Cuban Ropa Vieja

I have a feeling the crockpot is going to be my best friend for the next few months. This morning while my guy was hanging out in the swing, I was able to put together this crockpot meal before heading out for a playdate.

I've been wanting to make this since I went out for Cuban food with my girlfriends last month, so when this recipe was recommended, I jumped at the chance to try it. I followed it pretty closely, just increasing the amount of garlic and cumin. Here is the original recipe. It was really good and definitely going into my crockpot rotation!

Cuban Ropa Vieja
Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 pounds beef flank steak
1 cup beef broth
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 small onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar

Directions:

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the flank steak on each side, about 4 minutes per side.

Transfer beef to a slow cooker. Pour in the beef broth and tomato sauce, then add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomato paste, cumin, cilantro, olive oil and vinegar. Stir until well blended. Cover, and cook on High for 4 hours, or on Low for up to 10 hours. When ready to serve, shred meat and serve over yellow rice.

ZACH'S RATING - ****