This Latin Beef Soup is a deep warm hug on cold winter evenings (or a hot steam shower on a summer afternoon). Delicious, flavorful, and meaty, this recipe uses beef shank cross cuts to make a hearty broth while simmering plantains, yuca, veggies, spices, and fresh herbs. Don’t forget to enjoy this sopa with fresh corn tortillas!
In my experience, Latino soups are not for the faint-hearted. When I spoke about eating my mom’s legendary oxtail and beef soups growing up, Hubby didn’t understand how soup can be a full meal. According to him (previously 💅🏽) ‘soup is mostly water anyways, so how is it supposed to fill you up?’
This Latin Beef Soup recipe proved it. It’s packed with chunky beef shank, plantains, yuca, carrots, green pepper, tomato, onion, garlic, fresh cilantro, and spices. It also cannot go without fresh corn tortillas. And personally, without fresh avocado slices!
What is Latin Beef Soup?
There are many variations of Latin Beef Soup. This recipe is mainly inspired by my Honduran roots. Honduran soups tend to use plantains and/or yuca, and is typically paired fresh corn tortillas.
The main components of Latin Beef soup recipe are:
- Making the refrito or sofrito: sauteed veggies to create the flavorful foundation of this soup
- Allowing the beef to cook long enough for a deliciously hearty broth and tender fall-off-the-bone meat,
- Packing it with readily available local vegetables. For example, in Honduras this may be plantains and yuca. In Ecuador this may be corn and potatoes. In Canada, I use green plantains and potatoes.
- Adding a variety of spices including oregano, cumin, black pepper, and salt.
- Using a pressure cooker. The most convenient way to cook tougher meats in soup super fast.
What ingredients are in Latin Beef Soup?
- Water
- Beef or veal shank cross cuts
- Marrow bones
- Potatoes (or yuca for more authentic recipe, more info below)
- Carrots
- Green plantain
- Green bell pepper
- Onion
- Tomato
- Garlic
- Cooking oil
- Spices: salt, black pepper, oregano, cumin
Optional ingredients
- Sprigs of fresh curly parsley, fresh oregano, green onion tied together with cooking twine
- Cabbage slices
- Peas
- Oatmeal (for thicker consistency, more below)
- Pasta
- Rice
- Sazón seasoning
What beef cut to use for Latin beef soup
I recommend shank cross cuts, which are from the top portions of the cow leg and come with marrow bones.
Shank is a tough meat with high collagen content. It seems counterintuitive to use a tough meat but when cooked long and slow, the collagen gelatinizes and results in the most tender and moist ‘fall-off-the-bone’ meat.
Additionally, the gelatin and marrows create thicker and flavorful broth.
You can use beef or veal shank, just note that veal will take less time to cook (around half the cooking time). Both taste great!
If your meat cuts are very fatty, I recommend removing the excess fat as it may make your soup too heavy. The marbling present within the meat should be enough to make your broth super flavor-packed.
Adding marrow bones are a great way to increase broth flavor and density. Once they are cooked through, the marrow should slide right out. Sprinkle some salt and it is SO satisfyingly delicious.
There are other cuts that can be used, such as bone-in chuck and arm roast. I haven’t tried those before but they are similar to shank with their high collagen content.
How to use oatmeal to thicken soup
I’d recommend only doing this after cooking the beef to your desired tenderness and broth.
For a heavier broth: add about a 1/4 cup quick oats to the soup while it is boiling at medium high. Stir in and allow to cook for a couple minutes.
How to cook frozen or fresh yuca in soup
Unfortunately, finding good quality yuca is tough where I live. I usually use frozen (if I can find it!) as it’s already peeled and cut. I also can’t tell you the number of times I’ve cut open a ‘fresh’ yuca root just to find it was rotten inside. 😞
If you have access to fresh good quality yuca (first of all, SO jealous) cut off the skin and wax if coated, and slice into 2-3 inch pieces.
For frozen, simply place the frozen pieces into the soup (along with the carrots and plantains), once the meat has tenderized. There is not need to thaw before use.
You can also use potatoes as an alternative to yuca. When cooking, they are pretty much interchangeable in this recipe.
How to Make Latin Beef Soup
Serve and enjoy with fresh corn tortillas or white rice!
- Sauté garlic, onion, green pepper, tomatoes, and spices. Mix until slightly softened.
- Add shank and marrow bones. Coat with veggies, turning them so all sides get browned for about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Add water, lock the lid of the pressure cooker and increase heat to high. When the pressure regulator begins to release pressure, start a timer:
- For beef: set for 30 minutes.
- For veal: set for 15 minutes.
- When the timer sounds, check on meat tenderness. To do this, we must de-pressurize the cooker. For this recipe I carefully use the quick release method (explained below). To determine meat ‘doneness’:
- Meat easily pulls apart, still has some chew: you’re good to go to the next step
- Meat does not pull apart easily, tough to the touch: Pressure cook for another 10-20 minutes.
- Meat is super tender, succulent, just spectacularly perfecto: Further cooking may turn it to mush. Remove the meat from the soup and place aside for later.
- Remove tied submerged herbs if used. Add the potatoes/yuca and carrots. Lock lid, increase heat to high. Once pressurized, set a 10-15 minute timer, depending how tender you like your veggies.
- Release pressure, then add cilantro and stir. Serve with fresh corn tortillas, white rice or avocado slices.
Tips for Latin Beef Soup
👉🏽 Pressure cooking is highly recommended, it will significantly cut your cooking time in half and retain the flavor in your soup. If you do not have a pressure cooker, you can use a large pot. It will take about 2 hours to cook as you will need to replenish the water that evaporates during boiling.
🌿 Add ingredients that you like and have available. For example, if you happen to have potatoes and can’t find yuca, stick to the potatoes! No stress 👍🏽
🥩 If using veal shank, cut the cooking time in half. So instead of 30 minutes pressure cooking, cut it to 15 minutes on the first check. Cooking time will vary depending on how big your pot is and how much soup you are making. But veal definitely takes way less time to cook. And you do not want to overdo it – otherwise the meat will turn to mush.
🍚 Pair Latin Beef Soup with fresh corn tortillas, white rice, and/or avocado slices. The best is fresh tortillas. You can make them as the soup cooks. Leftover white rice is also great – you can add it to the soup cold from the fridge. It will cool the soup in your bowl, so you don’t have to wait too long to dig in.🤣
To use or not use a pressure cooker
Pressure cookers are very convenient when cooking tougher meats. It will speed up your cooking time by … A LOT. The meat will tenderize and the marrow will melt a lot faster than without it.
Another benefit is that pressure cooking prevents your food from losing a lot of moisture from evaporation, allowing all the flavors to concentrate and deepen within the cooker (as opposed to floating off into the air 🎈).
Using one will take between 30 to 60 minutes of cooking time (depending on how tender/young the meat is). For more on how pressure cooking works, there is a great explanation by Exploratorium San Francisco.
NOTE: Exercise caution when handling super hot equipment, especially when pressurized. Reference the operational instructions in your cooker’s manual for guidance.
How to release pressure from a pressure cooker
For this recipe I carefully use the quick release method. I quickly position a fork or spoon under my cooker’s pressure regulator knob so it remains pried open without me holding it. This allows the pressure to release from the vent pipe continuously for 2 to 3 minutes. Depending on what type of pressure cooker you have, this release method may look different. What we want is to release the pressure quickly to avoid overcooking the meat.
There is also the cold water release method by running cold water over the cooker in the sink. If you’re wary about the quick release method, this is an alternative method as it won’t overcook the food. However, be sure to not get water into the vent pipe and ensure there are no obstacles in the way from stovetop to sink. For these reasons (plus having to awkwardly hold this heavy cooker in my small sink without burning myself) I prefer the quick release method above.
Your manual may refer to the natural release method. This means removing the cooker from heat, letting it sit for 10-15 minutes by itself so it releases pressure on its own. I don’t recommend it for this recipe, as it will further cook the meat, which is what we don’t want yet.
If you’re curious and want to deep dive further into this topic, check out this comprehensive guide on pressure cooker release methods.
Cooking Latin Beef Soup without a pressure cooker
You do not need to use a pressure cooker for Latin Beef Soup.
You can cook your soup in a large pot but you must keep a close eye on it. Add more water from time to time, as the water will reduce as the soup boils.
Using this method will take about double the cook time versus using a pressure cooker. However, your kitchen will smell soooo good.
