Carne Guisada

Name: Carne Guisada
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 70 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Puerto Rican
Ingredients: 1kg beef chuck, cubed; 3 tbsp sofrito; 2 tbsp tomato sauce; 1 packet sazon; 2 potatoes, cubed; 2 carrots, sliced; 8 olives; 1 tbsp capers; 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 cups beef stock; 1 bay leaf; Salt, pepper, and adobo

Carne Guisada (KAR-neh gee-SAH-dah)

Puerto Rican Beef Stew

⏱ Prep Time 1 hour 30 min

📈 Difficulty Medium

👥 Servings

🔥 Calories 454 kcal

Tender chunks of beef braised in a rich sofrito, tomato, and olive sauce with potatoes and carrots until fork-tender.

Nutrition & Info

Protein 36.0g

Carbs 28.0g

Fat 22.0g

Protein Carbs Fat

Dietary

dairy-free gluten-free nut-free

Equipment Needed

caldero or Dutch oven wooden spoon knife

Presentation Guide

Vessel: deep plate

Garnishes: cilantro

Accompaniments: white rice, habichuelas, maduros

Ingredients

1kg beef chuck, cubed
3 tbsp sofrito
2 tbsp tomato sauce
1 packet sazon
2 potatoes, cubed
2 carrots, sliced
8 olives
1 tbsp capers
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups beef stock
1 bay leaf
Salt, pepper, and adobo

Instructions

1
Season beef cubes with adobo, sazon, salt, and pepper. Let rest twenty minutes.
2
Heat olive oil in a caldero. Sear beef in batches until browned on all sides. Remove and set aside.
3
Add sofrito and tomato sauce to the pot. Cook three minutes until darkened and fragrant.
4
Return beef to pot. Add stock, bay leaf, olives, and capers. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
5
Cover and cook forty-five minutes. Add potatoes and carrots, cook twenty more minutes until everything is tender.
6
Adjust seasoning and let the sauce thicken. Serve over white rice.

💡

Did You Know?

The key to great carne guisada is the searing step — Puerto Rican cooks call this "sellar la carne" and consider it non-negotiable for building deep flavor.

Chef's Notes

Equipment Tips

caldero or Dutch oven
wooden spoon
knife

Garnishing

cilantro

Accompaniments

white rice, habichuelas, maduros

The Story Behind Carne Guisada

Carne guisada is the beef counterpart to pollo guisado in the Puerto Rican kitchen, a slow-braised stew that transforms tough cuts of meat into tender, flavorful bites. The dish follows the fundamental sofrito-sazon-tomato technique that defines Puerto Rican cooking, applied to beef with the addition of olives and capers for brininess. Like all guisados, it is inseparable from white rice, and the sauce must be abundant enough to soak into every grain.

🕐 Traditionally enjoyed weekday dinner and sunday lunch 📜 Origins: Spanish colonial home cooking

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