Beef Braciole is Italian comfort food at it’s best!
It is an Italian rolled meat dish that is both savory, and a little sweet, making it the perfect comfort food.
Some Italian Beef Braciole info:
1. It is an Italian rolled beef dish often stuffed with cheese and breadcrumbs.
2. Typically associated with Italian-American cuisine as well as Sicilian, although in Sicily it is referred to as involtini.
3. Anecdotally, not a mainstream dish. I grew up in Long Island, NY where there were was an over abundance of Italian restaurants and people; I have never seen beef braciole offered in any one of them.
4. Excellent Sunday sauce addition. Just add the braciole to the sauce and let it cook and get nice and tender.
5. Pine nuts (or pignoli), raisins, basil, parsley, cheese, garlic, hard boiled eggs, cured meats, and breadcrumbs are some of the ingredients that can be used for the braciole filling.
6. Flank steak or, even pork cutlets can be used for braciole.
What To Serve With Braciole?
Definitely a nice glass of Italian red wine. A Chianti or Brunello would be excellent. I also love Amarone Wine. It’s a special occasion wine for us due to the price but it’s so good. The raisiny flavor of the Amarone goes so well with the beef braciole.
These full bodied red wines pair excellently with the heartiness of this Sicilian braciole recipe.
As far as foods go – pasta! Make a huge pot of sauce and cook the beef in it all day long.
The braciole gets better the longer it cooks and it imparts such a nice flavor to the sauce – it’s a huge win both ways!
Serve that amazing sauce on top of some nice pasta like linguine or rigatoni and it’s just perfect.
Don’t forget the Italian bread and the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino cheese. I love both of these Italian cheeses. I especially like the Pecorino because it’s much more affordable.
For a side our Italian Roasted Peppers Recipe would go great with this dish.
The Beef Braciole is all tied up and ready to be pan seared.
This dish is similar to our Red Wine Braised Short Ribs. Both require the meat to be slow cooked in sauce to get nice and tender.
Flank steak is versatile and can be cooked many different ways, but for this dish, braising it takes some time.
I recommend 3 hours of cooking at minimum, the more the better. Don’t go nuts because it will break apart after 10-12 hours. This would be great to put in a “Sunday Sauce” which is usually started early in the morning, and consumed late afternoon with a hearty Italian red, and most importantly, beloved family and friends.
And, if you are looking to incorporate more hygge into your life, beef braciole epitomizes the concept that the more time and love you put into a dish, the more hyggely it becomes, albeit in a slightly less Danish way.
Basically after stuffing them with the braciole filling, searing, and placing them in the sauce it’s a waiting game.
Just let them cook in the sauce – stirring occasionally – they will be amazing!
15 minutes or so to sear them on all sides. They look so beautiful already, but will only get better after 3-4 hours in a pot of sauce. Can you speed this up? Probably, but some foods like braciole or meatballs just get so much better as a result of being cooked in a pot of sauce for a few hours. And, a little delayed gratification never hurt anyone.
Here they are in all their glory. Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino finishes the dish. You will want to make a whole Italian meal out of this. Meatballs, sausage, and a nice plate of pasta with some crusty Italian bread would surely be welcome additions. Enjoy!
Check out these other Italian dishes:
- Roasted Garlic White Pizza
- Roasted Broccolini And Sausage
- Italian Roasted Peppers
- Broccoli Rabe Sausage Rolls
- Clams In Red Sauce
- Baked Portobello Mushrooms With Bruschetta
- Cheeseless Pizza With Heirloom Tomatoes
Also the drink pairings:
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A classic in many Italian-American households. A thin coating of breadcrumbs, cheese, raisins, and pine nuts is spread on pounded flank steak. Roll up, sear and cook in red sauce, the longer the better.
- 1.25-1.5 pound flank steak
- 3 Tbsp pine nuts
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 Tbsp garlic paste
- 3 Tbsp raisins
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
- 1 roll kitchen twine
Pound out flank steak into 4 equal pieces roughly 1/4" thick. Using plastic wrap on bottom and top of meat makes it easy to flatten meat and avoid a mess. A good size for the meat is 5" by 7". This allows for an easy roll up and ability to tie them up like in the picture.
Arrange the 4 pieces of meat out on a cutting board and spread a 1/4 of the garlic paste on each piece. Next, sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
Then sprinkle 1/4 of the breadcrumbs, raisins, cheese, parsley, and pine nuts onto each piece.
You should have a thin layer of the mixture on each of the 4 pieces. Roll them up tightly and tie kitchen twine around them to keep them together. Don't be shy with the twine, it will all be taken off before the meat is served. Toothpicks can also be used.
Heat a large pan on medium heat with olive oil. Sear the pieces on all sides, turning them every 2 minutes or so to brown them nicely. The whole frying process should take roughly 10-15 minutes.
After the braciole is fried, add to pot of sauce and cook them for 3-4 hours. The longer the better, but no more than 10 hours.
Remove braciole from sauce and cut away twine with knife or kitchen scissors. Serve with grated parmagiano reggiano, bread, and pasta for a complete meal. Enjoy!
Beef Braciole are a family favorite. This recipe is just one of many ways I have prepared them. Sometimes I will place slices of of prosciutto and provolone in them and skip the pine nuts and raisins. Other times a little basil and chopped hard boiled egg are used. As you can see, they can be made many ways. As long as they are seasoned correctly and cooked in the sauce long enough they will be delicious!
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Yum Yum!! My mom is Italian and always made this growing up. I haven’t made it in years. Meatballs always seem easier. lol! Yours looks excellent. I’ve been inspired now to make it for my hubby!
Hey thanks Michele. Yes I do agree that meatballs seem a little easier. I think in the end though, they both take roughly the same amount of time, and both do real well in a pot of sauce!