This Authentic Italian Braciole Recipe brings rich Italian flavors to your kitchen. Tender beef, stuffed with breadcrumbs and cheese, simmers in a luscious tomato sauce until perfectly tender. Perfect for family dinners or special occasions, it's an impressive and delicious dish.
What is Braciole?
Braciole, is a traditional Italian dish consisting of thin slices of meat, typically beef or pork, that are pounded thin, stuffed with a savory filling, rolled up, and then secured with kitchen twine or toothpicks. The filling often includes ingredients like bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, herbs, and sometimes nuts or raisins. The rolled meat is then browned and simmered in a rich tomato sauce until tender. Braciole is commonly served as a main dish, often accompanied by pasta or crusty bread.
If you love this Authentic Italian Braciole Recipe try my Wine Braised Sausages and Sicilian Meatballs. This dish is great with Gnocchi alla Sorrentina or Ciceri e Tria.
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🌟 Why You'll Love this Recipe
- The flavor: The combination of tender beef, savory stuffing, and rich spaghetti sauce creates a deliciously complex and satisfying Authentic Italian Braciole Recipe.
- It's authentic: This recipe stays true to traditional Italian cooking, bringing genuine flavors and a taste of Italy to your table.
- Simple Process: The prep is easy and then it just simmers to tender perfection.
🥘 Ingredients
- Round steak: Choose a well-marbled cut for better flavor and texture.
- Olive oil: Use extra virgin olive oil for its robust flavor, perfect for sautéing onions and browning the steak.
- Onion: Sauté until translucent and slightly caramelized to bring out its sweetness.
- Garlic: Chop finely to evenly distribute its flavor throughout the filling.
- Parsley: Use fresh parsley for a vibrant herbaceous note in the filling.
- Bread crumbs: Use fresh or homemade breadcrumbs for better texture and flavor absorption.
- Romano cheese: Grate fresh Romano cheese for a salty and nutty flavor in the filling.
- Raisins: Add sweetness and a subtle chewy texture to balance the savory flavors.
- Pine nuts: Toast pine nuts before adding to enhance their nutty flavor.
- Ground black pepper: Season to taste for added depth in the filling.
- Spaghetti sauce: Choose a high-quality sauce for rich flavor that complements the dish well.
See recipe card for quantities.
🔪 Instructions
Step 1: Sauté chopped onions in 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat until translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in chopped garlic and parsley, cooking until onions begin to brown.
Step 2: In a medium bowl, combine bread crumbs, grated Romano cheese, raisins, toasted pine nuts, and ground black pepper.
Step 3: Pound round steak to ½-inch thickness using a moistened mallet or the side of a cleaver.
Step 4: Spread cooled onion mixture evenly over the flattened steak, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Layer with the bread crumb mixture and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Step 5: Roll up the steak tightly from one end and secure with kitchen twine.
Step 6: Heat remaining olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the steak roll on all sides, approximately 1 to 2 minutes per side. Pour in spaghetti sauce, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours or until tender. Then enjoy this Authentic Italian Braciole Recipe.
👩🏼🍳 Chef's Tip
- For the best results, after rolling and tying the braciole, sear it in a hot pan until deeply browned on all sides before simmering in the spaghetti sauce. This enhances the flavor and texture of the dish by caramelizing the surface of the meat before slow cooking.
📖 Substitutions & Variations
- Vegetarian Option: Replace the round steak with large portobello mushrooms stuffed with sautéed onions, garlic, parsley, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes.
- Chicken Braciole: Use thinly pounded chicken breasts stuffed with sautéed spinach, ricotta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil.
- Pork Braciole: Substitute round steak with thinly sliced pork loin or tenderloin stuffed with breadcrumbs, pecorino cheese, fresh sage, and garlic, cooked in a sage-infused white wine and chicken broth sauce.
🍴 Equipment
- Heavy skillet
- Medium bowl
- Meat mallet or side of a cleaver
- Kitchen twine
- Dutch oven
💭 Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can use flank steak or skirt steak instead of round steak. These cuts are also suitable for rolling and stuffing.
If you don't have pine nuts, you can use chopped almonds, walnuts, or even sunflower seeds for a similar texture and flavor.
Yes, you can assemble the Braciole ahead of time and refrigerate it overnight before cooking. This allows the flavors to meld together. Simply brown and cook as directed when ready to serve.
🥣 Storage & Reheating
Storage: Store any leftover braciole in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep well for up to 3-4 days.
Reheating: To reheat, place the braciole in a saucepan with some of the leftover sauce, cover, and heat on low until warmed through. Alternatively, you can microwave individual portions on medium heat until hot.
Freezing: To freeze, wrap the braciole tightly in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil, or place in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 2-3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
🍷 Wine Pairing
The robust flavors of the Chianti, with its notes of cherries, herbs, and earthiness, complement the richness of the beef and the savory components of the dish. The acidity in the wine also helps to cut through the richness of the sauce, balancing the overall palate experience.
👩🏼🍳 Top Tips
- Even Thickness: Ensure the round steak is pounded to a uniform ½-inch thickness for even cooking and rolling.
- Secure Rolling: Use kitchen twine to tightly secure the rolled steak to prevent the filling from falling out during cooking.
- Searing for Flavor: Before simmering in sauce, sear the rolled Braciole in a hot pan to develop a flavorful crust, enhancing the overall taste of the dish
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🥗 Pairing Recommendations
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating & comment below to let me know how it came out. Thanks for visiting!
📋 Recipe
Authentic Italian Braciole
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Equipment
- Heavy skillet
- Medium bowl
- Meat mallet or side of a cleaver
- Kitchen twine
- Dutch oven
- Knife
- Cutting board
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- ⅛ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- ⅛ cup grated Romano cheese
- ⅛ cup raisins
- ⅛ cup pine nuts toasted
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ½ pounds round steak
- 1 32-ounce jar spaghetti sauce
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat.
- Sauté the chopped onion until translucent, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the chopped garlic and parsley, and continue cooking until the onions begin to brown.
- Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool.
- In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs, grated Romano cheese, raisins, toasted pine nuts, and ground black pepper.
- Pound the round steak to ½-inch thickness using a moistened mallet or the side of a cleaver.
- Spread the cooled onion mixture evenly over the meat, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges.
- Spread the bread crumb mixture in an even layer over the onion mixture.
- Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Roll up the steak from the narrow end and tie tightly with kitchen twine to hold its shape.
- Heat the remaining olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Brown the steak roll on all sides, about 1 to 2 minutes per side.
- Pour in the jar of spaghetti sauce.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours or until the meat is tender.
- Once the braciole is tender, remove it from the sauce and let it rest for a few minutes.
- Slice the roll into portions and serve with the sauce.
Notes
🌡️ Food safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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