This Salsa Verde Beef recipe is one of the simplest instant pot or slow cooker recipes, yet it packs a ton of flavor. With just five ingredients plus salt and pepper, this easy dinner recipe comes together in a flash, creating a delicious protein for burrito bowls, burrito filling, or the starring ingredient in Salsa Verde Beef Tacos.
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When dinnertime rolls around, what do you most want to do? Eat, right? Sure, somedays you look forward to cooking, but at the end of a long day, most of us are looking forward to the eating part more than the cooking part.
Well, no problem.
Yes, I’m serious. It’s no problem if you’re all set with a meal plan, particularly one that includes this Salsa Verde Beef.
I developed this recipe more than ten years ago and even featured it in my first cookbook. And for good reason! Not only does it contain a mere five ingredients (oil not pictured below) but it can also be made super efficiently in the slow cooker or instant pot and freezes beautifully.
Boom! Dinner ready with very little effort on your part.
Why Make This
It’s easy. With just five ingredients and a slow cooker or instant pot prep, this salsa verde shredded beef couldn’t be easier to make.
It’s delicious. This tender beef has so much flavor, thanks to the salsa verde and the taco spices. Serve it simply in warm corn tortillas, build a bowl with Mexican brown rice or cauliflower rice, or tuck the tender meat into a burrito. Not matter how you serve it, it’s gonna be a hit on your taco bar or burrito bar.
It freezes beautifully. This is such a simple recipe that brings a lot of satisfaction. Make a double batch and freeze the leftover beef for another time. Talk about an easy Taco Tuesday!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need for Salsa Verde Beef. It’s so simple!
olive oil – You just need a bit of oil to sear the beef. This helps create the Maillard reaction which improves both the flavor and texture of the meat.
beef roast – Salsa Verde Beef is a braise, so a certain cut of meat will work better than others and will give you the best flavor. I recommend a beef chuck roast or rump roast.
onion – Onion is an aromatic to add flavor to the dish. You can also use a garlic clove or two if you prefer or that’s what you have on hand.
taco seasoning – I make a homemade taco Seasoning Mix that is perfect in this dish. When you make homemade you can perfectly control the spice level and save money, too. Feel free to use your favorite taco seasoning.
salsa verde – This is the key ingredient to this chile verde dish, is of course, the green salsa, usually made from tomatillos, green chiles, onions, and cilantro. You can make it yourself but I’m happy with getting Trader Joe’s or Herdez brand salsas. You’re not going to use the entire jar of salsa verde, so be sure to plan another meal with it (I’m partial to Sour Cream Chicken) or freeze it for another time.
Instructions
This is such an easy recipe! You can make it in either the slow cooker or the electric pressure cooker. Here’s the basic method:
Cube the meat, chop the onion, and measure out your oil, taco seasoning, and salsa verde.
Heat the oil in a large skillet or in the pot of your pressure cooker on sauté. Brown the meat in the hot oil, turning to sear all sides. Don’t crowd the meat cubes in the pan; you may need to do this in batches.
Transfer the meat to the slow cooker or to a bowl if you’re using the Instant Pot.
Add the onion to the drippings in the pan and cook, stirring, until tender. Add the taco seasoning and cook for another minute.
Stir in the salsa verde and cook, scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pan or pressure cooker.
If using the slow cooker, add this mixture to the crock. If using an Instant Pot, add the meat back in. Stir well to combine.
Cover the slow cooker and allow to cook 6 to 8 hours on low or until the meat is fall apart tender. If you’re using the pressure cooker, set it to manual high pressure for 45 minutes. Release the pressure when the cycle ends.
Shred the meat with two forks and use as a taco or burrito filling. Serve immediately or store in the fridge in an airtight container. Consume within 4 days.
To freeze: chill the Salsa Verde Beef in the refrigerator before transferring to the freezer. Store for up to 6 weeks. To serve, thaw and reheat.
FAQs
Salsa Verde Beef is a delicious dish of beef braised in salsa verde (green salsa) until it is fall apart tender. It’s great as a taco or burrito filling as well as for topping bowl meals or lettuce wraps.
Chuck roast is one of the best cuts of beef for shredding. It’s marbled with fat that breaks down and makes for a very tender roast or meat for shredding. Rump roast works well, too.
Salsa verde, “green sauce” in Spanish, is typically made from a base of tomatillos and chiles. It’s delicious as a topping for Mexican food, but goes wonderful as a sauce in dishes. I feature Salsa Verde in Chicken Enchilada Casserole and Poblano Chile Enchiladas.
You absolutely can make your own salsa verde. I tried it once years ago but didn’t like fussing with the sticky tomatillo skins. Both Herdez and Trader Joe’s make such great bottled versions, that I’m okay with not making homemade in this instance.
More Great Taco Fillings
If you love making homemade tacos for Taco Tuesday, be sure to try some of these other favorite taco fillings:
Tell us what you think!
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Salsa Verde Beef
Equipment
- Electric pressure cooker
- 6-qt oval slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 2-3 lb rump roast cut into 1 ½-inch chunks, can also use chuck roast
- ½ onion chopped for ½ cup
- 2 tablespoon Taco Seasoning Mix
- 1 cup salsa verde
Instructions
To prepare in the slow cooker:
- Heat the oil in a large skillet. Season the meat with salt and pepper to taste. Add the beef chunks and brown on all sides to caramelize. Remove the meat to the crock of a slow cooker.1 tablespoon olive oil, 2-3 lb rump roast, salt and pepper
- Add the onion to the drippings in the pan and saute until lightly browned. Stir in the taco seasoning mix and heat about 1 minute. Add the salsa and stir, scraping up any browned bits. Transfer the liquid to the slow cooker. Stir to combine.½ onion, 2 tablespoon Taco Seasoning Mix, 1 cup salsa verde
- Cook on low 6-8 hours. Shred and serve.
To prepare in the pressure cooker:
- Heat the oil in the pot of your pressure cooker on sauté. Season the meat with salt and pepper to taste. Brown the meat in the hot oil, turning to sear all sides. Don’t crowd the meat cubes in the pan; you may need to do this in batches. Transfer the meat to a bowl if you’re using the Instant Pot.1 tablespoon olive oil, 2-3 lb rump roast
- Add the onion to the drippings in the pan and cook, stirring, until tender. Add the taco seasoning and cook for another minute. Stir in the salsa verde and cook, scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pressure cooker.½ onion, 2 tablespoon Taco Seasoning Mix, 1 cup salsa verde
- Add the meat back in. Stir well to combine.
- Secure the cover and close the pressure valve. Set the pressure cooker to manual high pressure for 45 minutes. Release the pressure when the cycle ends.
- Shred the meat with two forks and use as a taco or burrito filling.
To serve:
- Serve the meat in tacos, bowls, or burritos. The meat is also good in chili, soup, or wraps.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in August 2009. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Emily
really really yummy! Just had for lunch after church and it was a big hit with everybody! Husband raved. 🙂
Jaime Norman
If you add pinto beans do you use ones you have cooked or canned?
Jessica
Either would be fine as long a they’ve been cooked and drained.
Carrie
Hi ! Thanks for the kitchen inspiration ! How would this do with pork loin ( that is what I happen to have ? Thanks !
Carrie
Jessica
I think it would do fine. This is basically a braise. But, I’m not sure that the pork loin will shred. I usually use pork butt when I want it shredded.
Robin
Oops I meant to post this on your 5 family friendly beef dinners page 🙂
Jessica
@Robin, no worries. Glad you liked it!
Robin
We are having lawnmower tacos as an after-church lunch! Thanks for such a quick, delicious meal idea! 🙂
Ellen
How would this be with other cuts of beef… like London Broil or flank steak? I used london broil in the slow cooker to make a tomato based burrito filling this week, and it had no flavor and was pretty dry. I’m trying to decide if it was the recipe or the meat….
Jessica
@Ellen, I think that was the meat. London Broil is supposed to be marinated like crazy and then grilled. At least that is my understanding. When I am cooking in the crockpot, I use chuck or 7-blade roasts.
Christine
Made it. Family loved it. Made multiple meals from it. A keeper!
Jessica
So glad to hear it!
Sheila
This was so good – made it the other day when we had family visiting, and it was nice having something so easy & make-ahead. I modified the recipe a fair bit, but the bones of it was still inspired by this, so thank you for posting it!
Carla
I made this last night and I’ve been reminded repeatedly how much my guys enjoyed it. I went ahead and added a couple cups of black beans since I made up a big batch of those earlier in the week. My youngest ate his as tacos and the rest of us had ours over brown rice. I’ve never used salsa verde before–tasted great. 🙂
Davina
I am excited I just put this into the crock pot….. My dad is picky so I hope all turns out……
Stacy
Your pico on this looks awesome as well!
shannon
Yum. This is on the menu this week. Do you shred it when it’s done cooking?
Thanks!
Jessica
@shannon, it gets so tender that it basically shreds itself when you stir it.
Laura
Delicioso! Thanks for sharing a recipe that tastes amazing with very little effort on my part. My husband loved it, too.
karen
This is super yummy. We ate it on tortillas with tomato and sour cream. The leftovers were turned into chili with kidney beans and lots of onion. Not too spicy, my kids loved it. (or maybe they just love dinner that involves sour cream?)
Jessica
@karen, yeah! So glad to hear it. It is always a winner at our house. I need to get it back in rotation.
Carol
Great, different taco filling. Made in crockpot for an easy supper that didn’t heat the kitchen (heat wave here). Served with pico de gallo ( your recipe.)
Jessica Fisher
Thanks for your feedback, Carol. So glad you liked it!
Morgan
This is in the crock pot right now, I hope it’s a winner!
Lorena
very intrigued by this recipe! I think I’m off to try it. Have you tried this in a Pressure Cooker pot? I might want to try this tonight.
amyinaustin
This looks delicious. Can’t wait to try it! Thanks. 😉
Deb
Does the salsa verde you use in this recipe have “heat” to it?
Jessica
very little. I don’t think it’s spicy at all. The taco seasoning adds the heat, so just adjust that to your preferences.
Allyson
Okay so I’m new to all of this kitchen stuff and still trying to learn the ropes of what I can and cannot freeze. Is this freezable?
Jessica
Yes. Cool completely in the fridge in a covered container. I use Rubbermaid with a lid. Then freeze.
Mary Jo
I love beef with salsa verde. My favorite-of-all-time restaurant meal is at a place in Orlando called Taquitos Jalisco and it's called Puntas de Filete en Salsa Verde. Delish!