Carne Guisada
intro
Tender, slow-simmered beef in a rich, spiced tomato gravy, served with warm tortillas, rice, or beans for a cozy, deeply flavorful family meal.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep and season beef
Pat the 900g cubed beef chuck completely dry with paper towels, then toss evenly with 1 teaspoon (6g) of the kosher salt, all the ground black pepper, and the 2 tablespoons (16g) of all-purpose flour until every cube is lightly coated. Set aside at room temperature for 10 minutes while you prep remaining vegetables.
Sear the beef cubes
Heat 2 tablespoons (30ml) of neutral vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat (190°C / 375°F). Working in 2 equal batches to avoid crowding the pan, add beef cubes in a single layer and sear for 3-4 minutes per side, until deep golden brown on all surfaces. Transfer seared beef to a clean plate and set aside.
Sauté the aromatics
Reduce heat to medium (160°C / 320°F) in the same Dutch oven, using the leftover oil and browned pan bits (fond) from searing. Add the diced yellow onion and jalapeño, cooking for 5 minutes until soft and translucent, then add the minced garlic and 2 tablespoons (32g) tomato paste, stirring constantly for 1 minute until the tomato paste darkens to a deep rust color and smells fragrant.
Build the gravy base
Pour in 125ml (1/2 cup) of the beef broth, scraping the bottom of the pan thoroughly with a wooden spoon to lift all browned fond bits into the liquid. Add the crushed Roma tomatoes, remaining 375ml (1.5 cups) beef broth, ground cumin, dried oregano, smoked paprika, and remaining 0.5 teaspoon (3g) kosher salt, stirring to combine fully. Bring the entire mixture to a gentle simmer.
Slow-simmer the beef
Return the seared beef and any accumulated juices from the plate back into the Dutch oven, stirring to submerge all pieces in the gravy. Reduce heat to low (110°C / 230°F), cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer for 60 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes to prevent sticking on the pan bottom, until the beef is nearly fork-tender.
Add potatoes and finish
Uncover the pot, stir in the 200g cubed russet potato, and replace the lid. Continue simmering on low heat for 20 additional minutes, until the potatoes are fully tender when pierced with a fork and the beef pulls apart easily with gentle pressure. Taste and adjust salt if needed before serving.
Tips
2.Keep the simmer at the lowest possible heat while cooking the beef—a hard, rolling boil will make the beef tough instead of melt-in-your-mouth tender.
3.If the gravy is too thin once the beef and potatoes are done, simmer uncovered for 3-5 minutes to thicken it to a rich, coating consistency; if it thickens too much during cooking, stir in a small splash of extra beef broth.
Made this for my husband’s birthday potluck with his work crew and people were coming up to me asking for the recipe all night! I was a little nervous because I’ve never made carne guisada from scratch before, but the steps were totally doable even as a medium-difficulty recipe. The slow simmer made the beef so fall-apart tender, and the only tweak I made was adding a tiny extra jalapeño for a little more kick, and it was *chef’s kiss*. Served with corn tortillas and pickled red onions, SO good.
Took me about an hour 45 total start to finish, right on the money for the listed cook time! I usually make carne guisada on the stove for 3 hours so I was skeptical the meat would be tender enough, but cutting the chuck into smaller 1-inch cubes and keeping the simmer low really did the trick. Only knock is I wish the recipe made a little more gravy, I’m a sauce guy so I ended up adding a half cup extra beef broth halfway through. Also my whole house smelled like this for 2 days and it made me hungry every time I walked in the kitchen lmao.
Meal prepped this on Sunday and it held up perfectly all week for work lunches! I portioned it out with white rice and roasted veggies, and it reheated like a dream in the microwave—no weird rubbery meat texture at all. Total game changer for my weekly lunch routine, will absolutely be adding this to my regular rotation, so much better than the sad takeout I usually grab for lunch.
Quick question—has anyone tried making this in a slow cooker instead of the stovetop? I work 10 hour shifts so I love being able to dump ingredients in before I leave and come home to dinner ready. Also, can I use sirloin instead of chuck roast? It’s the only beef I have in the freezer right now.
My kids loved it!!! I was worried the cumin and chili powder would be too spicy for my toddlers, so I cut the spice quantities in half and it was perfect for them. They dipped their tortillas in it like it was queso, I’ve never seen them eat so many veggies without complaining (shoutout to the diced tomatoes and peppers in there that they didn’t even notice).
Added a handful of chopped Yukon gold potatoes to the simmer the last 20 minutes like my abuela used to make, and it turned out so nostalgic. The base recipe has the perfect balance of savory, tomatoey, spiced flavor that takes add-ins so well. Already texted the recipe link to my cousin who’s been begging for a good carne guisada recipe.
Wait, hold on—am I the only one who accidentally used stew meat from the grocery store that was pre-cut and it still turned out amazing? I didn’t even have to chop anything, just dumped the meat in to sear, followed the rest of the steps exactly, and my partner said it’s the best thing I’ve ever cooked. The medium difficulty rating made me think I’d mess it up, but it was so straightforward!
Made this for our weekly taco night and it completely replaced our usual ground beef taco filling! The flavor is so much deeper and richer, I loaded up my tacos with cotija, lime, and a dollop of sour cream. Only note: make sure you don’t rush the searing step! I tried to rush the first batch of meat and it didn’t get that nice brown crust, but the second batch was perfect when I let it sit for a few minutes per side.
Brought this to a neighborhood beach potluck last weekend and it was gone in 15 minutes flat! I kept it warm in my insulated crockpot carrier, and people were piling it on tortilla chips to make little loaded nachos too, which I didn’t even think of. The only issue was I didn’t save any leftovers for myself, total bummer. Guess I’ll have to make a double batch next time!
Solid recipe, but I wish it had a little more smoky flavor. I ended up adding a teaspoon of smoked paprika and a tiny splash of adobo sauce from a can of chipotles, and that pushed it from good to great for me. Will make again with those little tweaks, the texture of the meat was absolutely perfect even without my additions.
I’ve been making carne guisada for over 40 years, and I have to say this recipe is pretty close to the one I learned from my mom! The only thing I do different is add a pinch of Mexican oregano instead of regular, but that’s just a family preference. My grandkids ate two plates each when I made this last Sunday for our weekly family dinner, so that’s the highest praise there is.
Full transparency: I burned the first batch of veggies because I got distracted by my dog barking at the mailman, so I had to start over. The second time around, I paid attention, and WOW. Even with my messy cooking skills, this turned out restaurant quality. Who knew a little patience with the simmer would make such a big difference?
Perfect post-hike meal! I made this the night before a big backpacking trip, vacuum sealed portions, and reheated it on my camp stove at the campsite. It was so hearty and filling after 8 miles of hiking, warmed me right up when the temperature dropped at night. 10/10 for camp meals too, not just weeknight dinners!
This is such a budget-friendly recipe! Chuck roast was on sale at my grocery store for $3.99 a pound, all the veggies are cheap pantry staples, and it feeds 6 people easily. I fed my roommates and we all had leftovers for under $10 total, that’s cheaper than fast food for all of us. Obsessed.
So happy this recipe is naturally gluten free! I have celiac and so many carne guisada recipes sneak in flour to thicken the gravy, but this one thickens perfectly just from the slow simmer and tomato base, no weird thickeners needed. Served it over cauliflower rice for a lower carb dinner and it was chef’s kiss.
Good flavor, but I had to turn the heat up a little higher at the end to get the gravy to thicken up like the photos showed. I followed the recipe exactly but my gravy was pretty runny after an hour and 40 minutes, maybe my stovetop runs cooler than most? Tasted great otherwise, I’ll just adjust the temp next time.