How to Make Braciole - An Easy Braciole Recipe for a Special Dinner (2024)

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.

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This scalable Braciole recipe requires very little active preparation time, and is a perfect dinner to serve for a special occasion.

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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.

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Next you create a mixture of cheese, garlic, and breadcrumbs. I like to use a blend of Parmesan and provolone.

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The cheese and breadcrumb mixture gets spread over the steak.

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Then you roll up the steak and tie it up with butcher’s twine.

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The meat is quickly browned before being cooked low and slow in a pool of tomato sauce.

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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.

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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.

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If you have a large dutch oven you could even cook two bracioles together.

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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.

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Sometimes I serve Braciole with roasted potatoes and asparagus.

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Most recently I served it with baked penne in tomato sauce and creamy spinach.

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And for dessert… I made an angel food cake with a light whipped chocolate frosting – it one of my all-time favorite desserts!

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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:

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This is my Mom’s recipe for Braciole – it is made with a red wine sauce instead of being cooked in tomato sauce.

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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:

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Braciole with Tomato Sauce

Yield: 2-3 servings

Active Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 50 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.

Did you make this recipe?

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Inspired by Giada de Laurentiis

How to Make Braciole - An Easy Braciole Recipe for a Special Dinner (18)
How to Make Braciole - An Easy Braciole Recipe for a Special Dinner (19)
How to Make Braciole - An Easy Braciole Recipe for a Special Dinner (2024)

FAQs

What meat is best for braciole? ›

It's a truly comforting meal worthy of a Sunday supper. One of the biggest divides in the Italian-American braciole world centers around which cut of beef to use. The two main camps are those that favor flank steak and those that prefer top round.

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.

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 Italian dish braciole made of? ›

Italian Beef Braciole in a rich slowly simmered tomato sauce. This southern Italian dish is super comforting and delicious made with thin slices of beef stuffed with prosciutto, pecorino, garlic, and herbs. Toss the incredible tomato sauce with pasta and serve the braciole with your sides of choice!

What is the number one meat in Italy? ›

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.

Should you season meat the night before? ›

Salting meat ahead of time thoroughly flavors it and makes it juicier. The longer salt has to do its magic, the better. Salt most things the day before.

What is the best way to reheat braciole? ›

You can store the beef braciole in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, inside an airtight container. Reheat the dish in a pan over low heat for about 10 minutes or until warm.

What popular Italian dish should not be cut? ›

So now we know that it's generally frowned upon to cut your spaghetti at an Italian restaurant, but what is the socially acceptable way to eat your noodles here? As you can probably guess, you're supposed to twirl them with your fork.

What is the hardest Italian food to make? ›

The complex dishes we have explored - Timballo di Maccheroni, Saltimbocca alla Romana, Suckling Pig (Porceddu), Stuffed Calamari (Calamari Ripieni), and Pasticcio di Lasagna - represent the epitome of Italian gastronomy.

What to do if meat is too tough? ›

How to Tenderize a Tough Cut of Meat
  1. Pound it out. Pounding softens and tenderizes meat, making it easier to cut and eat. ...
  2. Use salt. ...
  3. Use an acidic marinade. ...
  4. Use kiwi, papaya, or pineapple. ...
  5. Score it. ...
  6. Slow cook it.
Jan 17, 2024

What's the best kind of meat to use for Italian beef? ›

The cut of beef used for Italian beef is typically chuck roast. However, top sirloin, top round, or bottom round would also work well. Giardiniera. A delicious blend of pickled vegetables that adds that wonderful, classic flavor to Italian beef.

What cut of meat do Italians choose? ›

beef is the king of red meat, and the most Italian cut is the bistecca alla Fiorentina, a very nice version of the T-bone steak! But you'll find stews as well. veal is also commonly seen, used quite like beef. lamb is rare (no pun intended) in the pl.

What cuts of meat are best for Italian beef? ›

Italian Beef is chuck roast (the cut of meat used for pot roast) that is slowly cooked with savory Italian spices until it is soft and tender and easily shredded with a fork. To create the iconic sandwich, soft hoagie rolls are filled with this shredded meat, and then topped with sliced provolone and pickled peppers.

What is thin Italian meat called? ›

Spiraled pancetta is sliced paper thin and usually eaten “raw” either by itself or wrapped around vegetables, much like prosciutto. Pancetta is great for mixing with other foods—think pancetta-wrapped scallops—because the lack of smokey flavor gives it a gentle, less overpowering flavor.

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