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Costa Rican · Central American

Olla de carne

Non-vegetarian

A generous Costa Rican beef soup simmered with corn on the cob, yuca, chayote, taro, plantain, potato and carrot, fragrant with cilantro.

Olla de carne is a Costa Rican soup, ready in about 2 hours 45 minutes and made with beef chuck and coriander leaves. It serves 8 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Bowl of olla de carne beef soup with corn, chayote, yuca and potato
Photo: Aleat88 / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
30 min
Cook
2 h 15 min
Total
2 h 45 min
Serves
8
Level
Easy
Calories
365

Ingredients

8 servings

To serve

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Put the beef, water, onion (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), pepper, celery (opens in a new tab), salt and oregano (opens in a new tab) in a large pot. Bring to the boil, skim and simmer, partly covered, until the beef is nearly tender, about 1½ hours.

  2. Step 2

    Add the corn (opens in a new tab), cassava (opens in a new tab), taro (opens in a new tab) and plantain (opens in a new tab) and simmer 20 minutes.

    • 20 min
    • low heat

  3. Step 3

    Add the chayote (opens in a new tab), potato (opens in a new tab) and carrot (opens in a new tab) and cook until everything is tender, about 20 minutes more. Taste for salt.

    • 20 min
    • low heat

  4. Step 4

    Stir in the cilantro (opens in a new tab) and serve in deep bowls with white rice (opens in a new tab) on the side, spooning some rice into the broth if you like.

    • 5 min

About this dish

Origin
Costa Rica · Well documentedMore food from Costa Rica
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Soups · Stews & braises · Main courses
Cooking method
Simmered, Boiled
Taste
savoury, herby, mild, earthy
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · High-protein · Low-fat · Low-sodium · Calorie-conscious
Without the optional extras: Whole-food focusedWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Batch cooking · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Beef chuck · Coriander leaves · Onion · Garlic · Green bell pepper · Celery
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Celeryfrom celery

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

365 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 744 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 30%
  • Carbohydrate 56%
  • Fat 14%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy365 kcal49 kcal
Protein28.5 g3.8 g
Carbohydrate52.4 g7 g
Net carbohydrate46.6 g6.3 g
Sugars8.8 g1.2 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre5.8 g0.8 g
Fat5.8 g0.8 g
Saturated fat2.3 g0.3 g
Trans fat0.3 g0 g
Cholesterol72 mg10 mg
Sodium715 mg96 mg
Salt equivalent1.8 g0.2 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1296 mg
Calcium
105 mg
Iron
3.7 mg
Magnesium
90 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
156 µg
Vitamin C
44 mg
Vitamin D
0.1 µg
Vitamin B12
2.6 µg
Folate (DFE)
79 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: long-grain white rice.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Food safety

  • Cassava and taro must be fully cooked; never eat them raw.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 4 days.

Reheating

  • Reheat until simmering.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Beef chuck, chuck or brisket, in large chunks900 g
  • Sweet corn, cobs cut into thick rounds2 piece · 180 g
  • Cassava, peeled, in chunks350 g
  • Taro, peeled, in chunks300 g
  • Chayote, in chunks1 piece · 200 g
  • Potato, in chunks2 piece · 400 g
  • Carrot, in chunks2 piece · 120 g
  • Plantain, green or half-ripe, in chunks1 piece · 180 g
Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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