Instant Pot Tips
We love making this ropa vieja in our Instant Pot, and one of the best tips we have for making really juicy, tender meat is to use the “sauté” function. Pressure cooking can easily result in a dried out roast when you just throw it in and cook. So, we like to cut up our roast into large cubes (about 2 inch cubes), and then brown it with the “sauté” function before adding the rest of the ingredients and pressure cooking. Then, once the cooking cycle completes we like to let the pressure release naturally for at least 20 minutes to lock in the juices even more.
Serving Options
You have a lot of options for serving this ropa vieja. It comes out pretty saucy, almost like a stew, so you can use as much or as little of the sauce as you’d like. Our favorite way to enjoy it is to serve this ropa vieja over a bed of greens with some fried plantains on the side. It’s really the most satisfying combo! You can also serve it almost like a curry, with greens and white rice or cauliflower rice. Stick with cauliflower rice if you are doing a Whole30.
How To Fry Plantains – It’s Really Easy
If you’ve never fried plantains before, don’t be scared. Typically I see or hear the word fried, and I retreat because it sounds like a messy, scary process. But….stick with me here. Frying plantains is WAY EASY, and so worth it! All you do is score and peel your plantain(s). Slice them into rounds about 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick. Add coconut oil to a skillet and heat it up to medium-high heat. Once hot, add the plantains to the skillet and let them cook for a few minutes until the undersides start to brown, use tongs to flip them over and cook the other side for a few more minutes until browned. Once done, remove the plantains from your skillet and season with sea salt. Done and done! And so damn good! You’ll start frying plantains on the regular once you try!
Some Other Instant Pot + Slow Cooker Recipes
Your Turn To Try Our Ropa Vieja
Go ahead and plan this ropa vieja for your next Sunday dinner! You will love having the leftovers in the fridge the following week for lunches or another easy weeknight dinner. Leave a comment and let us know how it goes. Also, take a pic to share! Tag us on Instagram @realsimplegood, and make sure to give us a follow if you don’t already! We’d love to stay connected!
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