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sopa de res

Sopa de Res (Puerto Rican Beef Soup)

Sopa de res or Puerto Rican beef soup is a traditional Caribbean soup made with tender beef and root vegetables, which give it a unique taste and texture. I make it similar to how I make my sancocho. It’s rich and thick and delicious.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Marinating Time 1 hour
Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes
Servings 6 people

Equipment

  • 1 soup pot or caldero see notes for link

Ingredients
  

Beef

  • 2 lbs beef neck bones
  • 1 lb beef chuck cubes

Marinade

  • 1/2 cup sofrito
  • 3 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp chicken bouillon paste Better than Bouillon
  • 1 tbsp adobo Healthy Rican or Loisa
  • 1 tbsp sazón Healthy Rican or Loisa
  • 1/2 tbsp ground oregano
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Soup

  • 32 oz water
  • 1 tbsp chicken bouillon paste Better than Bouillon
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce
  • 1 onion cut in half
  • 8 sprigs cilantro
  • 1/4 lb yuca cut into chunks
  • 1/4 lb kabocha squash (calabaza) cut into chunks
  • 2 carrots sliced
  • 1 rib celery sliced
  • 1 potato cut into cubes
  • 2 ears corn cut into 4 pieces each
  • cilantro for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Rinse the beef with cold water and lime juice or vinegar. Set aside.

Make the marinade

  • To a bowl, add sofrito, crushed garlic, lime juice, water, chicken bouillon paste, adobo, sazon, oregano, black pepper and olive oil and mix together. Pour mixture over the meat and toss until well combined. Allow meat to marinate for at least 1 hour but the longer the better.

Make the soup

  • Place a large pot or caldero over medium high heat. Add the meats with the marinade, allow the meats to brown and then turn the heat to low. Cover and cook for 1 hour.
  • Add water along with the chicken bouillon paste, tomato sauce, onion, celery, and cilantro. Cover and cook for 40 minutes.
  • Add potatoes, carrots, yuca, calabaza and corn. Cook for 20 minutes.
  • To make the broth thicker, blend some calabaza, potatoes, onions, and cilantro. Add the puree to the broth to thicken it.
  • Serve with white rice, tostones (fried plantains) and avocado. Enjoy! ¡Buen provecho!

Notes

Substitutions:

Depending on where you live, some of the root vegetables may be hard to find. If you can’t find calabaza (kabocha squash), you can use another type of squash like butternut squash or zucchini.
If you can’t find fresh yuca, look for frozen yuca at your local supermarket. Goya sells frozen yuca at most grocery stores.
TIP: To make the broth thicker, you can blend some calabaza, potatoes, onions, and cilantro. Add the puree to the broth to thicken it.

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Keyword beef soup, Puerto Rican recipes, Recetas caseras, recetas Puertorriqueñas, sopa, sopa de res