This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure.
If you're looking for the perfect comfort food on a cold night, this Italian Braciole which is meat stuffed with cheese and slow cooked in a tomato sauce is perfect. Make no mistake, it is labor intensive in the beginning but the work you put up front is so worth the meal you get at the end.
I'm not one that eats or makes beef that often. Usually if I do, I make some version of short ribs. But a few years ago I was looking for a good comfort dish during the holidays and came across Giada's Braciole recipe on Food Network.
I had never had Italian Braciole but immediately recognized the name at least from watching Everybody Loves Raymond. Anybody that watched that show knows that was his favorite dish that his mom made. I'm not going to lie though, before looking at Giada's recipe I really had no idea what Braciole was. I knew it had beef but didn't know what else.
Basically Braciole is meat stuffed with cheese that has been simmering in a sauce for hours. I mean just reading that, you're hooked right? At least I was when I first learned what it was.
Yes this recipe does involve store-bought marinara sauce but I've done homemade sauce with this and to me it wasn't enough of a difference for the extra work. So my apologies for any that might this it's blasphemous to make an Italian Braciole with store-bought sauce. Either way, you should give this a try.
Jump to:
Recipe Ingredients
- Olive oil - used to sear the beef.
- Pancetta - this Italian bacon adds a ton of flavor.
- Sweet onion, garlic, Italian parsley - where the flavor comes from for the filling.
- Italian-style breadcrumbs - you want a finer crumb here so don't go with panko.
- Parmesan and provolone cheese - the combination works great.
- Flank steak - can also use top round.
- Dry red wine - use a wine you'd be willing to drink.
- Marinara sauce - helps slow cook the beef braciole.
- Crushed red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper - enhances the flavor.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in large sauté pan over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook until it's browned and crispy, about 5 minutes. Add the onions and crushed red pepper and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. With 1 minute remaining, add garlic. Remove and let cool.
- Mix together the breadcrumbs, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir in the pancetta onion mixture until everything is combined. Set aside.
- Lay the flank steak flat and pound until about 1/4" thick.
- Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture evenly to cover the steak.
- Starting at the short end, roll up the steak like you would a jelly roll to enclose the filling. Using some butcher's twice, tie the steak to secure. Sprinkle the Braciole with salt and pepper.
- Heat remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the Braciole and cook until browned on all sides, about 2 minutes per side.
- Add the wine and bring to a boil and stir in the marinara sauce. Cover and cook for 2 hours or until the meat is tender. Baste with the sauce very 30 minutes and remove the cover with 30 minutes remaining.
- Remove the twine and cut the Italian Braciole crosswise and diagonally. Transfer to a plate and spoon sauce over to serve.
What is Braciole?
Braciole is an Italian dish that consists of thin slices of meat (usually beef, chicken or pork) that are rolled as a roulade and filled with cheese and bread crumbs before seared and then slow cooked in a sauce.
There are a ton of variations out there but beef Braciole is most common, with the best meat being beef rump, top round or bottom round. I use flank steak which works well with this Italian Braciole recipe.
Is Provolone Cheese Necessary?
No. I just like the combination of Parmesan with provolone but if you don't want to but two types of cheese, just stick with Parmesan.
Should I Make My Own Marinara Sauce?
As I mentioned above I've made my own and used store-bought sauce and haven't noticed enough of a difference to continue making a sauce. The flavor really comes for searing the steak and the red wine.
So I suggest using a good bottle of red wine and a store-bought marinara sauce you like. For me, Prego is my go-to sauce.
However if you want to make your own, try this homemade marinara sauce.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Take your frustrations out on the flank steak and pound with a meat tenderizer. Flank steak is tough, so pounding it will help tenderize it and make it melt in your mouth when you cook it.
- Use fresh provolone and Parmesan cheese. Do not buy pre-shredded cheese. Just try pre-shredded vs. blocks of cheese and side-by-side and you'll notice the difference.
- When rolling the Italian Braciole, start at the short end and roll as tight as possible. If some of the breadcrumb mixture comes out no problem. That means you put plenty!
- Use a friend or sous chef to help you tie the butcher's twine around the beef Braciole. Don't tie it so tight you squeeze everything out. You want to tie it where it just holds the flank steak together. I usually use 5 pieces of twine.
- Make sure you sear the flank steak on all sides, so every side is browned nicely. It takes about 2 minutes per side. Searing meat is all about building flavor and texture so don't skip it!
- Use quality dry red wine for sauce. When adding wine to a sauce, it has to be something you're willing to drink. I usually go with Chianti or Pinot Noir.
- Cut the Braciole crosswise and diagonally into 1/2 inch slices so it is tender and melts in your mouth.
Other Beef Recipes
If you’ve tried this Italian Braciole recipe or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Italian Braciole
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1/4 lb pancetta, diced
- 1/2 cup sweet onion, diced
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup dried Italian-style breadcrumbs
- 2/3 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/3 cup grated provolone
- 2 tbsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 (1 1/2 lb) flank steak
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 3 cups store-bought marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in large sauté pan over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook until it's browned and crispy, about 5 minutes. Add the onions and crushed red pepper and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. With 1 minute remaining, add garlic. Remove and let cool.
- Mix together the breadcrumbs, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir in the pancetta onion mixture until everything is combined. Set aside.
- Lay the flank steak flat and pound until about 1/4" thick. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture evenly to cover the steak. Starting at the short end, roll up the steak like you would a jelly roll to enclose the filling. Using some butcher's twice, tie the steak to secure. Sprinkle the Braciole with salt and pepper.
- Heat remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the Braciole and cook until browned on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Add the wine and bring to a boil and stir in the marinara sauce. Cover and cook for 2 hours or until the meat is tender. Baste with the sauce very 30 minutes and remove the cover with 30 minutes remaining.
- Remove the twine and cut the Braciole crosswise and diagonally. Transfer to a plate and spoon sauce over to serve.
Notes
- Use quality flank steak. Beef is the star here, so don't go cheap on it. If you have a butcher that can cut it for you, take advantage and ask them to cut about 1/4 inch in thickness.
- Take your frustrations out on the flank steak and pound with a meat tenderizer. Flank steak is tough, so pounding it will help tenderize it and make it melt in your mouth when you cook it.
- Use fresh provolone and Parmesan cheese. Do not buy pre-shredded cheese. Just try pre-shredded vs. blocks of cheese and side-by-side and you'll notice the difference.
- Cover your flank steak with a thick coat of the breadcrumb mixture. This is where the flavor comes in so don't skimp it.
- When rolling the flank steak, start at the short end and roll as tight as possible. If some of the breadcrumb mixture comes out no problem. That means you put plenty!
- Use a friend or sous chef to help you tie the butcher's twine around the flank steak. Don't tie it so tight you squeeze everything out. You want to tie it where it just holds the flank steak together. I usually use 5 pieces of twine.
- Make sure you sear the flank steak on all sides, so every side is browned nicely. It takes about 2 minutes per side. Searing meat is all about building flavor and texture so don't skip it!
- Use quality dry red wine for sauce. When adding wine to a sauce, it has to be something you're willing to drink. I usually go with Chianti or Pinot Noir.
- Use your favorite store-bought marinara sauce. The flavor comes from the steak and the wine.
- Cut the Braciole crosswise and diagonally into 1/2 inch slices so it is tender and melts in your mouth.
Man this sounds amazing! I remember from Everybody Loves Raymond as well!
What if you absolutely cannot stand parmesan?
Will this recipe "work" without it or with an equal amount of provolone?
Cheese is important to this but yes you can use something besides parmesan. An equal amount of provolone would work just fine. Hope you enjoy it!
This was so easy and the results so impressive. Can’t wait to make it again..