Carne Guisada

This Carne Guisada is a delicious Latin Beef Stew made with chunks of beef slowly cooked in the most delicious gravy. Serve it with rice, refried beans and warmed up tortillas for the ultimate dinner.

Easy Carne Guisada Recipe

I always say that in another life I was probably Italian or Mexican because those are my favorite cuisines of all time. This time of year as we approach Cinco de Mayo is also a favorite time of the year for me because it gives me an excuse to start making all kinds of Mexican or Latin dishes. Not that I need an excuse.

But let’s talk about this Carne Guisada because it’s hands down my favorite beef stew ever. Carne Guisada literally means stewed meat. You’ll want to use a stewing meat in this recipe, because we’re slowly cooking it, so it has time to become fork tender and delicious. The beef is slowly cooked in this flavorful gravy that’s loaded with lots of great spices and is thick and rich.

• Beef – Since, we’re slowly cooking the beef, any stew meat will be perfect for this recipe such as chuck roast, or beef round.
• Broth – The best would be a beef broth, preferably low sodium, but you can use a vegetable stock as well.
• Veggies – You’ll need onion, bell peppers and some fresh garlic here to add lots of great flavor to our gravy.
• Tomatoes – I prefer using Roma tomatoes cut into pieces, but any regular tomatoes will work. You can also use diced tomatoes.
• Tomato Paste – The tomato paste will intensify the umami tomato flavor already in the dish.
• Spices – You’ll need some chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper and a beef bouillon. Feel free to adjust the quantities to your preference. My chili powder was a mild one, so if you’re using a hot chili powder, you can use less.
• Flour – We’ll need some all-purpose flour to thicken our gravy.
• Oil – We need some olive oil or even vegetable oil to sear the beef in.

How To Make Carne Guisada

1. Sear the beef. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the stew meat and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the beef to a plate and set aside. You might have to do this in batches, you don’t want to overcrowd the meat in the pan. If doing in batches, only add 1 tablespoon of oil at a time.
2. Cook the veggies. Drizzle the remaining olive oil to the skillet. Add the onion, bell pepper and cook for about 3 minutes until the onion becomes translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute until aromatic. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for another minute.
3. Add the spices. Season with salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder. Stir well. Add the tomato paste and crumble up the beef bouillon, stir, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
4. Start the gravy. Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir well while cooking for another 1 to 2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste. Add a cup of the beef broth and stir everything together. The mixture should start to thicken from the flour.
5. Add the beef and cook. Add the beef back to the skillet then another 2 cups of beef broth, stir until combined. Cover and cook for 1 and a half hours or more until the meat falls apart, over low heat, stirring occasionally. Add more beef broth if gravy is too thick.
6. Garnish and serve. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with cilantro and serve alongside with rice and tortillas.

Can I Make This Stew Gluten Free

You can definitely replace the flour with corn starch, just make a slurry with a couple tablespoons of corn starch and a couple tablespoons of water then add as needed to achieve desired gravy thickness. Also make sure that other ingredients used are gluten-free.

Instant Pot Carne Guisada

The great news is that you can make this beef stew quicker in your pressure cooker. Simply sear the meat as instructed then add all the ingredients, minus the flour and stir. Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes then make a corn starch slurry with a couple tablespoons of corn starch and a couple tablespoons of water. Stir a bit at a time into the stew as needed to achieve desired gravy thickness.

What’s The Best Beef To Use For Stew

Make sure you use the right cut of meat for your stew! Opt for a less expensive, tougher cut. Because of the slow cooking, tougher beef cuts like chuck or round break down and become really tender and that’s exactly what we want in a stew, fall apart tender beef! These are the best beef options for your stew:

• Chuck Roast (my preference)
• Top Round
• Rump Roast
• Chuck Shoulder
• Eye Round Roast

Leftovers

Store leftover carne guisada in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days. You can also freeze it for up to 6 months. Simply reheat it in the microwave or in a skillet by adding a splash of beef broth to it.

• Birria Tacos
• Carne Asada
• Pollo Asado (Chicken Asado)
• Arroz Con Pollo
• Tacos Al Pastor
• Pork Carnitas
• Barbacoa
• Chimichangas
• Sopapillas