Beef Braciole is a staple in many Sicilian/Italian-American homes back east. Somebody always had a Nonna or Aunt that made the “Sunday Gravy” and if you were lucky they would invite you for it. Everyone would gather, talk with a lot of hand gestures and enjoy the homemade sauce, beef braciole, Italian sausage, meatballs, ziti, garlic bread and salad. It was always a good time and you almost always left with your pants unbuttoned.
I have never seen this on a menu at any Italian restaurants in Southern California where I live. It’s essentially thin slices of steak (top round) stuffed with breadcrumbs, cheese, herbs and prosciutto. You can also make it as one big piece and then cut it when you serve it. I personally like to make the little individual ones to serve.
I invited my in-laws over and wanted to make them something that I know they have never had before, and that was beef braciole. Now, since I hadn’t made it in FOREVER I forgot to give it enough time to sit in the slow cooker. So, make sure you give it enough time. I would suggest 4 hours at a low heat. You want the steak to have enough time to become tender in the sauce. I only gave it two hours and it was still tasty, but it could have been a little softer. I have a video of me making this on my IG: Theslimmerkitchen
Ingredients
- 6 thin slices of boneless top round (2.5-3 lbs). I cut each piece in half creating pieces about the size of a slice of bread 5/6 inches before I tenderize it. In total, there are 12 pieces. I had to have the butcher prepare the cuts for me. Our grocery store doesn’t usually have it. I hear you can also use flank steak and do it the same way or just make one big one, I just haven’t tried it.
- 6-8 pieces of garlic minced
- ½ cup of chopped flat leaf parsley
- 12 pieces of prosciutto
- 1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1 cup of Panko Italian bread crumbs (I just like panko better)
- ¼ tsp. onion powder
- Sprinkle of red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Roughly 4 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 24oz jars of your favorite sauce (I love Rao’s or O Organics Marinara)
- Tooth picks or twine, to keep the meat together
- Slow cooker or sauce pot to simmer
Directions
- Cut your meat slices and then tenderize them until they are about ¼ of an inch thick. I do this in between a cutting board and plastic wrap. Make sure you do both sides.
- In a bowl, mix your cheese, bread crumb, parsley, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and onion powder. Then, slowly drizzle in olive oil until it comes together. You don’t want it soggy, just enough oil to make it bind together a little and easier to spread on the steak. Start with 1 tbsp. If you think it needs a little more, add it.
- Take a piece of the steak and add a thin layer of the breadcrumb mixture evenly on it, then place a slice of prosciutto and carefully roll it. Use 1-2 tooth picks to hold it together. Do that with all of them and set aside.
- Take your Crock Pot or Dutch oven and add your sauce to heat up on low. I like to add a little water as well maybe about half a cup to help thin it out.
- In a separate large skillet (I recommend one with high sides because of splatter from the steak and oil) heat up 2 tbsp. of olive oil over medium heat. Sprinkle your braciole with a little salt and place a few at a time into the oil, seam side down.
- Once they have browned transfer them to your sauce pot and cook on low for 4 hours.
- Serve over ziti or penne pasta, garlic bread and a nice salad.