How to Make Braciole - An Easy Braciole Recipe for a Special Dinner (2025)

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 (2025)

FAQs

What cut of meat is best for braciole? ›

Instead of flank steak, use a top round, which is typically a more cost-effective cut of beef and will yield similar results when pounded thinly. On the other hand, you can also use sirloin, pork loins, or even turkey breasts to make braciole.

Can I prep braciole the night before? ›

Make ahead: The uncooked braciole can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight. This dish gets better with time. If you can, make it in the morning or the night before, refrigerate, and reheat when you're ready to serve.

What does braciole mean in Italian? ›

In Italy, "braciole" often refers to simple grilled slices of meat, usually pork.

Why is my braciole tough? ›

If you try to cook braciole quickly, you're going to end up with a dense brick to chew through instead of the tender beef roll we're going for. Slow cooking is a crucial component that can't be overlooked.

What is the most flavorful cut of meat? ›

The rib eye is a cut from the rib section and is the most flavorful cut of meat and typically comes with very deep marbling. Because of the deep marbling on the rib eye, it is a great cut for grilling and slow roasting.

What is the number one meat in Italy? ›

The most consumed meat in Italy is pork. Some popular dishes that highlight the use of pork include porchetta, which is a savory, fatty, and moist boneless pork roast of Italian culinary tradition, and prosciutto, which is a dry-cured ham that is usually thinly sliced and served uncooked.

How long does braciole last in the fridge? ›

It should last for up to four days in the fridge or up to three months in the freezer. Thaw the braciole in the refrigerator overnight. To reheat braciole, add the sliced meat and sauce to a saucepan. Cook over gentle heat, covered, until the meat and sauce are warmed through.

What is the difference between braciole and involtini? ›

Reserve the term "braciole" for pork loins, large cuts of flank steak or turkey breasts - essentially, big cuts and roasts that get sliced up and served to many people. Involtini, however, is the name used for thin cutlets of meat that are most often served in individual portions.

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.

What does Fazool mean in Italian? ›

In modern Italian the word for beans is "fagioli" (fah-jo-lee).

What is the difference between braciole and spiedini? ›

The main difference between Spiedini and Braciole lies in the cooking technique. 'Spiedini' refers to skewers of meat, whereas 'Braciole' refers to rolled slices of meat. In Sicily, however, these terms can often be used interchangeably, as the meat is rolled and then sometimes cooked on skewers.

How to know when braciole is done? ›

Simmering is a process that you can't rush, you'll know they're done, they'll be nice and tender and the tip of a knife should go through them like butter! You can easily make braciole a day or two ahead of time, I've done that many times especially for parties.

How to cut top round for braciole? ›

Cut the top-round slices in half widthwise to have 12 equal pieces. Place the beef on a cutting board or other flat surface. Place a zipper-top bag over each beef slice and gently pound to 1/4 to 1/8-inch thickness. Mince 4 cloves of garlic; slice the remaining 8 cloves.

How do you make meat not rubbery? ›

Use salt. We season meat with salt for more than just flavor — with tougher cuts, like choice steaks and roasts, it helps break down the proteins for a more tender texture. Instead of seasoning meat just before cooking, give it a generous coating of salt about an hour before you're ready to get started.

What cuts of meat are the most tender? ›

Filet Mignon is one of the most tender cuts out there. It comes from the smaller section of the tenderloin and is a rarely used muscle. This makes the fibers extremely fine. As such, it's highly sought after.

What cut or type of meat is used for the popular Italian dish known as ossobuco? ›

Osso buco is an Italian dish of braised veal shanks, which are cross-cut from the leg bone beneath the knee and shoulder. The shank is a tougher cut of meat, so slow cooking in liquid is essential for the melt-in-your-mouth texture that osso buco is known for.

What cut of meat do Italians choose? ›

Italian Cuts and Dishes

The most prized cuts are the lombata, the filetto, and the Fiorentina…or the sirloin, tenderloin, and the hefty T-bone steak carved out from between the two.

What beef cut is best for salami? ›

If you want a slightly leaner salami you can use the chuck roast (which should have an 80/20 lean/fat ratio). Beef fat isn't a fat of choice for making salami as it's more firm than pork fat (higher melting point), it has a slight yellowish tint (unlike pork fat which is snow white), and it's flavor is rather strong.

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