This recipe is my childhood. My memories of beef braciole soaking up a pot of rich tomato sauce are s t r o n g. I never knew until later that braciole was a dish my grandma Josie made to stretch the piggy bank because pounding out some top round or chuck steak not only makes it more tender but it makes it bigger.
With five hungry kids (4 boys) to feed plus a steel-mill working husband, a sister and mother-in-law who lived with you, Josie needed to find ways to stretch the dollar while filling bellies. And braciole did just that while also being special and fun.
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What is braciole and how the heck do you pronounce it?
First, let’s get one thing out of the way. It’s not brock-ee-oh-lee.
Braciole is pronounced “bra-shole”.
Braciole is a cheesy breadcrumb stuffed piece of thin steak rolled up and tied into little bundles.
In Italian, braciole means “chops”.
You’ll sometimes hear this dish referred to as “involtini” because of the smaller size of the individual “chops”. My grandma called it braciole so that’s what we call it.
I love to serve braciole nestled in a wide bowl of creamy polenta. Or some cheesy mashed potatoes. SOOOO good!
Beef braciole ingredient call-outs
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- Beef. I use a 2 lb top round roast that I slice into about 8 pieces. You’ll pound the beef thin with a meat tenderizer to make it easy to roll around the breadcrumb filling. See below for alternative cuts of meat that would also work.
- Prosciutto. Thinly sliced. You can also have it cut at the deli (but likely will be more expensive) and also find it pre-sliced at Costco and Trader Joe’s.
- Seasoned breadcrumbs. I recommend the traditional fine bread crumbs as opposed to panko but you can always quickly pulse the panko in a blender or food processor.
- Romano cheese. Freshly grated and please—no green can, if possible. A high powered blender or food processor grates hard cheese (cut in chunks) beautifully!
Alternative cuts of beef
- Milanese cut steak – A thin cut steak. I have found these already cut and available in the meat counter or you can have them hand-cut by the butcher.
- Flank steak (best for making one large braciole). I recommend a meat mallet with spikes to tenderize when pounding.
- Chuck roast. A more marbled cut making it trickier to roll but has big flavor.
Simple tomato sauce for braciole
Since the beef add a rich meaty flavor to the sauce, the ingredient list is very simple and short. Here’s what you’ll need:
Don’t want to make homemade tomato sauce?
You can use jarred sauce. I recommend Raos’ Marina Sauce for the best, most authentic flavor.
Step by step instructions
There are three “parts: to make braciole: the beef, filling and the sauce. I suggest starting with the latter.
I have added timing in each section so you can see how the recipe progresses.
The whole recipe takes about 2 hours with only 30 minutes of active cooking time.
Prep and pro tips
- Have kitchen twine cut ahead of time. 2-3 pieces about 8′ long for each braciole.
- If you don’t have a meat mallet or tenderizer to thin the meat, the back of a frying pan works too.
- Evenly pound the meat the same thickness across the whole slice for an even roll.
- A wide pan with deep sides works best to hold the braciole bundles and sauce. I use the All-Clad Weeknight pan…it’s so versatile and great for one pan pasta dishes.
Part I: make the tomato basil sauce
- Timing: 30 minutes before adding beef.
- Make ahead: Yes! Up to 3 days.
Part II: prep the top round
- Timing: Prep the beef while the sauce simmers. You should be able to stuff and roll the beef while the sauce cooks.
Mix the braciole filling
- Timing: Make the filling while the sauce simmers.
- Make ahead. Yes! Make the same day and refrigerate until ready to use. Bring to room temperature before attempting to roll braciole or it won’t stick or spread properly.
Pro tip
If for some reason, the breadcrumb filling isn’t clumping together, add a little water (about 1 Tablespoon).
Roll the braciole
- Timing. Also while the sauce simmers.
- Make ahead. See below under “brown and cook”.
Brown and cook
- Timing: While the sauce simmers.
- Make ahead. If you want to make braciole ahead, I recommend you cook the sauce and meat up to one day ahead. I don’t recommend you make the meat rolls ahead without at least browning them first.
Serving tip
Leave a small ramekin out to collect all the kitchen strings if everyone is cutting their own.
Made this recipe?
I’d love it if you’d share your review and leave a star rating and comment!
How to Make Italian Beef Braciole
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Equipment
- 16 pieces of kitchen twine approximately 6-8" long
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ small white onion , finely chopped
- 2-4 cloves garlic , minced
- ½ c dry white wine
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 28 oz can San Marzano tomatoes, can also use puree or passata
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 6 fresh basil leaves
For the breadcrumb filling
- 1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs, or panko (pulse in blender briefly)
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 2 Tablespoon parsley, chopped
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
For the braciole
- 2 lb sirloin top roast
- 8 slices prosciutto
Instructions
Make the sauce
- Saute onion in olive oil for 3-5 minutes. Add in garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until you can smell it.1 Tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 small white onion, 2-4 cloves garlic
- Pour in the white wine. Simmer for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and swirl around until melted and caramelized another two minutes.1/2 c dry white wine, 6 oz tomato paste
- Add the crushed tomatoes or puree along with the salt, pepper and basil leaves.28 oz can San Marzano tomatoes, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 6 fresh basil leaves
- Simmer for about 30 minutes or so covered.
Mix the breadcrumb filling
- Add the breadcrumbs and cheese to a medium bowl. Stir in the egg, garlic, parsley and mix until combined. The filling should hold or clump together into a small ball when pressed.1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 egg, 2 Tablespoon parsley, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon garlic
Prep the meat
- Slice the beef into pieces about 1” thick. Place each slice between two pieces or a folded piece of parchment paper. Use a meat tenderizer or mallet to flatten the meat to about 1/4” thick.2 lb sirloin top roast
Roll the braciole
- Place a slice of prosciutto on top of each flattened piece of beef.8 slices prosciutto
- Start with 1 T of filling and use your hands or the back of the spoon to press it across the prosciutto topped beef. Add another spoonful of filling. Press down on the filling to flatten and adhere to prosciutto.
- Start at the short end and roll up the braciole to enclose the filling. Tie each end with a piece of kitchen twine. Don’t pull too tightly but firm enough to make a sealed roll. Repeat with all the beef and filling.
- Trim any “tails” of twine as needed.
Cook
- In a separate large skillet, heat a little olive oil. Use tongs to brown the braciole on all sides turning as you go for about 2 minutes. Nestle each braciole in the sauce. Cover and cook over on low for about 1 hour until tender. Serve with sauce and parmesan cheese over pasta, potatoes or creamy polenta.
Notes
- Make the sauce ahead of time.
- Flatten, fill and roll the braciole. Tie and refrigerate
- Milanese cut steak. A thin cut steak I have found packaged in the meat section of my grocery store.
- Flank steak (best for making one large braciole). I recommend a meat mallet with spikes to tenderize when pounding.
- Chuck roast. A more marbled cut making it trickier to roll but has big flavor.
This was absolutely delicious!!! 10/10 will definitely make it again!
Jenna! You made my night😊 So glad you enjoyed the braciole and happy new year to you!
These braciole look amazing! I have a question about how to slice the top round roast….do you slice it across the grain or with the grain in long planks?
Great question Sindia! So you are slicing it across the short wise so that you have big “coins” with the meat surrounding the filling like a pinwheel. Hope that helps!
Hi, have a question. Been receiving your recipes a little while now and find them interesting/delicious. Looking at Braciole today. I notice on your recipes you do the following:
Mix the breadcrumb filling
1. Add the breadcrumbs and cheese to a medium bowl. Stir in the egg, garlic, parsley and mix until combined. The filling should hold or clump together into a small ball when pressed.
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs,3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese,1 egg,2 Tablespoon parsley,1/2 teaspoon kosher salt,1 teaspoon garlic
You write it twice. Why is that? Thank you. Love the email.
Skip
Hi Skip! So happy you like the emails 😊. Thanks so much for asking -that is a feature in my recipe card that helps as you make the recipe (especially on mobile) as you don’t have to scroll back up to the ingredient list for the amounts. Hope that helps! And please let me know if you have any more questions or help with a recipe. Have a great night!