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This sancocho may not be entirely traditional — it skips the customary seven meats and contains no pork — but trust me, the rich flavors are all there. With chicken drumsticks, beef stew meat, and short ribs simmered alongside hearty root vegetables like yuca, plantain, and yam, each spoonful is packed with comfort and warmth. Whether you’re skipping pork for dietary, cultural, or religious reasons, this recipe is a perfect alternative — and an especially nourishing option for Iftar if you’re fasting during Ramadan.

The best part? You can absolutely meal prep this dish! To keep it tasting as fresh as day one on day three (or four), reheat it over the stove — trust me, those few extra minutes are worth it. Plus, let’s BFFR… the microwave takes ode long to heat up soup anyway!

Now, let’s get into the recipe down below:

⏱️ Prep Time: 30 mins

⏳ Cook Time: 2.5 hours

?Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Look, there’s a lotttt of ingredients but thats what makes this dish so special and flavorful. A little hack I like to do is to cut more root vegetables than I need and freeze the rest. Why? Because the next time I want to make sancocho all I have to do is prep the meat and broth and toss all the frozen veggies into the pot accordingly.

Meats:

• 6-8 chicken drumsticks
• 1 pack beef stew meat
• 4-5 beef short ribs

Seasonings:

• Sofrito/green seasoning
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Paprika
• Dominican oregano
• Salt-free poultry seasoning 
• Dried parsley
• 6 all spice balls/malageta
• Fresh thyme sprig

Vegetables:

• 1 medium Yuca/Cassava (peeled and chopped)
• 1 Plantain (peeled and chopped)
• 2 White yam/ Ñame (peeled and chopped)
• 2 Purple yam/ Yautia lilac (peeled and chopped)
• 2 Carrots (peeled and chopped)
• 2 Green bananas (peeled and chopped)
• 4 Corn on the Cob (cut into small rounds)
• 1 Kombucha squash (half peeled and chopped)

Other Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• Brown sugar or agave
• Tomato paste (2 tbsp)
• Red onion (1 whole, halved)
• Bell pepper (1 whole, sliced)
• Chicken or beef stock (1 box)
• Garlic cloves (10 )
• 1 bunch Cilantro
• 6-8 Culantro leaves
• 2 whole limes

Recipe:

1. Season the Meats:
   • Season the chicken, beef stew meat, and short ribs with sofrito, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and Dominican oregano. Marinate overnight or for at least 1 hour.
     
2. Brown the Meats:
   • In a large pot on medium low heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar or agave. Brown all the meat together until you get a rich brown color. Once browned, remove the chicken and set it aside.
3. Build the Base:
   • Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste to the remaining meat and sauté with red onion and bell pepper for 2-3 minutes. Once fragrant, add 8-10 cups of water (or more depending on the size of your pot), 1 box of chicken or beef stock, and 10 garlic cloves.
   • Add cilantro, culantro, 6 all spice balls, 1 fresh sprig of thyme and a bit more of the original seasonings to the stock. Toss in half of your peeled and chopped kombucha squash.
4. Simmer the Broth:
   • Let the broth simmer for 1 hour. Add more water if needed, then mash or blend the cooked squash to create a rich, velvety base. Stir it back into the pot.
   • Squeeze the juice of 2 whole limes into the stock and continue cooking for another 45 minutes to ensure the beef becomes tender.
5. Prepare the Root Vegetables:
   • While the broth simmers, fill a bowl with cold water and ice. Peel and chop your root vegetables (yuca, white yam, purple yam, plantain, green banana, and carrots) into small-medium pieces. Add into icy bowl of water with a pinch of salt to avoid oxidation aka your root veggies getting black. You can place in fridge while stew cooks. Freeze any extra so you can have a nice batch for the next time you make sancocho.
6. Combine and Cook:
   • After 1 hour and 45 minutes, add more water if needed, then return the chicken drumsticks to the pot.
   • Add your yuca and green plantain first, as they take longer to cook. Simmer yuca, plantain and chicken drumsticks for 30 minutes, adding water as necessary.
   • After 30 minutes, season the broth again to taste. Literally, taste it, abeg – everything will be cooked by then so no need to fear salmonella LMAO. Then, add the white yam, purple yam, and corn and 1 tablespoon of parsley. Cook for another 10 minutes.
   • Finally, add your green banana and carrots and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes.
7. Final Touches:
   • Taste your broth one last time and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve your sancocho with white rice and avocado for the perfect comforting meal.
8. Meal Prepping:
   • Soup is one of my FAVORITE dishes to meal prep because it reheats so well on the stove. Divide your soup into tupperwares and let it FULLY COOL OFF. Like seriously, it needs to be cool before you store it in the fridge to avoid nasty a$$ meal prepped food.

Enjoy this rich, hearty no-pork sancocho with your loved ones or as a post gym dinner for the gains!

Don’t forget to tag me in your wonderful creations @naturallyyuly on all platforms.