Learning to make Cuban Carne Con Papa from my father, who was a chef in Cuba, taught me that the best comfort food comes from simple ingredients cooked with care and tradition. This authentic carne con papa recipe is the same hearty Cuban beef and potato stew my father made for our family every week – tender beef chuck simmered with russet potatoes, olives, capers, and bell peppers in a rich tomato-based sauce that's pure Cuban soul food.
For nearly forty years, this foolproof family recipe has been my go-to for weeknight dinners, and this Instant Pot version makes it even easier to bring authentic Cuban flavors to your table in just one hour. Cuban carne guisada (beef stew) is quintessential comfort food that's perfect for meal prep, feeding a large family, or serving alongside fluffy white rice for a complete traditional Cuban meal that'll warm you from the inside out.
Why you'll love this carne guisada
- This instant pot recipe is great when feeding a large family.
- This cuban food makes for a delicious meal to serve during the week.
- Perfect comfort meal and great for meal prep.
Carne con Papas Ingredients
- Beef for stew (beef chuck roast cut into chunks)
- Vegetable oil
- Salt
- Sazon con achiote
- Ground cumin
- Black pepper
- Bay leaves
- Yellow onion
- Garlic
- Green bell pepper
- Red bell pepper
- Tomato sauce
- Red cooking wine
- Russet potatoes
- Pimento stuffed olives
- Capers
How to Make Carne con Papas
- Start by setting your Instant Pot to saute and add to it the oil, bell peppers, onions, bay leaf and garlic. Sauté until translucent, about 10 minutes
2. Add to the Instant Pot the beef and sauté until lightly browned.
3. Add the tomato sauce, cooking wine, water, olives, capers, salt, black pepper and cumin. Stir gently and cover the Instant Pot. Set to meat stew at low pressure for 30 minutes.
4. Release the steam and open the Instant Pot. Add the potatoes and set to Sauté. Continue to cook while occasionally stirring until the potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes.
5. Serve immediately.
Cuban Carne con Papas Recipe Variations & Substitutions
- Instead of water, you can always use beef broth.
- Don't have vegetable oil? you can use olive oil or corn oil.
- Don't have an Instant pot? You can use a pressure cooker or use a dutch oven.
- Don't have russet potatoes? You can use red potatoes instead
- Don't eat beef? swap the beef for bone-in chicken and you'll have fricase de pollo.
What to serve with carne con papa
This dish is typically served with arroz blanco, also known as white rice.
Storage for this cuban beef stew
Store any left over Cuban stew in an air tight container in the refrigerator for upt 3-5 days. Reheat using a microwave.
Check out these other Cuban Recipes
Cuban Carne Con Papa
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of beef for stew
- ¼ cup of vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 1 packet of sazon con achiote
- ¼ teaspoon of ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 1 cup of red cooking wine
- 1 cup of water
- 2 pounds of peeled and chopped idaho potatoes
- ¼ cup of pimento stuffed olives
- ¼ cup of capers
Instructions
- Start by setting your Instant Pot to saute and add to it the oil, bell peppers, onions, bay leaf and garlic. Sauté until translucent, about 10 minutes
- Add to the Instant Pot the beef and saute until lightly browned.
- Add the tomato sauce, cooking wine, water, olives, capers, salt, black pepper and cumin. Stir gently and cover the Instant Pot. Set to meat stew at low pressure for 30 minutes.
- Release the steam and open the Instant Pot. Add the potatoes and set to Sauté. Continue to cook while occasionally stirring until the potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
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