Sancocho Recipe – Immaculate Bites

What Is Sancocho?

The word comes from the Spanish verb sancochar (meaning parboil in English), and it’s a traditional stew famous in several Latin American countries, like the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. It enjoys several variations, but the common factor is that a sancocho recipe is a hearty stew (sometimes referred to as soup) with your choice of meat, broth, vegetables, and tubers. Latins often serve this hearty stew on special occasions and holidays.

Recipe Ingredients

For this recipe, I adopted the Puerto Rican version, then added my own spin to it to amp up the flavor of this mighty fine comfort food. 😉

1. Meat – You can add whatever meat you prefer. However, chicken, beef, and andouille sausage give this dish excellent layers of meaty flavor.
2. Sofrito – The sofrito is a seasoning blend made with finely chopped and sauteed fresh peppers, garlic, onion, cilantro, and tomatoes for an authentic Puerto Rican flavor.
3. Spices – If it’s your first time trying this dish, you’ll experience a flavor explosion from cumin, oregano, paprika, and sazon. Quite tasty but not overpowering.
4. Broth – You can use water to thin out the sauce a little, but I like broth because it adds umami.
5. Vegetables – The starchy veggies, such as potatoes, pumpkin, and yucca, thicken our sauce naturally while adding a rich, creamy taste to your stew. Then the corn and plantain add a natural sweetness.

How to Make Sancocho

Prep the Ingredients

• Marinate – Season meat (chicken, beef) on both sides with salt and sazon, or just use your favorite spice mix. Let sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.
• Prep the Pan – Heat a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Add oil to the pot.
• Add Meat – If desired, you may do so in batches or brown the beef and chicken separately. Let it sear for about 2 minutes before turning the meat over.
• Add Sausage – Cook for about 6 minutes or until brown. Add sausage and cook for 2 more minutes.
• Saute the Seasonings – Add the sofrito, garlic, cumin, paprika, oregano, and a tad more sazon. Sauté until fragrant, about a minute. Then add onions, and cook for about 5 minutes longer.

Let It Simmer

• Simmer – Pour in water or broth. Then return the meat, bring it to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, depending on the cut of beef. Cook less if only using chicken.
• Add Vegetables – Next, add root vegetables – starting with the one that needs the most time to cook – in this case, green plantains. Cook for about 10 minutes before adding the yuca, squash, potatoes, and corn.
• Continue Simmering – Continue cooking stew for 10 minutes until the veggies begin to soften.
• Adjust Taste – Season with salt and pepper, and taste test to adjust seasonings.
• Final Stretch – Continue simmering until the root vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes. The stew should be thick and hearty. If it’s not, smash a few root vegetables to thicken it.
• Serve in generous bowls and top with chopped cilantro.

Recipe Variations

1. Spicy – Kick up the heat with habanero, scotch bonnet, and serrano peppers if you’re brave enough for a flame-throwing party. The added heat will surely comfort you when it gets chilly.
2. More Veggies – Aside from the starchy veggies, you can also add more veggies like cabbage, bell pepper, green beans, and beans to make this dish heartier and more nourishing.
3. Soup Base – Add a tropical twist to this stew by adding about a cup or more coconut milk for a richer, creamier finish. You can try adding some tomato sauce because the contrasting sweet and tangy will definitely compliment the overall taste of this stew.

Tips and Tricks

1. Cook the starchy veggies longer if you want a thicker, mushier sauce for your sancocho recipe. But if you want a firmer texture, cook them until they are just fork-tender.
2. Since we’re dealing with root veggies, adding them in the order from the ones that take the longest to cook to the ones with the shortest cooking time ensures everything cooks evenly.
3. Homemade sofrito is the bomb. And it’s super easy, so go for it.

Make-Ahead Instructions

Luckily, our robust stew keeps well in the fridge and is freezer-friendly. So if you’re a stew-lover like me, I suggest doubling the recipe and storing it in the refrigerator or freezer so you’ve got it ready when the craving hits. All you need is to reheat it, and it’ll be on the table in no time. 😉

Serving and Storage Instructions

Although this dish is quite enjoyable on its own, nothing beats pouring sancocho over a warm bed of rice. Aah! It’s happiness on a plate. I can eat this combo all day! 👌

I suggest storing leftover sancocho in serving-size containers for easy meal prep. The individual servings are also easier to thaw and reheat. It lasts 5 days in the refrigerator and 3 months in the freezer. But don’t forget to label them with the date to keep track of their freshness.

Simply thaw your sancocho overnight in the fridge, and warm it up on a stove or microwave the next day. A splash of broth or water will thin your stew if it gets too thick.

FAQs

What to Serve with Sancocho

Traditionally, sancocho is paired with rice, sliced avocado, tostones, and pique (a homemade hot sauce). But you’ll also love it served with bread recipes below to clean your bowl. ✌️

More Warming Fall Recipes to Try

Conclusion

This super easy sancocho recipe will surely blow you away with how hearty and flavorful it is. Would you like more incredible recipes for fall? Check out 35 Best Fall Baking Recipes to Try and 35 Best Fall Appetizers Roundup Collection for some drool-worthy dishes. ❤️

Watch How to Make It

This blog post was originally published in October 2018 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.