When the weather gets cold, I crave low and slow cooked meals, like this Carne Guisada. Puerto Rican beef stew is one of my mom's specialties, I always got super excited whenever she said this was on the menu. Good carne guisada is like a warm belly hug, full of deliciously tender meat, potatoes, carrots and plenty of Latin spices. This is a dish that requires some patience, but the wait is definitely worth it. You'll need a few Puerto Rican staples for this recipe, like adobo, sazon and sofrito; they're essential flavor components in this dish.
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 lbs chuck roast, cut into 1/2″ cubes
2 teaspoons Adobo seasoning
1/4 cup sofrito
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
2 teaspoons Sazon seasoning (with annatto)
1 teaspoon powdered chicken bouillon
1 14 oz. can beef broth
1/3 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup tomato sauce
3 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
10 pimento stuffed olives
1 medium carrot, sliced
1 medium potato, diced
1-2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Season the beef cubes with 2 teaspoons of Adobo. Heat a Dutch oven to medium heat, then add the olive oil. In 2-3 batches, sear the beef for 3-5 minutes per side, in order to get some nice browning on the outside. This caramelization will add great flavor to your stew. Once the beef is browned, remove from the pan and set it aside.
Add the onions and sofrito to the pan. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
Next, add the Sazon, powdered chicken bouillon, beef broth, red wine, tomato sauce, bay leaves and Italian seasoning. Bring the mixture to a boil, then add the beef back in.
Stir, then cover and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook the carne guisada for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Next, add the potatoes, carrots, and olives, then cook for 30 minutes more.
When the carrots and potatoes are tender, the carne guisada is done. Stir in the vinegar, then check the stew for seasoning. If it needs more salt, add a little bit more powdered chicken bouillon (this stuff is super salty, so use sparingly).
Serve the carne guisada with white rice, tostones and an avocado salad.
Carne Guisada (Puerto Rican Beef Stew)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2½ lbs chuck roast, cut into ½" cubes
- 2 teaspoons Adobo seasoning
- ¼ cup sofrito
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 2 teaspoons Sazon seasoning (with annatto)
- 1 teaspoon powdered chicken bouillon
- 1 14 oz. can beef broth
- ⅓ cup dry red wine
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- 3 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 10 pimento stuffed olives
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 1 potato, diced
- 1-2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- Season the beef cubes with 2 teaspoons of Adobo.
- Heat a Dutch oven to medium heat, then add the olive oil.
- In 2-3 batches, sear the beef for 3-5 minutes per side, in order to get some nice browning on the outside.
- Once the beef is browned, remove from the pan and set it aside.
- Add the onions and sofrito to the pan.
- Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen the brown bits.
- Next, add the Sazon, powdered chicken bouillon, beef broth, red wine, tomato sauce, bay leaves and Italian seasoning.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then add the beef back in.
- Stir, then cover and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook the carne guisada for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Next, add the potatoes, carrots, and olives, then cook for 30 minutes more.
- When the carrots and potatoes are tender, the carne guisada is done.
- Stir in the vinegar, then check the stew for seasoning.
- If it needs more salt, add a little bit more powdered chicken bouillon (this stuff is super salty, so use sparingly).
- Serve with white rice, tostones and a salad.
