Ropa Vieja -Shredded Beef Saute with Plantains and Vegetables

After the holidays, you’re tired of cooking and have a ton of leftovers. They’re the best for do-over meals like this Ropa Vieja – Shredded Beef Saute with Plantains and Vegetables, which you can spin into a fantastic new dish.

I made the traditional Beef Pochero over the holidays. It was a wholesome all-in-one entree with a tomato sauce broth base. But I made a huge pot of it, that there was more than enough left to make into another concoction.

“Ropa Vieja” (say ‘roh-pah vee-ye-hah’ ) means ‘old clothes’ in Spanish. Just as the Filipino Beef Pochero showcased the Spanish influence in our Filipino roots, so does this delightful beef saute from the leftovers.

You don’t need to measure anything. Just slice, shred and throw everything in the skillet. It takes only a few minutes. Before you can blink, dinner is done. Once you uncover the pan, the steam floats upwards to hit you with the heady aromas of a sweet tomato broth, a hint of fish sauce, mixed heavily with the tender beef shreds, spicy chorizo slices, crunchy vegetables and my favorite sweet banana plantains or ‘saging saba’ as I know it.

Make it a magical meal with a makeover platter of Ropa Vieja. It’s quick and you don’t have to go anywhere to buy the ingredients ~ you’ve got them right there in your kitchen. It’s an effortless and easy way to start the New Year!

For the complete recipe of Beef Pochero, please see my previous blog post.

Print Recipe

Ropa Vieja - Shredded Beef Saute with Plantains and Vegetables

Ropa Vieja, which is Spanish for ‘old clothes’ tastes nothing but old. It is a delicious dish combination of all the leftovers from the traditional Filipino Beef Pochero. I had enough leftovers to transform everything into a new meal. All I needed was approximately a cup of each: meat, various vegetables, tomato sauce, broth. Then the easiest and best part was to just saute everything together in a skillet and dinner was done in minutes. My mom loved to make this after our Sunday suppers, and I made it from memory. This is an AsianInAmericamag recipe and it serves 2 to 4.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time12 minutes mins

Total Time17 minutes mins

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American, Asian, Filipino, Spanish

Keyword: Ropa Vieja Shredded Beef

Servings: 2 people

Calories: 291kcal

Author: Elizabeth Ann Quirino

Equipment

• Large Skillet or Wok: 12 inches in diameter

Ingredients

• 4 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 whole onion chopped
• 1 Tablespoon patis (fish sauce)
• 1 cup tomato sauce leftover from Beef Pochero (or use canned )
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1 cup cooked shredded beef cooked, leftover from Pochero
• 1 whole Spanish Chorizo cooked and sliced, leftover from Beef Pochero
• 4 whole cooked potatoes quartered, cooked, from leftovers
• 1/2 cup cooked carrots from leftovers
• 1/2 cup sliced green beans from leftovers
• 1 cup shredded Chinese cabbage or bok choy cooked from leftovers
• 1 cup cooked, sliced saging saba (plantains) from leftovers
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper powder
• for serving: steamed rice

Instructions

• In a large skillet, over medium high heat, add the vegetable oil. Saute the garlic and onions. Add the patis (fish sauce). Cook for 1 minute till onions are soft and translucent.
• Add the tomato sauce from the Beef Pochero dish and broth. Blend well till broth boils. Lower heat.
• Add all the leftovers starting with the shredded beef and chorizos. Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add the rest of the leftover vegetables starting with the potatoes and carrots, then the green beans, banana plantains. Lastly, add the green leafy leftover vegetables. Simmer for 5 minutes more for flavors to blend. Do not overcook or leafy greens will get wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm with steamed rice.
• Photography credit: Thanks to Constante G. Quirino

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 2042mg | Potassium: 462mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 530IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg

Notes on Nutrition: The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.

Did you like this recipe?I have more Filipino Instant Pot recipes in my newest cookbook Instant Filipino Recipes: My Mother’s Traditional Philippine Cooking in A Multicooker Pot by Elizabeth Ann Besa-Quirino. I also have more classic recipes inspired by my mother’s cooking in my popular cookbook: My Mother’s Philippine Recipes. If you’re learning how to cook Filipino food or a fan of Philippine cuisine, buy my cookbooks and books on Amazon.com sold worldwide in paperback and Kindle format.

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