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🇵🇷 Puerto Rican
Carne Guisada
⏱ 1 hr 45 min
🍞 ~35g (kid-default: stew with potatoes + ⅓ cup real basmati on the side)
🍽 6 servings
⭐ 4/5
⚠️ Estimates only — not medical advice. Carb counts vary by brand and portion. Always verify with your endo or CDCES.
🌍 Cultural note
Carne guisada is the slow-Sunday beef stew that simmers all afternoon while the house fills up with the smell of sofrito and bay leaves. Tender chunks of beef, soft potatoes, olives, and a deep red-orange sauce — this is the dish that makes any cold day feel warmer. Served over white rice, it's the Puerto Rican definition of comfort food.
Why this recipe is T1D-friendly
- The potatoes carry most of the stew's carbs (~8g per serving) which spreads across 6 portions — manageable and predictable
- Long-simmered beef means big protein (~28g per serving) and the fat content slows down whatever carbs come along for the ride
- Sauce is sofrito + tomato + broth — no added sugar, all the carbs are visible (potato + rice)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs beef stew meat (chuck), cubed (~0g carbs)
- 3 tbsp sofrito (~3g carbs)
- 2 tbsp tomato sauce (~3g carbs)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste (~6g carbs / ~1g per serving)
- 1 packet Sazón con culantro y achiote (~1g carbs)
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed (~50g carbs / ~8g per serving)
- 1 large carrot, sliced (~6g carbs / ~1g per serving)
- 1/2 cup pitted green olives (~3g carbs)
- 3 cups beef broth (~3g carbs)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp adobo
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- Salt and pepper
Directions
- Season beef with adobo, oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a heavy pot over medium-high. Brown beef in batches, about 3 minutes per side. Don't crowd the pot. Remove and set aside.
- Lower heat to medium. Add sofrito to the pot and cook 2 minutes.
- Stir in tomato sauce, tomato paste, Sazón, and cumin. Cook 2 minutes until deeply fragrant.
- Return beef to the pot with any accumulated juices.
- Pour in beef broth, add bay leaves, and bring to a simmer.
- Cover and cook on low for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- Add potatoes, carrots, and olives. Continue simmering 30-40 minutes uncovered until beef is fork-tender and potatoes are soft.
- Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove bay leaves.
Dash's kid tips 🐆
- Dash says: serve the stew over a ⅓ cup of rice — the sauce makes a small portion of rice feel generous
- For a lower-carb plate (~22g), skip the potatoes in the stew and bulk it with extra carrots and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro instead
- Carne guisada is even better the next day — make a double batch and have lunch sorted for the rest of the week