Vieja) if you’re dairy free.
Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.
How Weight Watchers friendly is this Cuban Beef (Ropa Vieja) recipe?
Weight Watchers’ new PersonalPoints plan calculates each individual’s Points allowance based on their unique food preferences and goals. This means we’re no longer able to offer exact WW points for our recipes.
The good news is that all of our recipes are still Weight Watchers friendly! If you have any questions about your Points budgets or you’re unsure how a certain recipe will fit into your plan, please reach out to Weight Watchers directly.
Do you need any special ingredients to make Cuban Beef (Ropa Vieja)?
We like to use ox cheeks for this recipe, but you can use any type of stewing steak. The cheaper cuts of beef tend to work better for this low and slow meal!
We use red or white wine stock pots in this recipe – they add a real depth of flavour to the dish, without all the added calories of actual wine. You can pick them up in several different supermarkets.
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We like to cook this in a slow cooker. You can pick up slow cookers in most large supermarkets, or online from Amazon.
The Instant Pot is basically a super slow cooker with a whole heap of other functions. It’s the safest pressure cooker out there – and you can have pulled pork cooked in just an hour! Yes, an hour! They’re available on Amazon, and if you follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter we’ll let you know whenever it’s on offer.
How many calories are in this Cuban Beef (Ropa Vieja)?
There are 279 calories in each portion of our slimming friendly Cuban Beef (Ropa Vieja). This means it falls into our Weekly Indulgence recipe category.
This recipe is perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
In the slow cooker
Step 1
Season the meat well with salt and pepper, then spray a frying pan with low calorie cooking spray.
Step 2
Heat the pan and brown the meat on both sides.
Step 3
Add all the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker along with the browned meat.
Step 4
Set the slow cooker to high and cook for 6 hours (or medium for 8 hours).
Step 5
Shred the meat with 2 forks (when cooked, the meat should shred easily).
Step 6
If the sauce is still a little thin remove the lid and allow to reduce slightly.
Step 7
Serve on a bed of rice, or with whatever you fancy.
In the Instant Pot
Step 1
Season the meat well with salt and pepper, then spray the bowl of the Instant Pot with low calorie cooking spray – place into Sauté mode.
Step 2
Heat the pot and brown the meat on both sides.
Step 3
Add the remaining ingredients to the pot with the browned meat. Set the Instant Pot to Manual for 1 hour, then use Natural Pressure Release.
Step 4
Shred the meat with 2 forks (when cooked, the meat should shred easily).
Step 5
If the sauce is still a little thin remove the lid and set to Sauté to reduce slightly.
Step 6
Serve on a bed of rice, or with whatever you fancy.
What should you should serve with Cuban Beef (Ropa Vieja)?
Any of the following go really well with this recipe. It’s one of those dishes that goes with pretty much anything. It’s so hearty it can of course be eaten on its own!
Whatever accompaniment you choose, don’t forget to account for the extra calories and/or other nutritional values.
Can you cook this recipe another way?
You can cook this recipe either in a slow cooker, electric pressure cooker or oven.
Slow Cooker: 6-8 hours or so – see further instructions in the recipe card below.
Pressure Cooker: 1 hour or so – see further instructions in the recipe card below.
Oven: You could cook this in the oven in a casserole dish with a tight fitting lid, or in an oven tray with some foil tightly wrapped around the top. Cook for 2-3 hours at 170-180°C, checking every 30 minutes or so.
How do you know when Cuban Beef (Ropa Vieja) is cooked?
You should cook this dish until the beef literally shreds when pulled apart with a pair of forks.
This should take approx 1 hour in the pressure cooker, 6 hours in the slow cooker (high) or 2 hours in the oven (170°C).
How long can you keep Cuban Beef (Ropa Vieja) in the fridge?
Once you’ve served it, ideally you should eat this dish within 4 hours.
If you allow any left overs to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill. You can keep leftovers of Cuban Beef (Ropa Vieja) in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so.
Can I freeze Cuban Beef (Ropa Vieja)?
Yes you can! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;
- Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough.
- Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.
Don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer!
How do I reheat Cuban Beef (Ropa Vieja)?
From chilled: Place in a microwave proof container with loosely fitting lid and heat for 4-7 minutes until piping hot.
From frozen: Allow to defrost, and heat covered in the microwave for 3-5 minutes then stir. Cook for a further 5-7 minutes until piping hot.
Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe.
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Cuban Beef (Ropa Vieja)
This Cuban Beef (Ropa Vieja) is one of the best slimming-friendly hearty meals, whether you’re calorie counting or following a plan like Weight Watchers.
-
Prep Time
10 MINS
-
Cook Time
6 HR
- KCals 279
- Carbs 17G
Instructions
In the Slow Cooker
- Season the meat well with salt and pepper, then spray a frying pan with low calorie cooking spray
- Heat the pan and brown the meat on both sides
- Add all the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker along with the browned meat
- Set the slow cooker to high and cook for 6 hours (or medium for 8 hours)
- Shred the meat with 2 forks (when cooked the meat should shred easily)
- If the sauce is still a little thin remove the lid and allow to reduce slightly
- Serve on a bed of rice, or with whatever you fancy
In the Instant Pot
- Season the meat well with salt and pepper, then spray the bowl of the Instant Pot with low calorie cooking spray - place into Sauté mode.
- Heat the pot and brown the meat on both sides.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pot with the browned meat. Set the Instant Pot to Manual for 1 hour, then use Natural Pressure Release.
- Shred the meat with 2 forks (when cooked the meat should shred easily).
- If the sauce is still a little thin remove the lid and set to Sauté to reduce slightly.
- Serve on a bed of rice, or with whatever you fancy.
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86 comments
See what others have to say
HayleyFriday 14th January 2022
Love this recipe! I have made it countless times in my slow cooker. I have recently bought a pressure cooker and would love to try it in that but the options are either low or high and not manual. Would I use the high setting for this?
HollyMonday 17th January 2022
Hey Hayley, on some models of pressure cookers the high mode is the same as manual pressure. Hope that helps!
Shannon RobsonFriday 14th January 2022
Hello, I made this in my instant pot. For the correct time and correct method, however, the sauce was very thin and watery also the peppers had turned really soft. Can I have some tips please? Thank you Shannon
HollyMonday 17th January 2022
Hey Shannon, If the sauce is still a little thin remove the lid and set to Sauté to reduce slightly we also have THIS article which talks through how to thicken soups and stews which you might find helpful. Hope that helps!
Cathy JellicoeSunday 2nd May 2021
Can I cook Cuban beef in the oven??
HollyMonday 10th May 2021
Hey Cathy, Yes you could cook this in the oven in a casserole dish with a tight fitting lid, or in an oven tray with some foil tightly wrapped around the top. Cook for 2-3 hours at 170-180°C, checking every 30 minutes or so. Hope that helps!
Mrs Helen A BevanFriday 16th April 2021
Can I use brisket beef, if so do I need to cube it fordt
HollyWednesday 21st April 2021
Hey Helen, beef brisket should be okay for this recipe we find cheaper cuts of beef tend to work better for this low and slow meal, hope that helps!
Fee HyslopTuesday 13th April 2021
I am planning on doing the Cuban beef tomorrow night, can I used red wine stock pot instead of white ?
LisaWednesday 14th April 2021
Hi Fee
Yes, that will be fine. You’ll get a deeper richer flavour. Hope you enjoy the recipe.
CarolineSunday 7th February 2021
I’m a little confused, on this recipe it says 279KCAL per serving but in the green book it’s 417KCAL? Exactly the same ingredients.
HollyMonday 8th February 2021
Hi Caroline, The book went to print to the best of our knowledge and calculations. However, it is always the case that books have corrections and errors on a first print. Once any typos, spelling errors or calorie calculations are found, these are submitted to our publisher so that the corrections can be made for reprints, so the most recent print of the book will always be the most correct. In this case the website calories are correct. Hope that helps!
MoyaWednesday 6th January 2021
This looks amazing!!! Unfortunately I’m not in the UK so wine stockpots are not available here (don’t want to use wine/wine reduction) could I substitute extra white wine vinegar or would that be too acidic? Failing that I’ve heard you can use white grape juice (trying to keep the Syns as low as possible).
Thanks again for yet another fabulous recipe!! You agree a genuine lifeline that LOVE to cook but need to watch the weight X
HollyWednesday 6th January 2021
Hi Moya, so glad you enjoy our recipes! You could try adding in a little grape, pomegranate or cranberry juice instead of the stock pot or as you said a little extra of the white wine vinegar. Hope that helps!
Nicole McguireSunday 3rd January 2021
Make this weekly! Absolutley love it! I use the hob/oven method available in the book, and use white wine stock cubes… absolute hit! Even my fussy 9year old stepson loves this… it’s our new mince and tatties!
HollyMonday 4th January 2021
Hi Nicole, so glad to hear that you enjoy the Cuban Beef!
aliciaWednesday 17th February 2021
hey. help! i don’t have any white or red wine stock cubes what can i use as an alternative?
HollyFriday 12th March 2021
Hi Alicia, if you don’t have any red wine stock pots you could use 2 tbsp of red wine or 2 tbsp red wine vinegar instead, hope that helps!
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