Beef Braciole
I’m excited to bring you this dish after my first time creating this Italian classic.
I was inspired to make this roulade, aka filled meat roll, after researching the differences between Braciole and Spiedini (if you haven’t checked out my Beef Spiedini post, check it out here). I learned that the difference is Braciole is cooked in a red sauce, while the Spiedini is not. While both are equally delicious, I am so glad I decided to make a Braciole because it was AMAZING 😋 and I will definitely be adding this recipe to my repertoire.
For the Braciole, I used flank steak, which I pounded out (with Dave’s help 😉) and the meat was rolled with a mixture of bread crumbs, parsley, basil, garlic and provolone cheese. The roulade became melt in your mouth tender as it cooked in the red sauce and the final plating was incredibly extremely tasty, please excuse the messy plating. I was hangry and you can certainly tell 😉!
I will mention this dish is perfect if you’re entertaining, because it feeds 6-8 people. Two, it can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until you’re ready to cook. I hope you enjoy and please don’t forget to check out the cousin to Braciole, my Beef Spiendini, cheers🥂!
Some Notes
- Preparing the Braciole Early – I made my Braciole ahead of time and wrapped it tightly in plastic wrap. By placing it into the refrigerator, the Braciole firmed up and created a more uniform roulade (which you can see below). If you take this approach during your prep, you’ll want to remove the roulade from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking. This will allow the chill to be removed and allow for more even cook of the meat.
- Cook the Braciole in Red Sauce – My recipe includes my quick red sauce and added some time to the prep. However, if you’re short for time, you could use a frozen sauce from your freezer (check out my Italian Gravy recipe here) or a jar sauce. I suggest aiming for 3 cups of sauce when cooking your Braciole. If you have the extra time, I would encourage you to make my quick red sauce because it is perfect for this dish since it simmers with the meat and develops delicious flavor. Two, the sauce doesn’t take much effort and is made from scratch ❤, see below for my recipe.
- Cutting the Braciole – I would suggest cutting your butcher twine after you cut your roulade. I cut my butcher twine before cutting and it made for difficult and sloppy cutting 😕.
- Prep Time – The prep time captured in the recipe includes the time needed to pound the meat, create the herb mixture, roll the flank steak, sear the roulade and build the red sauce.
- 5-10 minutes to pound out the flank steak
- 10 minutes to create the herb and bread crumb mixture
- 5 minutes to roll and twine the meat
- 20 minutes to sear the roulade
- 20 minutes to build the red sauce
- Leftovers – Braciole makes the most incredible leftovers ❤, simply fry a thin cut in a non stick pan and develop a crisp and enjoy in a sandwich. Featured below is a Braciole Fried Egg Breakfast Sammie 😋.
Beef Braciole
Ingredients
- 2 lbs flank steak, pounded thinly
Braciole Stuffed
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 1 cup parsley, large thick stems removed and chopped
- 10 basil leaves, chiffonade, i.e. cut into thin ribbons
- 4 slices provolone cheese, chopped roughly
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- EVOO
- Salt & ground pepper
Instructions
Creating the Roulade, i.e. Stuffed Rolled Meat
- Begin by pounding out the flank steak and get it as thin as possible.
- Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, add bread crumbs, parsley, basil, cheese and garlic. Add some salt and ground pepper and finish with a good drizzle of EVOO.
- Add the herb mixture to the pounded out flank steak and drizzle with a bit more EVOO.
- Now time to create the roll, i.e roulade, roll tightly and secure with butcher twine.
Cooking the Braciole
- Begin by salting the flank steak roll generously.
- Now sear the flank steak in a cast iron skillet with EVOO or Canola Oil and create a hard exterior sear, 4-5 minutes on each side.
- Once the flank steak has been seared on all sides, remove the Braciole from the pan and set aside. Now build the red sauce, see below for my quick tomato sauce, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Return the Braciole to the cast iron skillet containing the red sauce and cover with foil. Cook for 1 hour, turning the Braciole at the halfway point.
- Allow the roulade to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Slice the Braciole into individual servings and remove the butcher twine.
- Top with the red sauce and serve with pasta, polenta or a green salad. Enjoy and cheers🥂!
This red sauce was cooked in the same cast iron skillet as the Braciole because you want to develop the sauce with the meat fond, browned bits of meat stuck to the bottom of the cast iron 👍 because that’s deliciousness.
Red Sauce, aka Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 TBS unsalted butter
- 1 medium sized onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped finely
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 TBS tomato paste
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- Salt & ground pepper
Instructions
- In the same iron skillet, where the Braciole was seared, warm the butter on medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
- Now add the white wine and cook until the alcohol is removed, 4-5 minutes.
- Now add the tomato paste and cook for another few minutes, 5-6 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and stir together.
- Add the spices and season as needed with salt and ground pepper.
Notes
- You do not want to clean your cast iron skillet after cooking the Braciole because that meat fond. The fond, browned bits of meat stuck to the bottom of the cast iron) is great for building the sauce. However, if you have a lot of oil in your skillet, remove some that oil prior to adding the butter.
- This sauce could be made on it’s own and if you take that route, simmer for at least 1 hour on your stovetop.
How far ahead did you prepare the roulade? Can I prepare it on the 23rd to cook on the 25th? I don’t want to give my family food poisoning! Thanks.