Low carb Ropa Vieja is a classic Cuban dish that is hearty and full of flavor!  Beef braised in tomatoes, peppers, onions in a wonderful mix of spices. 

This amazingly flavorful and classic Cuban dish gets a Keto makeover. And the best part, it’s all prepared in the pressure cooker or Instant Pot. 

What would typically take 8 hours in a slow cooker to tenderize the roast, only takes 90 minutes, but tastes like it’s been slowly braising all day long!

For this recipe, chuck roast is used. Typically, Ropa Veija is most often made with flank steak, but the texture of chuck roast is so tender and juicy and it adds even more flavor.

What’s in Keto Ropa Vieja

• Chuck roast
• Red bell pepper
• Onion
• Garlic cloves
• Canned tomatoes
• Dried oregano
• Ground cumin
• Smoked paprika
• Bay leaf
• Apple cider vinegar
• Chicken or beef stock
• Green olives stuffed with pimentos
• Optional: chopped cilantro for garnish
• Light olive oil
• Salt and pepper

*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.

How to Make Ropa Vieja in the Instant Pot

Turn the instant pot setting to sauté.

Cut the chuck roast into large chunks to help with browning.

Add the olive oil and once hot, sear the meat on all sides, then remove and set aside.  Be sure to get some good color, this will give the meat great flavor!

Add in the peppers and sauté for about 3 minutes, then remove and set aside.

Sauté the onions for 2 minutes, then add in the garlic to sauté for about 20 seconds, careful not to burn it!

Add in all the spices and toast for 15 seconds while stirring.  This really helps to bring out their flavor!

Then deglaze the pot with the chicken (or beef) stock and tomatoes, and scrape up the brown bits on the bottom.

Turn the Instant Pot off, and add the meat back into the pot along with the bay leaf, vinegar and half the red bell peppers.  Reserve the other half to add back in after the meat has cooked.

Set to Pressure Cook/Manual for 90 minutes, and the steam valve to “sealing”.  Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release.

Remove the meat and shred using two forks.

Discard the bay leaf and add the meat back into the pot along with the reserve red peppers and sliced olives.

Set the Instant Pot back to sauté and cook for about 10 more minutes while you make your side dish.

I like to serve with my Lime Cilantro Cauliflower Rice and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.  If you want something a little more creamy, you can also serve it over this Loaded Creamy Cauliflower.

Store leftovers in the fridge for a few days.

What is Ropa Veija?

 The name Ropa Veija translates to “old clothes” in Spanish because its messy and colorful ingredients are thrown together like a pile of old clothes!

There’s an interesting story about the origins of this dish. Like many wonderful Cuban dishes, Ropa Veija started in Spain, but the story that’s been told about the name is that there was a very poor old man that shredded and cooked all his old clothes because he had no money for food.

As it cooked, the old man said a prayer over his boiling concoction and immediately his prayers were answered with a hearty and flavorful beef stew type dish known today as Ropa Veija!

Can I Freeze Leftover Low Ropa Veija?

You sure can! In fact, this makes an amazing meal prep idea. To freeze this low carb roast recipe, just take the shredded meat, with some of the juice from the cooker and place it in an air tight container. It will freeze for up to a couple of months just fine.

And speaking of great meal prep, this article, 25 Meal Prepping Ideas, gives excellent tips for making your meals in advance.

What’s the Best Cut of Beef for Ropa Veija?

Flank steak is use in most common Ropa Veija recipes because holds up well to braising and shreds well. But, like as in this recipe, you can also use chuck roast or skirt steak and some people even opt to use slow cooked shredded pork loin.

What’s the Best Way to Cook Ropa Veija?

There are different cooking methods you can experiment with. A pressure cooker or Instant Pot is a really quick and efficient way to ensure the beef is tender and juicy.

But you can certainly use a slow cooker. It will, of course, take much longer, but for those that do not have an Instant Pot, it’s the perfect alternative.

The Instant Pot model that I have is the Instant Pot DUO80 8 Quart 7-in-1 Multi- Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker and Warmer

Is Ropa Veija Keto?

This Cuban roast dish, is mainly meat with spices, so it’s a great Keto main dish option. The key to keeping the carbs down is to use quality ingredients that have to sugar added, so be sure and read the labels of the spices and the tomatoes.

Some ingredients, like tomatoes will have naturally occurring sugar but what you want to look for is anything that says, “no sugar added.”

More Keto and Low Carb Instant Pot recipes

• Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs
• Instant Pot Chicken Marsala
• Instant Pot No-Bean Chili
• Easy Instant Pot “Roasted” Chicken
• Instant Pot One Hour Chicken Stock
• Instant Pot Butter Chicken
• Best Instant Pot Roast with Gravy
• Instant Pot Pork Carnitas

More Healthy Keto Dinners

• Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole
• Pork Chops with Bacon Mushroom Gravy
• Thai Red Curry Coconut Grilled Chicken
• Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole
• Keto Chicken Pot Pie
• Easy Taco Casserole
• Cajun Salmon Alfredo
• Chicken Francese