Puerto Rican Sancocho

Submitted by: Javier Santana

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Sancocho is more of a stew than a soup if made properly, and my grandmother would make variations of it on a fairly regular basis.  She made it with chicken more than beef, but the beef version was always my favorite and brings me a lot of nostalgia.

There’s lots of veggies, herbs and thick broth – and if you’re cocky, drop some rice in it to make it extra hearty.

The plantains make the soup starchy (Which I love), but make it optional if that’s not your thing.

The recipe below is not my grandmother’s, but close enough to how I remember it.

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 3 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 1 pinch dried oregano
  • salt to taste
  • 1 ½ pounds beef stew meat, cut into small pieces
  • 2 quarts water, or as needed
  • ½ (6.5 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 2 cubes beef bouillon
  • 1 cup chopped fresh green beans, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
  • 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
  • ⅓ cup chopped celery
  • 1 large chayote squash – peeled, cored, and sliced lengthwise
  • 1 (15.5 ounce) can small white beans, rinsed and drained
  • ½ head cabbage, chopped
  • 1 green plantain, peeled and sliced into 3/4-inch pieces 
  • 1 yellow plantain, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 5 large yautias, peeled and quartered (*Not easy to find, so Taro is a good replacement)
  • 6 potatoes, peeled and quartered
  • ½ cup chopped peeled pumpkin
  • 2 ears fresh corn, sliced into 6 pieces each
  • ⅓ cup chopped green bell pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Gather all ingredients.
  2. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add onion, garlic, cilantro, white pepper, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until onion is browned and very tender, about 20 minutes.
  3. Add stew meat; cook and stir until meat is browned on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes.
  4. Pour enough water over meat mixture to fill the pot 3/4 full. Add tomato sauce and beef bouillon.
  5. Stir in the remaining ingredients, one at a time, cooking slightly after each addition in the following order: green beans, carrots, celery, chayote squash, white beans, cabbage, green banana, yellow plantain, llautias, potatoes, pumpkin, corn, and green bell pepper.
  6. Cook until all the vegetables are tender and stew has formed a rich broth, 2 to 3 hours. Add more water or salt if needed.