Bistec Ranchero is a traditional Mexican beef steak recipe, pan seared and cooked to perfection. Loaded with potatoes, chiles, onions & a tomato base sauce. The most delicious steak meal you’ll have in 30 minutes or less!!
This recipe is a very simple and quick to make Mexican dish. This timeless classic combines the rich flavors of tender steak with delicious potatoes and sweet and savory caramelized onions.
Growing up I would eat this dish often. My mom loved it because it was easy to make and put together quickly! Plus Sonora Mexico, my home state, is well-known for its beef dishes, including this one. Sonora has some of the best quality beef in the entire country!
Why this recipe works
- Easy to make:This juicy bistec ranchero it’s ready in 30 minutes or less.
- Healthy: Steak is a great source of protein, supplying essential amino acids for muscle growth and repair. Meanwhile, onions provide dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, adding nutritional balance to the dish. This combination contributes to a well-rounded meal.
- It makes wonderful leftovers that can be served in different ways the next day.
Ingredients
- The steak: I use breakfast steak or any other lean steak. Slice it as thin as you can.
- Potatoes: You can use russet potatoes, white potatoes or whatever you have in hand.
- Oil: You’ll need 1 cup vegetable oil to cook the potatoes. Then use about two tablespoons of this same oil to cook the rest.
- Another option is to air fry the potatoes to cut calories. Often times I prefer this method to cut calories from the recipe.
- Vegetables: Other veggies are garlic, white or yellow onion and roma tomatoes.
- The chiles: you can use whatever you like the most. For a mild Bistec Ranchero, use Anaheim pepper, poblano pepper or jalapeños. I used one of each to add more layers of flavor. If you like it more spicy, use serrano peppers according to taste.
- Tomato sauce: use tomato sauce from a can to save time.
- Kosher salt & black ground pepper
- And lastly, some plain warm water to keep our dish juicy if it’s starts to dry out.
What type of meat is Bistec?
For this recipe I used breakfast steak since it’s thin enough. All I have to do is slice it in small pieces. However, you can use any lean beef like sirloin, milanesa, or skirt steak. Just make sure it’s sliced thinly as shown in the photo above.
How To Cook Bistec Ranchero
This is a visual overview of the steps to make this recipe. See the detailed list of ingredients & instructions in the recipe card below.
- Start by cooking the potatoes in a large iron skillet or frying pan. Add the oil and heat over medium-high heat. Cook the potatoes and spread them on the skillet to cook evenly. Cook for about 5 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown.
- Remove from the skillet and place in paper towels to drain oil. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
- In same skillet, remove carefully most of the oil, only leaving about two tablespoons behind. Over medium heat, sear the beef & garlic until the meat is almost all cooked through. About 4 minutes.
- Add the onions and peppers and cook until onions start to soften. About 2 minutes. If this mixture is starting to dry, add about 1 cup of water.
- Add the tomatoes, pour the tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Once the tomatoes are soft, add the potatoes and stir well. Cover the skillet with a lid and simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes to blend all of the flavors together.
Easy peasy! The result is a delicious saucy Bistec Ranchero that is a crowd pleaser! Even the most picky eaters won’t be able to turn this down.
How to Store Leftovers
- Fridge: Allow the meat to cool down to room temperature before transferring it to an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezer: If you want to store the bistec for a longer period, freezing is a great option. Place the cooled meat in a freezer-safe container or freezer bags, removing as much air as possible. Seal it tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Don’t forget to label the container with the date and contents!
Reheating
- Stovetop: Heat it over medium heat, stirring occasionally to ensure even reheating. Once the meat is heated through, it’s ready to be enjoyed.
- Microwave: If you prefer a quicker method, the microwave is a convenient option. Place the meat in a microwave-safe dish, cover it loosely to prevent splatters, and heat it in short intervals, stirring in between. Be cautious not to overheat to avoid drying out the dish.
Serving ideas
Once everything is integrated and cooked, the steak ranchero is ready and you can serve it with some delicious corn tortillas or flour tortillas and the salsa of your choice. I enjoy mine with this delicious chile de arbol salsa or the classic salsa Mexicana.
Serve it as bistec tacos or plated along with refried beans and Mexican rice. Or even just plain! You can’t go wrong either way.
More 30 minute Mexican Meals
I hope you like this recipe! Share it, or leave a rating and comment below. For questions that need an answer right away, please contact me and I’ll get back to you asap. Gracias!!!! xx, Ana
Print Recipe:
Bistec Ranchero Con Papas
Equipment
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 medium russet potatoes or 3 smaller potatoes thinly sliced
- 1 lb breakfast steak or any other thin steak thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove chopped
- 1/2 medium white or yellow onion thinly sliced
- 1 chile Anaheim, jalapeño or serrano peppers (see note 1) remove seeds for less spicy dish
- 3 Roma tomatos
- 4 oz Tomato sauce
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt or more to taste
- 1/4 tsp black ground pepper or more to taste
- 1 cup water or more if needed while cooking
Instructions
- In a large skillet, add the oil and heat over medium-high heat. Cook the potatoes and spread them on the skillet to cook evenly. Cook for about 5 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown.
- Remove from the skillet and place in paper towels to drain oil. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
- In same skillet, remove carefully most of the oil, only leaving about two tablespoons behind.
- Over medium heat, cook the beef & garlic until the meat is almost all cooked through. About 4 minutes.
- Add the onions and peppers and cook until onions start to soften. About 2 minutes. If this mixture is starting to dry, add about 1 cup of water.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Once the tomatoes are soft, add the potatoes and mix well. Cover the skillet with a lid and simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes to blend all of the flavors together.
- Taste and add salt & pepper to see if it needs more.
Muy Delish Notes:
- You can use any combination of chiles. For this recipe I used 1 Anaheim pepper and one jalapeño for a mild flavor. If you like it more spicy add serrano peppers.
Add Your Own Private Notes
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Nutrition
The nutritional information and US conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or unit conversion tool.
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OMG yumm. If I could give this recipe more stars I would. I made this for my Hispanic husband and our picky kids and they absolutely loved it. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Yum yum!!
Thank you Patti! It’s truly delicious!
This looks absolutely delicious. I have bookmarked to try this weekend. Thanks so much for sharing!~
This looks absolutely delicious! 🙂 I just love how hearty this is too. I know my family will love this.
So good! The meat was so tender and the flavors were amazing!
Now that’s what I call steak! I love all those Mexican flavors and the texture of the steak is absolutely perfect. I’ll be making this again.
This recipe is delicious
My wife is Mexicano and I made this dish for her… She loved it… I’m becoming Mexicano in my cooking. I love you website and will be trying the Huevos Ahogados next.
Thanks for the website….
I did it yesterday and it was delicious. ❤️❤️❤️
This Bistec Con Papas turned out amazing! So flavorful and the meat was very tender. Thanks for the recipe!
I’ve made this “muidelish” dish several times. I always double or triple recipe because it’s a great economical crowd pleaser! The layers of ingredients and flavors blend and taste amazing as it simmers. I let it simmer longer than the instructions to make sure the meat is tender and all the flavors come together. I use a beef broth or vegetable broth instead of water but haven’t really needed to add very much. For a more flavorful taste I season with garlic salt, onion powder, a little cumin and Mexican oregano. I serve it with Mexican rice, frijoles and flour tortillas to sop up all the delicious goodness!
Omggg I’ve been trying to cook this dish for awhile and it always would go bad. Found this recipe and man it was SOOO GOOD. Thank you!
Wow, another 5-star recipe from Ana! Thank you so much for making it easy for me to make a delicious meal for my family.
I especially like the method of cooking the potatoes separately as I reserved some plain for my toddler (“Hay más?” oops should have reserved more..) and the rest came out delicious in the stew.
I couldn’t find Anaheim chile so I used a yellow pepper but I think it would be even better with some kind of chile. Will make this again soon!
Get in my tummy now! Steak, potatoes, onion & tomato sauce – you had me at bistec!
I can see why your mom liked this!! This recipe looks like a winner! Bookmarked to make later, thanks for the recipe 🙂
This looks like exactly what we need to get out of our normal dinner routine. So flavorful and easy to make too. Love it!
This quick and easy dinner was amazing!! Thank you so much for the recipe it was my first time trying this dish!
The ranchero to fight for. 🙂 Definitely unique recipe – I haven’t seen anything similar for quite some time now. Excited to give it a try!
This looks so tasty and I love all those great flavors in there!
I tried your recipe and it’s so good! Everyone loved it and it has been added to my weeknight meals rotation!