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Golden broth lined with glossy pools of fat simmers around chunks of tender beef and vegetables: potatoes the size of eggs, whole corn cobs, squash, green beans in a shallow ceramic bowl. Cazuela is the name for both the cooking vessel (a wide earthenware dish) and the dish itself, a deliberately simple clear broth that relies entirely on bone collagen and long cooking for its nourishment rather than cream or thickening. This is home cooking at its most practical: using what the land provides—beef from local herds, vegetables from the garden—without technique beyond patience and good heat. Cazuela appears in Chilean homes year-round but especially in cooler months when people want something warm but not stew-thick, complex but fundamentally honest.
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
Add the beef chunks and cook until they are browned on all sides. Remove the meat and set aside.
In the same pot, add the chopped onion and cook until it becomes translucent.
Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the diced tomato and cook for another 5 minutes, until the tomato starts to break down.
Return the browned beef to the pot.
Pour in the beef broth (or water) and add the bay leaf, paprika, ground cumin, dried oregano, ground black pepper, and salt.
Stir well and bring the mixture to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it simmer for about 1 hour, or until the meat is tender.
Add the potatoes, carrots, green beans, pumpkin (or butternut squash), and corn to the pot.
Stir gently and simmer for another 20-30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
Remove the bay leaf from the pot.
Adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed.
Garnish with fresh parsley.
Serve the Cazuela hot with lime wedges on the side for extra flavor.
Cazuela is a Chilean clear broth dish named after the wide, shallow earthenware vessel it's cooked in. It combines bone-in beef or chicken with large chunks of potato, corn on the cob, squash, and green beans, simmered until vegetables are tender and the broth turns gelatinous from bone collagen.
Cazuela is quintessentially Chilean, emerging from 19th-century home cooking when families needed to use whole animals and garden vegetables without waste. It reflects agricultural rhythms and the availability of seasonal produce, remaining a cornerstone of everyday Chilean meals.
Bone-in beef shank or chuck, chicken with bones, potatoes, carrots, corn on the cob, green beans, pumpkin or squash, tomato, onion, garlic, and beef or chicken broth. The bones are essential for releasing collagen that gives the broth its characteristic silky mouthfeel.
Use bone-in cuts and do not rush the initial simmering—at least 1 hour allows collagen to fully hydrate and flavor the broth. Add vegetables in stages: potatoes first, then harder squash and carrots, green beans last. The broth should taste gently savory, not intensely seasoned.
Serve hot in wide bowls, with crusty bread for soaking the broth and lime wedges for brightness. A simple side salad or pickled onions complement the richness. Cazuela is a complete meal requiring nothing more.