Crockpots are the ultimate in easy cooking! Ropa Vieja is a cuban dish that is so versatile ~ You can serve it over yellow rice, you can stuff it in Tacos or Burritos, or you can make sliders out of it. It is great to serve to a crowd, so you can keep your holiday entertaining simple! When I make this dish, I tend to be generous with the spices. I’ve listed lower spice amounts here, but feel free to play with the amount of spices yourself, based on your personal taste!
(FYI – Ropa Vieja is Cuban for “Old Rags” because it is shredded!)
Crockpot Ropa Vieja
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Ropa Vieja is a cuban dish that is so versatile ~ You can serve it over yellow rice, you can stuff it in Tacos or Burritos, or you can make sliders out of it. It is great to serve to a crowd, so it is great for football games, holiday, or just entertaining for a crowd!
Author: SimpleSolutionsDiva.com
Recipe type: Slow cooker/Main dish
Cuisine: Cuban
Serves: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 2 lb. Pork Tenderloin OR 4-6 Boneless Chicken Breasts
- 1 cup Mojo Sauce/Marinade (find it in ethnic or mexican food aisle of grocery store)
- 1 cup Chicken Broth (add more if you would like more liquid)
- 2 T. Minced Garlic (add more or less to taste)
- 1 tsp. cumin (add more to taste)
- 1 T Chili Powder (add more to taste)
- 1 Vidalia Onion, chopped
- 1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chilies
- Optional Ingredients (If you like smokey flavor):
- ½ tsp. Smoked Paprika
- 1 or 2 smoked chipotle peppers, finely chopped (Found in the mexican food aisle in a can)
Instructions
- NOTE: The ingredients list is for a milder version of this recipe. If you love spiciness, increase the garlic to 4 T.; cumin to 1 T; Chili powder to 2 T. I recommend playing with the ingredients based on your taste!
- Place chopped onions in bottom of crockpot; lay meat over the onions.
- Pour chicken broth and mojo sauce/marinade over meat.
- Add spices, can of Rotel, and any remaining ingredients.
- Cover and cook on high for four hours, or low for 8.
- When it is finished cooking, use two forks and gently shred the meat right in the crockpot and mix it well into the juices. (Learn from my mistake - use oven mitts when shredding - the steam is extremely hot!)
- Serve over yellow rice and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Or serve it up as taco meat/burrito meat, or as sliders on mini rolls. I love to use green Tabasco sauce (it is milder) as a condiment with this.