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    Home » Recipes » Traditional Puerto Rican Classics

    Modified: 23 Jan, 2025 · Published: 9 Jan, 2025 by Zoe Forestier Villegas · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Carne Guisada, Puerto Rican Beef Stew

    ↓ Jump to Recipe

    Carne guisada is a classic Puerto Rican dish that warms the heart and fills the soul. This flavorful beef stew is made with tender chunks of beef, a rich tomato-based sauce, and a blend of traditional Puerto Rican seasonings that bring it all together. It’s the kind of dish perfect for a weeknight meal or a special family gathering.

    A pot with carne guisada and a large spoon hovering over the pot full of stew.

    Carne guisada shares its heartwarming essence with other Puerto Rican recipes like Sancocho (hearty stew) and Arroz con Pollo, a Puerto Rican one pot meal. These dishes all use Sofrito as a flavor foundation, along with Puerto Rican Garlic Paste, to create bold, comforting meals.

    Like Arroz con Gandules, Asopao de Pollo is a traditional chicken soup from Puerto Rico served after parties and on cooler weather, but all-in-all a warm comforting soup any time of the year, or Instant Pot Pernil. Carne Guisada showcases the island’s love for blending savory seasonings with tender proteins, making it a staple that reflects Puerto Rico’s rich culinary traditions. It’s a dish that combines the love for family gatherings and a deep connection to heritage through food. Serve carne guisada with either arroz blanco (Puerto Rican white rice) or arroz amarillo (Puerto Rican yellow rice)

    Jump To
    • Why you would love this recipe
    • Ingredient Notes
    • Variations and Substitutions
    • How to make Carne Guisada
    • Top Tip
    • Expert Tips
    • Recipe FAQs
    • More Puerto Rican-Inspired Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • Top Tip
    • Expert Tips
    • Comments

    Why you would love this recipe

    This recipe is pure comfort food—hearty, flavorful, and full of the vibrant spices that define Puerto Rican cooking. The tender beef and rich, savory sauce make it satisfying, and the potatoes and carrots give it a cozy, homey feel. It’s the kind of dish that feels like a warm hug, perfect for sharing with loved ones.

    • Bold Flavor: It’s packed with bold, traditional Puerto Rican flavors like sofrito, sazón, and adobo.
    • Tender and Juicy: The beef becomes tender and juicy, soaking up the rich tomato-based sauce.
    • Versatility: It’s versatile and pairs perfectly with rice, tostones, or even by itself as a hearty stew.

    Ingredient Notes

    Numbered ingredients for Carne Guisada. Ingredients are listed at the bottom: beef for stew, seasonings, peppers, onions, celery, achiote oil, sofrito, broth, garlic, bay leaves, carrots, potatoes, tomato sauce, vinegar, salt, capers, olives, and pumpkin.
    • Beef Stew Meat: The dish's star becomes tender and flavorful as it simmers. Some good cuts of meat would be Chuck Roast, Beef Stew Meat, Brisket, Round Roast, and Short Ribs.
    • Sofrito: This blend of herbs and vegetables is the flavor base of many Puerto Rican dishes, adding depth and aroma.
    • Achiote Oil: Provides color and a signature savory, slightly earthy taste.
    • Potatoes: They absorb the flavors of the sauce and make the dish more filling.

    See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.

    Variations and Substitutions

    • Protein Swap: Use pork, chicken thighs, or even tofu for a twist.
    • Vegetarian Version: Replace meat with hearty vegetables like eggplant, mushrooms, or chickpeas.
    • Spice Level: Add a diced jalapeño or crushed red pepper for some heat.
    • Root Veggies: Use yuca, sweet potatoes, or taro instead of regular potatoes for a Caribbean flair. Sancocho is a great recipe that will incorporate root vegetables and meats.

    How to make Carne Guisada

    Here are the step-by-step instructions to make this hearty beef stew

    Steps for carne guisada: 1) bowl with seasoned meat, 2) meat searing in a Dutch oven, 3) browned meat removed from Dutch oven, 4) onions, celery, and peppers added to Dutch oven, 5) adding garlic and bay leaves.
    1. Season meat with Loisa's adobo and sazón or a combination of salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, and oregano.
    2. Heat achiote oil in a Dutch oven or large pot and sear and brown beef.
    3. Remove the beef from the pot.
    4. Add onion, celery, and peppers. Saute vegetables until transparent.
    5. Add garlic, bay leaves, and sazon. Stir until incorporated.
    Steps for making carne guisada: 6) adding vinegar, 7) adding tomato sauce, 8) reincorporating beef, 9) Add carrots and broth, 10) add potatoes, olives, and capers.
    1. Once vegetables are softer, add vinegar and deglaze the pot.
    2. Add tomato sauce and incorporate.
    3. Return the meat to the pot and mix it thoroughly.
    4. Add carrots and beef broth. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
    5. Add potatoes, olives, and capers and incorporate. Cover and continue cooking for another 30 minutes.
    Bowl of frozen peas to be added to the stew.
    1. I had forgotten to add frozen peas to the list, which is entirely optional.
    Dutch oven with carne guisada, pumpkin and peas over a cutting board.
    1. Add the peas and pumpkin and adjust the liquid. You may add water or more broth to your preference for thickness. Continue to cook until vegetables are soft and meat is tender.
    Pot of carne guisada full of beef, carrots, potatoes, and peas.

    Top Tip

    This dish tastes even better the next day, so don’t hesitate to make it ahead of time.

    Expert Tips

    • Serve: Carne guisada is traditionally served over white rice, but it’s also fantastic with tostones (fried green plantains) or crusty bread to soak up the sauce. Pair it with a simple salad or avocado slices for a complete meal.
    • Marinate ahead of time: Marinate the beef in the adobo seasoning or Mojo marinate for a few hours or overnight for a deeper flavor.
    • If you like a thicker sauce, mash a few of the potatoes into the stew before serving.

    Recipe FAQs

    Can I make carne guisada in a slow cooker?

    Yes, you can! Transfer everything to a slow cooker after browning the beef and sautéing the aromatics. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours, adding the potatoes and carrots halfway through.

    Can I freeze carne guisada?

    Absolutely! Let it cool completely, then store it in an airtight container for up to three months. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.

    What if I do not have sofrito?

    You can substitute with a mix of minced onion, garlic, bell pepper, and cilantro to mimic the flavor of sofrito.

    Is carne guisada spicy?

    Traditionally, it’s not spicy. If you prefer heat, you can add a pinch of cayenne pepper or a diced chili.

    Two plates served with white rice, corn on the cob, steamed vegetables, and carne guisada. A Dutch oven with carne guisada sits on the table near the plates.

    More Puerto Rican-Inspired Recipes

    • A fully cooked tortilla Española garnished with chopped parsley, served on a wooden cutting board.
      Easy Tortilla Española, Spanish Omelette
    • Completed Sofrito sitting on a table with other ingredients to make sofrito.
      Puerto Rican Homemade Sofrito
    • A slice of carrot cake on a plate with the rest of the cake and another slice in the background.
      Tropical Carrot Cake with Banana and Coconut
    • A bowl of ceviche is in the center, with two smaller bowls of ceviche and forks. A large bowl of tostones is at the top right, with small lemon wedges at the top left.
      Ceviche de Pescado y Camarones, Grouper and Shrimp Ceviche

    I’d love to hear from you! Did you try this recipe? Leave a review and rating below. Let’s connect on Instagram, and don’t forget to join my weekly email list for fresh new recipes.

    📖 Recipe

    A pot with carne guisada and a large spoon hovering over the pot full of stew.

    Carne Guisada, Puerto Rican Beef Stew

    Zoé Forestier
    Carne guisada is a classic Puerto Rican dish that warms the heart and fills the soul.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 minutes mins
    Course Stews and Soups
    Cuisine Puerto Rican
    Servings 6 servings
    Calories 324 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 lb beef for stew
    • 1 tablespoon Loisa Sazon or your favorite sazon
    • 1 tablespoon cumin
    • 1 cubanelle pepper diced. If these are not available, use bell peppers
    • 6 sweet peppers diced. If these are not available, use bell peppers
    • 1 onion diced
    • 2 stalks celery diced
    • 2 tbsps achiote oil
    • 2 tablespoon sofrito
    • 1½ cups beef broth more if needed
    • 3 garlic cloves or 1 tablespoon garlic paste
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 2 carrots peeled and diced
    • 6 baby yukon potatoes or 2 regular potatoes cut into 6
    • 4 oz tomato sauce or 2 tablespoon tomato paste
    • 2 oz vinegar
    • salt to taste
    • pepper to taste
    • 2 tsps capers optional
    • 12 pimento olives optional
    • ½ cup frozen peas
    • 1 cup calabaza optional

    Instructions
     

    • Season meat with Loisa's adobo and sazón or a combination of salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, and oregano.
    • Heat achiote oil in a Dutch oven or large pot and sear and brown beef. (15 minutes).
    • Remove the beef from the pot.
    • Add onion, celery, and peppers. Saute vegetables until transparent. (15 minutes)
    • Add garlic, bay leaves, and sazon. Stir until incorporated. (10 minutes)
    • Once the vegetables are softer, add vinegar and deglaze the pot. (5 minutes)
    • Add tomato sauce and incorporate. (5 minutes)
    • Return the meat to the pot and mix it thoroughly.
    • Add carrots and beef broth. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
    • Add potatoes, olives, peas, pumpkin, and capers, and adjust the liquid. Cover and continue cooking for another 30 minutes.
    • You may add water or more broth to your preference for thickness. Continue to cook until vegetables are soft and meat is tender.
    QR Code

    Notes

    1. Top Tip

      This dish tastes even better the next day, so don’t hesitate to make it ahead of time.

      Expert Tips

      • Serve: Carne guisada is traditionally served over white rice, but it’s also fantastic with tostones (fried green plantains) or crusty bread to soak up the sauce. Pair it with a simple salad or avocado slices for a complete meal.
      • Marinate ahead of time: Marinate the beef in the adobo seasoning or Mojo marinate for a few hours or overnight for a deeper flavor.
      • If you like a thicker sauce, mash a few of the potatoes into the stew before serving.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 8ozCalories: 324kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 18gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 666mgPotassium: 982mgFiber: 6gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 7655IUVitamin C: 180mgCalcium: 73mgIron: 4mg
    Tried this recipe?If you try this recipe, I’d love to see it! Tag me on Instagram @girlmeetsfire_puertoricancookn/ so I can check it out and share your creation!
    « Achiote Oil
    Lasaña de Berenjena, Puerto Rican Eggplant Lasagna »

    Comments

    1. Zoe Forestier Villegas says

      May 14, 2025 at 8:49 pm

      5 stars
      Deliciously comforting

    5 from 1 vote
    Zoe standin in the kitchen smiling

    Hola! I'm Zoe. I love all things food and enjoy cooking. I created this site to reconnect with my Puerto Rican heritage while living in the United States. This is a great place to reconnect if you are floating in the diaspora. I would love to hear from you!

    About Zoe →

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    I’d love to hear from you! Did you try this recipe? Leave a review and rating below. Let’s connect on Instagram, and don’t forget to join my weekly email list for fresh new recipes.

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