Incredibly tender Beef Braciole
These are the top reasons why we adore these gorgeous stuffed beef roulades:
- the meat is tender, juicy, and melts in your mouth
- the beef top round is thin and perfectly cooked and stuffed with a light, flavorful stuffing
- there's a generous amount of sauce, which you can also use the next days for pasta
- keeps well in the fridge or freezer
- a glorious family meal that's also great for holidays and large gatherings
- made in one pan
Essential ingredients
This recipe is rich yet simple to make. The Italians suggested using the leftover sauce the next day with some pasta, which we tried and adored. This way, you can eat two completely different dishes two days in a row from only making one recipe. We need a few essential ingredients for this recipe, which you can read in the next few lines. Grab the full recipe below.
Meat - Choose the right piece of meat for this recipe. We used top round, but feel free to use sirloin. The meat must be pounded and thin, as we're making roulades. Once we sear the meat, it's alsoessentialt to simmer it on low heat, as this is the only way to ensure a lovely, tender texture. Cook for about 2 hours in the sauce.
Stuffing - You can make so many beef roll stuffings, but we adore this one from Sicily. We'll need garlic, pine nuts, parmesan, and parsley. The stuffing is light and heavenly, matching the sauce and meat. Optionally, substitute the pine nuts with walnuts or almonds or leave them out. Feel free to substitute the Parmesan cheese with Pecorino Romano.
Sauce - There's a generous amount of sauce, which is perfect, as you can taste it with every bite. For the sauce, we will need red wine, preferably Cabernet Sauvignon. This recipe also calls for vegetables like onion, garlic, carrots, canned tomatoes, and tomato passata.
What to serve with Beef Braciole
We like to serve the Beef Braciole with one of these sides:
- Slovenian Cheese Dumplings (Struklji)
- Mlinci (Baked Noodles)
- Best Mashed Potatoes
- Baked Potato Wedges with Yogurt Dip
- Spaetzle
Storing and freezing
There are two ways to store this delicious Beef Braciole recipe.
You can keep the chilled homemade Beef Braciole with Sauce in the fridge for up to 3 days. Before serving, reheat in the microwave oven or using a skillet.
Feel free to freeze the Beef Braciole, too. Place it in a freezer-friendly container and freeze for up to 2 months. Before serving, defrost at room temperature (or in the fridge overnight), then reheat in the microwave oven or using a pot.
How to make Beef Braciole at home (video)
Check this short video to learn how to make beef braciole at home.
Next, try these delicious beef recipes
- Braised Beef Stew with Fluffy Dumplings
- Beef Bourguignon
- Thin Sliced Beef Round Steak
- Mongolska govedina z brokolijem
- Osso buco v pečici
- Počasi pečena goveja rebra
- Pljučni file v gobovi omaki
Made in collaboration with Podravka d.o.o.
METHOD
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make the meat rolls
Prepare two sheets of parchment paper. Place one top round steak onto a sheet of parchment paper and cover with another layer of the paper. Pound each steak until you get a thin steak. Add garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, parsley, pinch of pepper, and salt to a mortar and grind into a thick mixture. Feel free to use a food chopper if you have it at home. Spread the stuffing evenly over the meat and roll into a tight roulade. Secure the beef roulade with kitchen twine in two spots.
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sear the meat
Place a large, deep pan over high heat. Add oil and beef braciole and sear on both sides for approximately 2 - 3 minutes per side or until beautifully caramelized.
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wine
In the same pan, cook the wine without using any fat. Simmer for about 4 - 5 minutes for the alcohol to evaporate and to combine with those delicious meat-searing juices. Transfer the meat to a bowl.
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sauce
Add the oil to the same (clean) pan and place over medium heat. Add the diced onion and diced carrots. Stir and saute for 5 minutes, then pour the wine, tomato passata, water, whole (canned) tomatoes, salt and pepper. Add the herbs, stir, and arrange the beef braciole over the sauce and dip them gently into the sauce. Bring to a boil, then cover with a lid and reduce the heat to very low. Cook for 2 - 2 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender.
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serve
Divide the beef with the sauce between six plates and serve with your favorite side dish. Remove the kitchen twine from the meat before serving.
