Carne Guisada (Ridiculously Good Beef Stew)
This Puerto Rican style Carne Guisada is ridiculously good. The beef is seasoned with sazon, adobo, and sofrito, then stewed on the stovetop on low in a rich broth until fork tender. It’s a surprisingly simple yet impressive comfort meal that’s perfect served over a bed of rice.
How could you not love fork tender pieces of beef, especially when they’ve been slow cooked in a rich gravy?!
This cozy Carne Guisada is one of those Puerto Rican recipes that makes you feel at home. If you’ve had any kind of beef stew before, you know how tender that signature low and slow simmer on the stovetop leaves the meat. It’s perfection!
Like this Asopao de Pollo, it’s pretty easy to make; as long as you’ve got patience, that fall-apart beef and thick broth is 100% worth the wait.
Serve it up with my mom’s arroz con gandules or arroz amarillo, a splash of pique, some fresh cilantro, and you’ve got yourself a super satisfying meal.
I promise, you’ll be fighting your family for any leftovers. Le prometo!
What You’ll Need
- achiote oil or olive oil
- beef stew meat (sirloin, chuck, round roast, etc.)
- carrot
- potatoes
- sofrito
- sazon seasoning
- adobo seasoning
- pimento olives, sliced
- tomato paste
- all purpose flour
- beef broth
- optional garnish: fresh cilantro, avocado, and/or pique
Find the full ingredient list with exact quantities in the recipe card below.
Step by Step Instructions
Tip: Store any leftovers in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 4 days. Freeze for up to 6 months and reheat in a small pot on the stovetop with a splash of water or beef broth.
What to Serve With Carne Guisada
Depending on where you’re enjoying carne guisada, you can find it paired with many different staple side dishes. The most common are simple rice dishes like this arroz con gandules or arroz amarillo. You can also serve with tortillas, stewed beans, or even mashed potatoes.
In my family we always enjoyed this version of beef stew with a bottle of homemade pique (Puerto Rican hot sauce), a sliced avocado and fresh cilantro.
Tips for The Best Guisada, Every Time
- Sear your beef. Listen, I understand the temptation to throw everything into the pot and get it over with, but this step is the most important in developing flavor. The crust and browning of the beef is key in developing that rich gravy that we all want.
- Don’t skip the sofrito/recaito. And if you can’t find any at the store or don’t have time to make your own, use a blend of diced bell pepper, onion, garlic, and cilantro. Add them once the beef is browned, and sauté for a few minutes before adding the flour.
- Low and slow, baby! It’s no secret that the key to a good stew is patience. You must give the beef time to break down and become pull-apart, fork tender. Cook up some rice, fold some laundry or listen to a good podcast while you let everything simmer over low heat and enjoy your life! Good food is coming.
Easy Additions
Carne guisada can be found in many variations across Latin America, but the common component is always tender beef slow cooked in a rich broth. The differences are usually found in the spices and vegetables.
Here are some easy ideas for trying something new:
- Tomatoes: It’s quite common to find diced tomatoes used in this stew, even in Puerto Rico. Feel free to add tomatoes (cut into 2 inch cubes) at the same time as the sofrito and watch the broth become even richer!
- Red wine: Many popular versions of this recipe include a splash of red wine or vinegar to help add to the flavors in the gravy. Feel free to add a tablespoon of wine at the same time as the broth, if desired.
- Bell Peppers: Our sofrito adds some bell pepper to this version of stewed beef, but you can always add chopped bell peppers (as well as onions and garlic) to the beef before adding the flour if you’d like to add more veggies!
Know that you can always leave out the potatoes, carrots, or olives if you don’t have or don’t want them. It’s your stew, I’m just here to help!
More Cozy Latin Recipes
Buen Provecho!
Carne Guisada (Ridiculously Good Beef Stew)
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish, Entree
- Method: Stewed
- Cuisine: Puerto Rican
Description
This Puerto Rican style Carne Guisada is ridiculously good. The beef is seasoned with sazon, adobo, and sofrito, then stewed on the stovetop on low in a rich broth until fork tender. It’s a surprisingly simple yet impressive comfort meal that’s perfect served over a bed of rice.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp achiote oil or olive oil
- 3 lbs beef stew meat (sirloin, chuck, round roast, etc.), cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 large carrot, chopped into bite sized pieces
- 2 potatoes, chopped into bite sized pieces
- 1/2 cup sofrito
- 2 tsp sazon seasoning
- 2 tsp adobo seasoning
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1/2 cup pimento olives, sliced
- optional garnish: fresh cilantro, avocado, and/or pique
Instructions
- Sear the beef. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat before adding the beef cubes. Sear until browned, for about 8 minutes. Transfer the beef to a plate.
- Cook the veggies. Add the carrot, potatoes, and sofrito to the pot and continue to cook until the sofrito is fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add spices and tomato paste to the pot. Mix well to coat everything with the tomato paste, scraping at the bottom of the pot to capture the browned bits.
- Add flour, beef, both, and simmer. Sprinkle the flour over everything and stir again to coat all of the beef and veggies with the flour. Cook for a minute or two before returning the beef to the pot. Slowly pour in the broth, mixing everything together and scraping the bottom of the pot as you do. Add the olives.
- Cover & stew. Bring to a boil before covering the pot and stewing over low heat for 90 minutes, or until the beef is fork tender. Make sure to check the pot every 20 minutes or so, to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom, adding more broth or water if the broth is too thick.
- Add salt to taste & enjoy! Serve the guisada with any desired sides like rice, beans, or tortillas. Garnish with cilantro, avocado, and/or pique.
Notes
Tip: Store any leftovers in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 4 days. Freeze for up to 6 months and reheat in a small pot on the stovetop with a splash of water or beef broth.