Drowned Beef Sandwich with Chipotle Sauce

Ingredients:

Preparation mode:

👉 In Guadalajara, a torta ahogada – a “drowned sandwich” – is a crusty roll stuffed with meat and soaked in spicy tomato sauce. This easy home version uses sliced roast beef and a smoky chipotle broth for dunking, so every bite stays crisp on the outside and juicy inside.

🍳 How to Make Drowned Beef Sandwiches

1. Make the broth. Blend the tomatoes, chipotles, adobo sauce, half the garlic, oregano, cumin and salt until smooth. Pour into a saucepan with the beef stock and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in half the cilantro.
2. Cook the onion. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion over medium heat for 6–8 minutes until soft and golden. Add the rest of the garlic for 1 minute.
3. Warm the beef. Add the roast beef and 4 tablespoons of the broth to the onions and heat for 2 minutes.
4. Toast the rolls. Split the rolls and toast them cut side down in a dry pan or under the grill.
5. Assemble. Pile the beef and onions into the rolls and top with cilantro and pickled onion.
6. Drown and serve. Pour the hot broth into bowls. Dip each sandwich as you eat, or pour the broth over the sandwich on a plate, Guadalajara-style.

💡 Tips

• Use firm, crusty rolls – soft buns fall apart in the broth.
• For more heat, blend in a dried chile de árbol.

❓ FAQ

What is a torta ahogada?
A sandwich from Jalisco, Mexico, traditionally filled with pork carnitas and covered in tomato and chile sauce.

Can I use leftover roast beef?
Yes, slice it as thinly as possible.

👉 More Mexican recipes: browse all recipes.

Footnotes:

Crusty bolillo rolls filled with roast beef and onions, dunked into a smoky homemade chipotle-tomato broth – inspired by Guadalajara's torta ahogada.