In Spanish, carne guisada means “stewed meat.” The term most commonly references a bold and satisfying stew of beef, tomato, and potato eaten in many Latin American countries.
Sign up for the Dinner Tonight newsletter!
Weeknight cooking inspiration, curated and written by longtime ATK author and editor (and avid home cook) Jack Bishop.
Recipes can vary wildly, but they nearly always include a few core ingredients: beef, broth, chiles, cumin, oregano, potatoes, and sofrito. Sofrito is an aromatic puree of peppers, cilantro, onions, and garlic that forms the base of many Latin Caribbean dishes.
The classic Puerto Rican version of carne guisada is most often served simply over a bed of white rice. There are Dominican recipes that feature oregano alongside the pepper and tomato base. Adaptations of carne guisada show up in communities along the Texas-Mexico border as well. There, the stew is most often thickened with flour and served as a taco filling.
Cook’s Country’s Editor in Chief Toni Tipton-Martin chats about carne guisada in the video below.
And if you want to try your hand at making it, check out our recipe for Carne Guisada.