Braciole is a recipe that is perfect for a special occasion that only requires 20 minutes of active preparation time. Flank Steak is topped with cheese, herbs, and breadcrumbs, seared, and then roasted in tomato sauce. Let this recipe for Braciole with tomato sauce be your secret weapon for hosting a dinnerparty.
This scalable Braciole recipe requires very little active preparation time, and is a perfect dinner to serve for a special occasion.
Braciole is an Italian meat dish that consists of thin flank steak rolled up with cheese, herbs, and breadcrumbs. The first step to prepare braciole with a tomato sauce is to pound the meat out until it is very thin.
Next you create a mixture of cheese, garlic, and breadcrumbs. I like to use a blend of Parmesan and provolone.
The cheese and breadcrumb mixture gets spread over the steak.
Then you roll up the steak and tie it up with butcher’s twine.
The meat is quickly browned before being cooked low and slow in a pool of tomato sauce.
The result is slices of tender beef with swirls of cheese, herbs, and breadcrumbs. It’s easy and elegant, and sure to impress your dinner guests.
The active preparation time for this recipe is just 20 minutes, and you can easily increase the number of portions by purchasing a larger steak. I love recipes that can be scaled without any extra effort.
If you have a large dutch oven you could even cook two bracioles together.
I like to use my roasted tomato sauce in this recipe. It is my go-to tomato sauce recipe. It is made my pureeing roasted cherry tomatoes and has a really fresh taste.
Sometimes I serve Braciole with roasted potatoes and asparagus.
Most recently I served it with baked penne in tomato sauce and creamy spinach.
And for dessert… I made an angel food cake with a light whipped chocolate frosting – it one of my all-time favorite desserts!
This is one of my favorite meals to serve at a dinner party – the prep work can all be done in advance before guests arrive.
Before we get to the recipe – want some more recipes for a special dinner? Here are some options:
This is my Mom’s recipe for Braciole – it is made with a red wine sauce instead of being cooked in tomato sauce.
I love this Classic Chicken Marsala recipe and it tastes even better then it is made a day ahead of time.
How to make Braciole with Tomato Sauce:
Braciole with Tomato Sauce
Yield: 2-3 servings
Active Time: 20 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour50 minutes
Braciole is a recipe that is perfect for a special occasion that only requires 20 minutes of active preparation time. Flank Steak is topped with cheese, herbs, and breadcrumbs, seared, and then roasted in tomato sauce. Let this recipe be your secret weapon for hosting a dinner party.
Ingredients
1 lb - 1.25lb Flank Steak
Salt and Pepper
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/3 cup grated Provolone
1/3 cup Italian Breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian Parsley
2 cloves pressed or finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons Butter
1 cup White Wine
3 cups Tomato Sauce
*Butchers Twine
Instructions
First heat your oven to 300 degrees.
Then get started by pounding the flank steak to make it thinner. Pound it for about a minute getting it as thin as possible. Then dust both sides with salt and pepper.
Mix the Parmesan, Provolone, breadcrumbs, parsley, and garlic together in a bowl. Then spread them out evenly on the top of the flank steak.
Next roll up the steak, and tie it closed with 3-4 pieces of butcher's twine. Tie the twine tightly so that the filling won't fall out of the steak as it cooks.
Then melt the butter in a dutch oven over medium high heat, and brown the steak on all sides. This will take about 8 minutes total, turning the steak every 2 minutes.
Once the steak has been browned, add the white wine, and bring to a bubble. Then pour the tomato sauce over the steak, and cover it with a lid, and place it in the oven.
Roast the steak at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 hours, basting the steak every 30 minutes, by spooning the tomato sauce over it.
After 90 minutes, pull the dutch oven out of the oven, and let the braciole rest for 10 minutes before slicing it. Remove the butcher's twine as you slice. Serve immediately after slicing, spooning some of the tomato sauce on top.
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You can easily make braciole a day or two ahead of time, I've done that many times especially for parties. If I make them ahead of time for a party I also like to take my time removing the strings and cutting the rolls while they're cold.
Besides top round, bottom round, eye of round, flank steak, or sirloin can be used. They should all be pounded flat to 1/4″ thick for easy rolling. Kitchen twine will hold more securely, but toothpicks work well and are far easier to remove.
Further, if you haven't pounded the meat thin enough, it can still be tough after cooking, so make sure to pound it to an even, thin slice. Lastly, the cooking time matters, as if you cook it too short it can be tough, so make sure to cook it slow and prolonged to get a more tender result.
Braciole is an Italian-style roulade, a rolled and stuffed meat. It is also called involtini, or bruciuluni in Sicilian. The etymology of the word translates to slice of meat rolled over coals. The meat — typically beef, veal, or pork — is pounded thin and stuffed with prosciutto, breadcrumbs, cheese, and herbs.
Seasoning a steak overnight is all about enhancing flavor and, in some cases, tenderizing the meat. When you season a steak and let it sit in the refrigerator for several hours or even a full day, you're giving those seasonings time to work their magic.
Never brown or partially cook beef to refrigerate and finish cooking later because any bacteria present wouldn't have been destroyed. It is safe to partially pre-cook or microwave beef immediately before transferring it to the hot grill to finish cooking.
Braising the meat rolls slowly at low heat ensures tender meat that won't dry out. Braising the braciole in a covered pan for half the cooking time before finishing with the lid off guarantees the sauce doesn't over-reduce.
Pork is the most common cured meat in Italy, although other meats such as beef, venison and wild boar are also cured. Each region of Italy is known for its own cured meats, known as salumi, based on local customs. Spice plays an important role in the curing of Italian Meats.
Pasta alla carbonara! If the mixture of egg yolk and grated cheese is to thick it will be difficult to coat the pasta evenly, if it's too thin one risks cooking the eggs to a mess of scramble eggs and cheese. If the guanciale is cooked for too long it will be too crispy or even hard as bullets.
Beef Braciole (also known as braciola or involtini) is a classic Italian dish with many variations. It can be made with thin, individual slices of beef, such as round or as one large roll using flank steak. It can also be made with pork, and it always has a savory filling.
Italy. Commonly known around the world as spaghetti bolognese, in its authentic form 'Ragu alla Bolognese' is recognised as the national dish of Italy. Its origin can be traced back to Imola, a town near the city of Bologna, where a recipe was first recorded in the 18th century.
In Italy, "braciole" often refers to simple grilled slices of meat, usually pork. This is because "braciola" can be a term for any piece of meat cooked over embers or "braci." These are typically smaller pieces of meat, simply seasoned, grilled, and enjoyed right off the fire.
For the best flavor, let the sauce sit overnight in the refrigerator before serving. 6. This makes enough for 3 pounds of spaghetti, so you can also divide it into 3 freezer safe containers and freeze for later use.
Let the steak rest for 5 minutes under tin foil. Make sure to slice the steak AGAINST the grain when you are eating it. Arrange your meal prep containers with some steak, brussels sprouts, and sweet potato fries, enjoy! Everything will keep in the fridge for 5 days or can be frozen for 2-3 months.
How to Reheat: Add the sauce and steaks to a saucepan and cook covered over low heat for 8-10 minutes or until warm. Being incredibly classic, I've also seen horse meat being used in classic braciole, but I'll stay clear of that for now.
Introduction: My name is Merrill Bechtelar CPA, I am a clean, agreeable, glorious, magnificent, witty, enchanting, comfortable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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