Rice with a fried egg and fried banana (arroz a la cubana)Build it on the plate and spoon the beef on in place of the tomato sauce.
Rice with corn (arroz con maíz)Cook the corn in with the rice and serve it where the white rice would go.
White ricePack it into a cup, turn it out and spoon the beef and its sauce beside it.
Beans, with or without rice 5
Black beans (frijoles negros)Ladle them soupy over the rice, or serve them in a small bowl of their own.
Chickpeas and potatoes, the Canary Islands wayServe both on the same plate and let them soak up the sauce.
Nicaraguan rice and beans (gallo pinto)Use rice cooked the day before, so the grains stay separate.
Rice and black beans cooked together (moros y cristianos)One pot does the work of two, so leave out the plain rice.
Rice and red beans cooked together (congrí)Swap it for the black bean pot when red beans are what you have.
Plantains and yuca 5
Cassava flatbread (casabe)Break off a piece and pile the beef on top while the bread is still crisp.
Fried ripe plantains (maduros)Fry them until the edges turn dark and sticky, and serve them hot.
Thin plantain chips (mariquitas)Put a bowl on the table to nibble while the beef finishes.
Twice-fried green plantains (tostones)Salt them as they leave the pan and use them to scoop up the beef.
Yuca with garlic and lime sauce (yuca con mojo)Boil the yuca until soft and pour the warm sauce over just before serving.
Potatoes, pumpkin, cheese and salad 4
Avocado and red onion saladDress it with oil, vinegar and salt, and nothing more.
Boiled pumpkin with garlic sauceCut it in chunks, boil until just soft and dress it while warm.
Fried cheeseFry thick slices until golden and eat them before they cool.
Wrinkled potatoes with red mojo (papas arrugadas)Serve them in their salty skins and dip them in the sauce from the beef.
Bread, and ways to use what is left 5
Cuban breadTear it and wipe the plate with it once the rice is gone.
Ropa vieja as an empanada fillingDrain off the sauce first, so the pastry stays crisp.
Ropa vieja folded into an omeletteWarm the beef first and fold the eggs over it while they are still soft.
Ropa vieja hash with potatoesFry diced potatoes until crisp, stir the beef through and serve it from the pan.
Ropa vieja in a pressed sandwichFill the bread with leftover beef, press it until crisp and cut it on the slant.
Something sweet after 3
FlanMake it the day before and turn it out cold, with its caramel.
Guava pastries (pastelitos de guayaba)Warm them through and serve one each with the coffee.
Milk and egg custard (natilla)Chill it in small dishes and dust the top with cinnamon.
Drinks 5
CortaditoA small cup after the meal, sweet, with a little steamed milk.
Malt soft drink (malta)Pour it very cold, straight from the bottle.
Pineapple sodaKeep it on ice for the children and anyone who wants something sweet.
Sugarcane juice (guarapo)Serve it over ice as soon as it is pressed.
Wheat milkshake (batido de trigo)Blend it thick and cold, and serve it as the sweet end of the meal.
How it works
What to eat with ropa vieja? Rice and black beans, as Cuba serves it, with fried plantains beside them. These 30 ideas add yuca, potatoes, bread, three sweets and five drinks without alcohol.
Read the full guide
What do you eat with ropa vieja, country by country?
In Cuba the rice and beans often arrive cooked in one pot, as moros y cristianos. In the Canary Islands the beef is served with chickpeas and potatoes. Nicaragua pairs it with white rice or gallo pinto, fried cheese and fried or boiled plantains, and the Philippines with jasmine rice.
Building the plate
Start with one starch for the sauce: rice, yuca or bread. Add something sweet or crisp from the plantain group, since the beef is soft and savory. A cool avocado salad lightens the plate. If the beans are cooked into the rice, skip the separate bowl of beans.
Cook the rice and fry the plantains last. The beef waits happily in its pot, and they do not.
Bring extra sauce to the table in a small jug: rice, yuca and bread all soak up more than you expect.
Questions and answers
What vegetable goes with ropa vieja?
Yuca with garlic and lime sauce is a traditional Cuban side dish. Boiled pumpkin dressed the same way, an avocado and red onion salad, or wrinkled potatoes from the Canary Islands also sit well beside the beef.
What bread goes with ropa vieja?
Cuban bread, a long white loaf, torn to wipe up the sauce. Casabe, a thin, crisp flatbread made from cassava, is the other choice, with the beef piled on top.
What dessert goes with ropa vieja?
Flan is the easy answer. Natilla, a custard of milk and eggs, and guava pastries, called pastelitos de guayaba, are two more that suit a small sweet coffee.
What do you drink with ropa vieja?
Without alcohol: sugarcane juice, called guarapo, a wheat milkshake, a cold malta or pineapple soda with the meal. Afterwards a cortadito, sweetened espresso cut with steamed milk.