Italian Beef Braciole Recipe: Great for Cool Evenings Cooking at Home (2024)

This is a simple, straightforward recipe for beef braciole, also known as involtini. Beef braciole are made with thin cuts of steak, pounded thinner with a rolling pin, and prepared as roulades with herbs, garlic and prosciutto. The rolls are tied with kitchen twine to hold their shape, seared, and then braised slowly in crushed tomatoes and a splash of red wine. In Italian-American families, this sauce is sometimes known as Sunday gravy. Often the braciole includes cheese and breadcrumbs, but they're perfectly delicious without these ingredients.

You can think of braciole as a kind of lazy man's meatball, since there's no grinding, mixing, or portioning of the meat. This recipes calls for skirt steak because it's flavorful and already fairly thin, but you can also use flank steak, or slices of top round. Once you get the idea, you can try making braciole with all kinds of different meats and fillings.

"The beef was delicious with some pasta and a loaf crusty bread. You could easily up the crushed tomatoes for more sauce. It takes a little time to thin and roll the meat and prosciutto, but all of the steps are easy and the ingredients are not complicated." —Diana Rattray

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A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Italian Beef Braciole Recipe: Great for Cool Evenings Cooking at Home (2)

  2. Cut the skirt steak into 3 equal cross-wise pieces, parallel to the grain. Each piece should be about 6- to 7-inches long, depending on the meat.

    Italian Beef Braciole Recipe: Great for Cool Evenings Cooking at Home (3)

  3. Place one piece between two sheets of parchment paper. With a rolling pin, pound the meat to flatten it to a thickness of about 1/4-inch. Repeat with the 2 remaining pieces.

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  4. Generously season the steaks on both sides with salt and pepper.

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  5. Lay two slices of prosciutto evenly on top of each steak. Scatter the garlic and herbs evenly on top of the prosciutto.

    Italian Beef Braciole Recipe: Great for Cool Evenings Cooking at Home (6)

  6. Roll the steaks from end to end and tie them with kitchen twine to hold the roll in place. Tuck in any loose bits of steak, prosciutto or herb.

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  7. Add the oil to a large Dutch oven (or other heavy-duty pot with a lid) over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, sear the braciole on two or three sides until golden brown.

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  8. Deglaze the pan with the red wine, scraping up all the crusty brown bits stuck to the bottom. Reduce the heat to low.

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  9. Add the crushed tomatoes and stir briefly to incorporate with the pan juices and the wine. Place the lid on the Dutch oven. Simmer on low until the braciole are tender when pierced with a fork, about 90 minutes. Remove from heat.

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  10. Remove the braciole to a cutting board. Let rest 15 minutes. Remove the kitchen twine from the braciole. Slice each roll crosswise, transfer to a plate and top with sauce as desired. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

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Tips

  • If you don't have kitchen twine, you can secure the rolls with toothpicks or unflavored dental floss. Or try using strips of heavy-duty foil.
  • Searing the rolls adds flavor to the sauce, but you may skip this step to save time.

Slow Cooker Variation

Follow the recipe above through step 6, then brown the meat by first heating the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the wine, scraping up browned bits. Transfer beef and any remaining liquid to a slow cooker. Add tomatoes, garlic, and remaining herbs. (Note: Ingredients should come about 1/2 way up the side of the meat.) Set slow cooker to HIGH. Cook for 2 hours, checking once or twice to make sure there's plenty of liquid in the pot. Add some water if you need to replenish the liquid. Remove braciole from broth and let rest for 15 minutes before removing twine and carving. Serve with the tomato sauce.

How to Store and Freeze

  • Refrigerate leftover cooked braciole and sauce within 2 hours and eat within 3 days.
  • To freeze, transfer the cooked braciole and sauce to a freezer container or resealable freezer bag. Label with the name and date and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost frozen braciole in the refrigerator overnight.
  • To reheat leftover braciole, place it in a sauté pan. Cover and cook over low heat until the rolls register at least 165 F in the center.
  • Italian Dinner Recipes
  • Dinner
  • Beef Mains
  • European Food
  • Italian Food
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
403Calories
24g Fat
7g Carbs
38g Protein

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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4to 6
Amount per serving
Calories403
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 24g30%
Saturated Fat 8g41%
Cholesterol 87mg29%
Sodium 1081mg47%
Total Carbohydrate 7g2%
Dietary Fiber 2g6%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 38g
Vitamin C 11mg56%
Calcium 55mg4%
Iron 5mg26%
Potassium 783mg17%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

  • beef main
  • dinner
  • italian
  • boxing day

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Italian Beef Braciole Recipe: Great for Cool Evenings Cooking at Home (2024)

FAQs

Why is my braciole tough? ›

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.

What is the best cut of meat for braciole? ›

I prefer top round (often sold as London broil) for braciole. It's inexpensive and works great. Depending on where you shop, you may be able to find thinly sliced top round that's marked as “for braciole”, but if you need to filet a whole top round, I walk you through that process in the steps below.

What is a good side dish for braciole? ›

A risotto side dish will also pair nicely with this braciole recipe. You can also serve braciole with polenta.

Can I prep braciole the night before? ›

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.

Does cooking tough meat longer make it tender? ›

Depending on the cut of meat you're dealing with, taking most quick-cooking steaks (sirloin for example) to medium (or 140ºF) is a good bet. The exception to this rule is tougher cuts of meat like brisket that need to be cooked longer to become tender.

What does braciole mean in Italian? ›

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.

What is a braciole slang? ›

—1. a piece of Italian beef pan fried in its own juices. 2. a euphemism for male genitalia. Example: "If you don't want to cuddle, thanks for the braciole, but no dinner dates with me and you.

What is the national dish of 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.

What is the number 1 Italian dish? ›

Pizza. Besides pasta, pizza is perhaps the most popular and recognized Italian food. Pizza is considered a national symbol representing Italy to the rest of the world, so much so that UNESCO has acknowledged pizza as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

What vegetables do Italians eat for dinner? ›

9 Essential Vegetables for Italian Recipes
  • Artichokes. If you're not up for trimming fresh artichokes, don't let that stop you from cooking with them. ...
  • Arugula. ...
  • Broccolini. ...
  • Broccoli Rabe. ...
  • Celery. ...
  • Fennel. ...
  • Lacinato Kale. ...
  • Portobello Mushrooms.

What is a good dinner side? ›

30 best side dishes
  • Classic potato salad. Elevate your barbecue or picnic with our timeless potato salad recipe. ...
  • Cauliflower cheese. ...
  • Epic summer salad. ...
  • Quick kimchi. ...
  • Roasted carrots. ...
  • Easy pilau rice. ...
  • Ultimate roast potatoes. ...
  • Giant couscous & tomato salad with zhoug-style dressing.

How do you cook beef the night before? ›

Cook your meat ahead of time, too.

And it's so easy. Preheat your oven to 250ºF, then place the roast in the oven and cook until it registers 120ºF in the center. Let it cool uncovered at room temperature for at least an hour, then stick it in the fridge (this can be done the day before).

Can you season beef the night before? ›

If you have the time, you should always strive to get your roast seasoned the night before roasting to let the flavor really sink in. The most basic seasoning is rubbing your roast liberally with kosher salt and pepper before setting it on a sheet tray or roasting pan in the fridge.

How do you fix tough overcooked meat? ›

How to Save Overcooked Steak?
  1. Sauce Saves the Day. Covering your overcooked steak with a thick sauce or gravy will help balance out the dryness and make up for its lack of flavor. ...
  2. Simmer In Liquid. Warm some water or broth in a pan with some barbeque sauce and let your steak simmer. ...
  3. Grind It Up.
May 18, 2022

Why does my meat come out tough? ›

And the longer meat is cooked, the more liquid it loses and the tougher it becomes. Factors that also influence tenderness and juiciness are: The animal's age at slaughter, the amount of fat and collagen (connective tissue) contained in particular cuts, and, to a small degree, brining.

Does overcooking meat make it tough? ›

Yes, I did. Muscle fibers contract and push out moisture as meat cooks. It first starts to happen when the internal temperature reaches 104℉ (40℃) and greatly increases once you hit 140℉ (60℃). This is why ribeyes, chicken breasts, and pork chops turn dry and chewy when you cook them for too long.

Why is my cooked meat rubbery? ›

Yup, cooking most meat too long is a bad thing. Cooking lamb too long like that will result in rubber. Its also possible that you accidentally cut with the grain instead of against it - which would result in a very chewy, rubber like texture. You end up with long proteins that are harder to chew.

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