Brazilian

Serving

Vaca Atolada (Beef and Cassava Stew)

Name: Vaca Atolada (Beef and Cassava Stew)
Total time: 105 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Brazilian
Ingredients: 2.5 lbs beef short ribs, cut into pieces; 1 tbsp salt; 1 tsp black pepper; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 onion, chopped; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tomatoes, diced; 1 bay leaf; 6 cups beef broth; 2 lbs cassava (yuca), peeled and cut into chunks; 1/4 cup chopped green onion; 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

"Stuck cow" stew: fall-apart beef short ribs braised with cassava until the pot turns thick and glossy, a Minas Gerais farmhouse classic.

105 minutes

Serves 6

Dinner

37 min prep

58 min cook

No common allergens detected

Based on this recipe's ingredient list. Always verify with your own brands and labels.

Good to know

One-pot

Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: one-pot dinners

Instructions

7 steps

1
Season the short ribs with salt and pepper.
2
Heat the oil in a large heavy pot and brown the ribs on all sides, about 8 minutes; remove and set aside.
3
In the same pot, sauté the onion and garlic until fragrant, then add the tomatoes and bay leaf, cooking until softened.
4
Return the beef to the pot, add the beef broth, cover, and simmer over low heat for 1 hour until the meat is tender.
5
Add the cassava chunks and continue simmering for another 30 minutes until the cassava is soft and the broth has thickened.
6
Discard the bay leaf and stir in green onion and cilantro.
7
Serve hot in bowls, spooning extra broth over each portion.

Vaca Atolada (Beef and Cassava Stew) — plated and served — Serving moment. How Vaca Atolada (Beef and Cassava Stew) looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

67/100

Works for many families

Allergen-friendly 100

Kid-friendly 55

Weeknight-easy 52

Budget-friendly 46

Great leftovers 87

Pantry-friendly 48

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

620

Calories

56 g

Protein

19 g

Carbs

34 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Vaca atolada, literally stuck cow, takes its name from the image of cassava chunks so thick in the broth that a cow could get stuck wading through it. It comes from the countryside of Minas Gerais, where cassava grows easily and beef short ribs simmered for hours turned a humble root vegetable into a hearty, rib-sticking family meal.

Listahan note

This version browns the short ribs first and builds a broth-based stew around them before adding the cassava late, so the beef gets a full hour of tenderizing before the root vegetable ever goes in.

Technique cues

Browning the ribs before braising builds a fond on the bottom of the pot that becomes the backbone of the broth's flavor once the onion and tomato are sauteed into it.
Adding the cassava only after the beef has simmered for an hour keeps the cassava from turning to mush before the tougher short ribs have had time to tenderize.
The broth thickens naturally as the cassava's own starch releases while it cooks, without any flour or cornstarch needed - this is the textural signature of the dish's name.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Peel and cut the cassava while the beef browns and simmers its first hour, so it's ready to go in right on schedule.
Make-ahead: The beef can be browned and simmered a day ahead, then the cassava added fresh when reheating and finishing the dish.
Leftover move: Leftover stew thickens further in the fridge - thin with a splash of broth when reheating to loosen it back to a spoonable consistency.
Cleanup rhythm: Deglaze the pot with a little water right after serving, while the fond is still loose, to make scrubbing easier later.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

beef short ribs, cut into pieces

main protein

Purpose: short ribs have enough connective tissue to turn fall-apart tender over the long simmer, unlike a leaner cut

Handling: season and brown on all sides before braising to build flavor in the pot

Adaptation: boneless beef chuck works similarly, though it will need slightly less simmering time before it's tender

cassava (yuca), peeled and cut into chunks

starchy vegetable that thickens the broth

Purpose: cassava's own starch thickens the broth as it simmers, which is the whole reason the dish is named for a cow getting stuck in it

Handling: peel and cut into chunks, adding only after the beef has already simmered for an hour

Adaptation: waxy potato can stand in, though it breaks down faster and won't thicken the broth quite as much

beef broth

braising liquid

Purpose: a generous amount of broth is needed since the beef simmers a full hour before the cassava is even added, and the liquid reduces and thickens as it cooks

Handling: add after browning the beef and sauteing the aromatics, then bring to a simmer before covering

Adaptation: a mix of water and beef bouillon works if stock is not on hand, though it will taste less rounded

chopped fresh cilantro

fresh finish

Purpose: stirred in at the very end, it lifts the richness of the long-simmered broth

Handling: chop and stir in along with the green onion just before serving

Adaptation: flat-leaf parsley is a milder substitute if cilantro is not preferred

Technique notes

Brown the ribs in batches if the pot is crowded - too many pieces at once steams the meat instead of developing a real sear, which affects the depth of the finished broth.
Keep the simmer low and steady rather than a rolling boil for the full 1.5 hours, since a hard boil toughens the meat fibers instead of breaking them down gently.
Check the cassava at the 20-minute mark rather than waiting the full 30 - it can go from tender to mushy quickly once it's fully cooked.

Ingredient swaps

Gluten-free direction: Naturally gluten-free as written; just check the beef broth label for any wheat-based thickeners.
Dairy-free option: Wherever dairy shows up here, a neutral dairy-free butter or oil and a full-fat plant milk (oat or coconut work best for body) is the straightforward stand-in. This one leans on the beef short ribs.
Lower-sodium direction: Use a low-sodium beef broth and cut the added salt by half, tasting and adjusting only at the end.
Weeknight shortcut: Use a pressure cooker to tenderize the ribs in about 35 minutes instead of an hour, then add the cassava and finish on the stovetop.

Serve alongside

White rice
Collard greens (couve a mineira)
Farofa
Crusty bread
Full-bodied red wine
Cold lager
Sparkling water with lime

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days
Reheat over low heat with a splash of broth to loosen the thickened stew
Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating

Equipment

Large heavy pot or Dutch oven
Sharp knife for cutting cassava
Wooden spoon
Ladle

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