Caldo de Costilla is a traditional Colombian breakfast popular in the Cundinamarca region of the country.
What is Caldo de Costilla?
It is a rich and delicious soup made with beef ribs, potatoes, onions and herbs, this dish is from the Andean region of Colombia. This soup is usually served for breakfast and it is the best cure for a hangover, or Guayabo in Colombia.
Ingredients You'll Need
This soup is made with simple ingredients. You will find the printable recipe card with full amounts and cooking directions below.
Short Ribs: The best and the most commonly used meat for this soup.
Vegetables and Herbs: The other two ingredients of the dish that I consider essential to this soup are fresh cilantro and potatoes. Garlic, green and white onions give this soup a wonderful flavor.
Spices: Ground cumin, salt and pepper.
Note: Some cooks like to add carrots to the soup, but the traditional recipe doesn't include carrots. I like to add carrots to my caldo de costilla for extra flavor.
Caldo de Costilla is a wonderful soup for the cold weather. It is warm, soothing and flavorful to the last spoonful.
How to make this Caldo
- Place the ribs in a large pot with the cumin, salt, pepper and the water.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about one hour. Place the garlic, onions and scallions in a blender with ¼ cup of water and blend for about 1 minute. Add this mixture to the pot and cook for 40 minutes more.
- Add half of the cilantro, potatoes and carrots if using. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 25 to 30 minutes more or until the potatoes are tender.
- Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro and serve warm.
How to Serve Caldo de Costilla
I love serving mine with arepa, aji, avocado, and white rice on the side. This is traditional Colombian breakfast, but you can serve it for lunch or dinner.
How to store and reheat the soup?
You can store this soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. You can reheat the soup in the microwave or on the stove over low heat.
I do not recommend freezing this caldo de costilla as the potatoes become grainy when defrosted.
More Comforting Soups
Sopa de Lentejas (Lentil Soup)
Caldo de Costilla Recipe (Colombian Beef Ribs Broth)
Ingredients
- 3 pounds of short ribs
- About15 cups of water
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 cup of onion diced
- 6 scallions chopped
- ½ cup of chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 pound of potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 large carrots peeled and sliced (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the ribs in a large pot with the cumin, salt, pepper and the water.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about one hour. Place the garlic, onions and scallions in a blender with ¼ cup of water and blend for about 1 minute. Add this mixture to the pot and cook for 40 minutes more.
- Add half of the cilantro, potatoes and carrots if using. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 25 to 30 minutes more or until the potatoes are tender.
- Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro and serve warm.
Carla
I recently travelled to Medellin and enjoyed this soup everyday for breakfast! This recipe tastes exactly the way I remember. So flavorful! It’s hits the spot every time. I substituted carrots for parsnips because it was already in my fridge. Otherwise, I made the recipe exactly as described! It is time consuming but so worth it. Gonna make again tonight, and I had to leave a review.
Alejandra
This recipe is spot on and tastes just like my abuela used to make it! Is it freezer friendly? How long do you think it might last in the fridge or freezer?
Dianna
This is the my favorite soup & perfect for hangovers, when you’re feeling under the weather or anytime! Delicious.
GR
Can can you freeze the Caldo or will the potatoes become mushy once you defrost it?
Erica Dinho
I always keep the leftovers in the fridge.
ALI KITCHELL
thank you so much for posting this recipe. I just got back from medellin and ate this soup everyday i spent there. 2 days later i'm googlng this recipe and it had 5 stars. so i made it according to your instructions. delicioso!!!! muy rico, muchas gracias amiga!
Lucy
My husband is from Bogota and I can always count on your recipes when he is feeling a bit homesick (we live in NY). I made this today in an electric pressure cooker similar to an InstaPot. I just used the machine's settings and cooked the ribs, cumin, achiote, salt, pepper, and water (beef broth substituted) on the stew setting for 20 mins, then I added the remaining ingredients and used the soup setting for an additional 20 minutes. My husband is all about the broth and doesn't care about the meat, so I used only 1 lbs. and used some beef broth in place of the water. He preferred his served with white rice and no ahi, but then he dumps in hot sauce. I made the aji for myself because it has more flavor than hot sauce if you ask me.
Maria
Thank you for the recipe. Question: when do you add the other half of potatoes?
Lucy
She meant that you add half the cilantro, reserving half for garnish, but you add all the potatoes and carrots at the same time.
Maria
Hi Erica,
Have you tried it in the instapot? For how long should I cook it for?
Thank you
Erica Dinho
No, I am going to buy one to make my recipes.
Celia Smith
I'm going to try it today, but let us know how long you do it for.
Jeanna
Did you make it in the Instant Pot yet? How long did you cook it? My son-in-law is from Bogota and I want to make this for him for Christmas brunch. I would like to use my Instant Pot too.
Thank you!
Maria
Thank heaps for this wonderful recipe! I'm a Venezuelan girl living in Australian and my partner is Colombian, whenever he misses home I whip out your website for some comfort food, I love how thorough you are with all your recipes!
Lisa
I have been looking for this recipe forever, it's my daughter's favorite and there Lita makes it every time she visits from Bogota. Thanks!
LR
Is this soup OK for freezing? Will the potatoes freeze well?
Erica Dinho
I will try it soon and I will let you know.
Nick C.
I can never leave anything alone! I made this recipe as written the first time and my family LOVED it. However, I thought that there was a little tweaking that could be done. I replaced the achiote with saffron. I added one ribbed and seeded Jalopeno and 2 Tbsp puréed lemon grass to the purée. I replaced half of the cilantro with a thin sliced Italian Parsley. I used Ukon Gold scrubbed unpeeled potatoes and scrubbed unpeeled carrots. The results were nothing short of wonderful. I know that I bastardized a classic recipe but the results were well worth the extra effort. Please try my alterations AFTER you have tried the original recipe. My changes only alter the flavor slightly but they make a world of difference. Thank you for taking the time to read my post.
Anonymous
Then is not really “Colombian caldo de costilla”, but you variations of this Caldo de Costilla sound great .