Carbonada Criolla

Name: Carbonada Criolla
Prep time: 11 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 31 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Argentina
Ingredients: 500g Beef; 1 chopped Onion; 2 chopped Carrots; 2 chopped Potatoes; 1 small Pumpkin; 100g Dried Apricots; 2 Litres Beef Stock; To taste Salt; To taste Pepper

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Beef recipe with Argentina flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 53 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 31 min total

500g Beef
1 chopped Onion
2 chopped Carrots
2 chopped Potatoes
1 small Pumpkin
100g Dried Apricots
2 Litres Beef Stock
To taste Salt
To taste Pepper

Step-by-step instructions

Brown the Beef: In a large pot, brown the beef cubes. Remove and set aside.
Sauté Vegetables: In the same pot, cook the onion until translucent. Add carrots, potatoes, and pumpkin, cooking for a few minutes.
Simmer: Return the beef to the pot. Add broth and dried apricots. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 1-2 hours, until the beef is tender.
Serve: Enjoy hot, with a crusty piece of bread.
Pro Tips:.
Brown the beef in batches to ensure it gets a good sear, which adds depth to the stew's flavor.
Adding the fruits towards the end of cooking preserves their texture and adds a subtle sweetness to the dish.

Why this works on a weeknight

Carbonada Criolla lands at about 31 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Skillet & One-Pan collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Carbonada Criolla actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🥘 Skillet & One-Pan Beef Argentina