Nicaraguan Beef Soup

Beef soup is one of the most beloved dishes in Nicaraguan cuisine, and it’s a big part of why Sundays taste different in so many Nicaraguan homes. It’s a hearty broth made with bone-in beef, slow-simmered with roots and vegetables like yuca, taro root, green plantain, chayote, and corn, until it becomes a full meal served in a single bowl.

While every family has its own way of making it, the heart of the dish stays the same: a rich, flavorful broth, a variety of vegetables cooked just right, and generous pieces of tender beef. It’s a staple of weekend family lunches, when everyone gathers around a big pot, and it also shows up on Nicaraguan tables during celebrations and important family gatherings.

Nicaraguan Beef Soup

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• Author: Recetas123
• Prep Time: 25
• Cook Time: 140
• Total Time: 165
• Yield: 6 servings
• Category: Soup
• Cuisine: Nicaraguan

Print Recipe

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Ingredients

• 1 kg of bone-in beef (shank or short ribs) (about 2 lb)
• 3 liters of water (12 cups)
• 1 large of white onion, quartered (1 medium onion)
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled (4 cloves)
• 2 stalks of celery (2 stalks)
• 1 large of tomato, chopped (1 medium tomato)
• 1 of green bell pepper, chopped (1 medium bell pepper)
• 300 g of yuca (cassava), peeled and cut into chunks (2 cups)
• 300 g of taro root (quequisque), peeled and cut into chunks (2 cups)
• 2 of green plantains, peeled and cut into large chunks (2 green plantains)
• 2 of chayote squash, peeled and cut into chunks (2 medium chayotes)
• 2 of corn on the cob, cut into thick rounds (2 ears of corn)
• 1/4 head of cabbage, cut into large chunks (2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons of achiote (annatto) paste, dissolved in water (2 tablespoons)
• to taste of salt
• to taste of black pepper
• a small bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped, for serving (3 tablespoons chopped) (optional)

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Instructions

1. Cook the beef, place the bone-in beef in a large pot with the water, onion, garlic, celery, and a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface for a cleaner broth.
2. Let it tenderize, lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and simmer the beef for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, until it’s tender and starts to pull away easily from the bone.
3. Add the root vegetables, stir in the yuca, taro root, and green plantain, since these take longer to cook, and let everything simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Add the remaining vegetables, stir in the tomato, bell pepper, chayote, corn, and the dissolved achiote, and continue cooking for another 15 minutes, until the roots are almost tender.
5. Stir in the cabbage, add the cabbage in large chunks and cook for 10 more minutes, making sure all the vegetables turn tender without falling apart.
6. Adjust and serve, taste the broth, adjust the salt and pepper as needed, remove from the heat, and ladle into deep bowls with plenty of broth, vegetables, and beef, finishing with a sprinkle of fresh chopped cilantro.

Practical tips

• Choose bone-in cuts like shank or short ribs, since the bone adds flavor and body to the broth.
• Skim the broth carefully during the first few minutes of cooking to keep it clear and clean.
• Follow the order and timing for adding the vegetables so nothing turns mushy or stays undercooked.
• For a deeper color, add a little extra dissolved achiote to the broth.

Traditional variations

• In some parts of the country, cooks add ayote sazón (a type of squash) along with the other root vegetables.
• Some families add small corn masa dumplings, known as albóndigas de masa, near the end of cooking.

How to serve

Nicaraguan beef soup is served hot in deep bowls, making sure each portion gets a good mix of beef, vegetables, and broth. It’s commonly served with white rice on the side and lime wedges to squeeze over the broth to taste.

Recommended sides

• White rice
• Corn tortillas
• Lime wedges
• Cabbage and tomato salad

Origin and tradition

In Nicaragua, beef soup is the quintessential Sunday meal. Making it usually takes up a good part of the morning, so many families treat it as a gathering activity that brings several generations together around the kitchen and the table.

Its mix of root vegetables, green plantain, and fresh produce reflects what’s grown in the Nicaraguan countryside, turning this soup into a single-pot meal hearty enough to feed the whole family.