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A white dish filled with shredded beef in a red sauce with sliced red peppers, served with a spoon.

Cuban Ropa Vieja (Easy Instant Pot Recipe)

This Cuban ropa vieja pressure cooks flank steak in a rich sofrito and tomato sauce with bell peppers, pimientos, and white wine until fall-apart tender then shreds it into a deeply flavorful braised beef stew.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients
  

Meat & Produce
  • 2 lbs flank steak
  • 1 large yellow onion thinly sliced
  • 1 large green bell pepper thinly sliced
  • 1 large red bell pepper thinly sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
Flavor Builders
  • 4 tbsp sofrito Loisa
  • 4 oz jarred pimientos drained and sliced
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp salt plus more to taste
  • ½ tsp black pepper
Liquids & Sauce
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 1 cup reserved beef braising liquid
  • 16 oz tomato sauce
  • 6 oz tomato paste
  • 2 bay leaves

Instructions
 

  1. Cut the flank steak into 3–4 inch chunks. Season well with salt and black pepper. In the pot (sauté mode if using an Instant Pot), sear the chunks on all sides until well browned, about 2–3 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
  2. In the same pot, sauté the onion, green pepper, and red pepper for 2–3 minutes until slightly softened. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  3. Base Add the sofrito and tomato paste to the pot. Stir in the oregano, cumin, and smoked paprika. Cook everything together for 2–3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the paste deepens in color and the spices are fragrant.
  4. Pour in the white wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Let most of the wine evaporate, about 2–3 minutes.
  5. Add the tomato sauce, beef broth, and bay leaves to the pot. Stir to combine, then nestle the seared meat chunks back in so they’re submerged in the sauce. Seal and pressure cook on high for 55 minutes, then let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before opening.
  6. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and shred with two forks into long strands. Return the shredded beef to the pot and stir to coat in the sauce. Taste and adjust salt.
  7. Stir in the pimientos and simmer uncovered for 10–15 minutes to thicken slightly. Remove the bay leaves. Let the ropa vieja rest in the sauce for at least 15 minutes before serving — this is what makes it extra flavorful.

Notes

  • Do not rush the sear. A proper browned crust on the outside of the flank steak chunks is what builds the deep, rich flavor base of the entire dish. Take the extra minutes.
  • The 15-minute rest at the end before serving is not optional. The shredded beef absorbs the sauce during that rest and the finished dish is noticeably more flavorful than one served immediately.
  • Loisa sofrito is available in most grocery stores in the Latin foods aisle and is a genuinely excellent shortcut that adds authentic flavor without any extra prep.
  • This tastes significantly better the next day. If you can make it ahead, do it.

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