Beef Braciole – an Italian-American Classic!
, Published Dec 03, 2025
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Authentic Italian Braciole wraps paper-thin steak around a garlic-parmesan-prosciutto-breadcrumb filling that is bursting with flavor. These are slow-simmered to perfection in a rich tomato sauce, creating a gorgeous and hearty dish that you’ll be talking about for days!
Before we dive into the deliciousness, we need to answer an important question: how do you pronounce braciole? In southern Italy, where the dish originates, it would be sound like “Bra-chee-OH-leh”. In the US, it sounds more like “brah-ZHOHL” as Italian immigrants gave it an American spin over the generations.
No matter how you say it, Italian Beef Braciole is the ultimate family-style comfort food. The thin slices of beef give it a beautiful texture while the cheesy breadcrumb filling and rustic tomato sauce pack a tasty punch.
This is the kind of meal that makes the whole house smell incredible – and brings everyone to the table fast!
What is braciole?
In many parts of Italy, these filled rolls are more commonly known as involtini, which simply means “little bundles” or “rolls”. There are plenty of regional variations – some versions features raisins and pine nuts in the stuffing, or even boiled eggs. The recipe also differs from family to family – everyone adds their own personal touch.
This dish a prime example of cucina povera or “poor kitchen” cooking. It uses a relatively inexpensive cut of meat and stretches it with breadcrumbs and cheese. After slow cooking in a good tomato sauce, the result is a dish that is truly special.
Beef Braciole has become a beloved Italian-American Sunday dinner centerpiece. It’s so popular that it has been featured on TV shows like Everybody Loves Raymond, The Sopranos and The Bear.
Here’s What You’ll Need
This is not a difficult recipe but it takes a bit of time to prep – you can break it up over two days to makes things easier. Let’s take a look at the key ingredients:
- Flank steak (a.k.a jiffy steak, plank steak or bavette): This lesser known steak is relatively inexpensive yet delivers big beefy flavor. Top round is another popular choice.
- San Marzano tomatoes: These are naturally sweet, low in acidity and break down into a rich, velvety sauce. You will need to blend them in a food processor before using in the sauce.
- Breadcrumbs: To soak up the juices and help bind the filling. I use stale cubes of focaccia bread and whizz them up with the other filling ingredients for a nice texture.
- Cheese: Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese adds a nutty, salty richness to the filling and helps it hold together. Use freshly grated cheese for the best flavor!
- Fresh parsley: Lifts up the rich filling and sauce, giving it a bit of freshness and color.
- Garlic: Essential for both the filling and sauce – it perfumes the entire dish giving that classic Italian flavor.
- Olive oil: Used to moisten the filling, sear the beef and start the sauce. Choose a good-quality olive oil, since you’ll really taste it here.
- White wine: Deglazes the pan after searing the braciole and adds a gentle acidity and complexity to balance the sweetness of the tomatoes.
How to Make Beef Braciole
Make the Filling
- Place bread, parsley, garlic, grated cheese, spices, seasoning and olive oil in a food processor or blender. Pulse until the texture is fine and the filling starts to clump together. Set aside.
Make the roulades
- Slice your selected cut of meat in half to create a thin fillet. Cover in plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet until it’s as thin as you can get it! Start pounding from the middle outwarts.
- Trim the flattened steaks to neat rectangles. Top each with prosciutto slices.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons the breadcrumb mixture on the flattened fillet. Spread it out evenly and quite thin — you need to be able to roll up the steak into a tight roulade (tube) shape so don’t overfill.
- Tuck the ends of the prosciutto over to encase the filling.
- Use the plastic wrap to help you roll the steak up into a log shape. Make sure this is as tight as possible to ensure even cooking. At this point you can chill the plastic-wrapped rolls to help them firm up to keep their shape.
- Remove the plastic wrap and secure each roulade tightly with butcher’s twine.
Cook the braciole
- Heat olive oil in a large lidded pan and sear the roulades over medium-high heat, until well browned on all sides. Place on the pan seam side-down first to seal before turning over. Transfer onto a plate.
- Turn the heat down and deglaze the pan with the wine, using a wooden spoon to scrape any bits stuck to the pan loose.
- Add the onion and sauté over low heat for 5-7 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds or so. Add the tomatoes, stir together and bring to a low simmer.
- Add the browned roulades to the sauce. Cover the pan and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes, turning the roulades over halfway through. Add a little water to the pan if it’s looking a bit dry.
- Taste and add salt and pepper to the sauce if needed. Remove the twine and serve with extra grated parmesan and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
Serving Suggestions
- Over pasta – Serve the sliced braciole over spaghetti, rigatoni or pappardelle and spoon the tomato sauce over the top.
- Creamy polenta makes a gorgeous base that soaks up the rich sauce.
- Potatoes – For a more “Sunday roast” style meal, pair the braciole with buttery mashed potatoes or crisp roasted potatoes.
- Add something green – A simple green salad with a sharp vinaigrette, sautéed greens or steamed green beans balance the richness.
- Family-style platter – Slice the rolls into pinwheels, arrange them on a warm platter and pour the sauce over the top for a dramatic centerpiece.
Recipe Notes
- Storage – Cool the braciole and sauce completely, then transfer to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days – this dish tastes even better the next day, so it’s ideal for making ahead.
- Reheating – Reheat gently in a covered saucepan over low heat until piping hot, adding a splash of water as needed if the sauce has thickened too much.
- Freezing – Beef braciole freezes well. Place the rolls and sauce in a freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag, removing as much air as possible. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Make-ahead – Assemble the rolls, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for up to a day ahead. Sear and add to the sauce to braise.
Braciole FAQs
Yes – you can use flank steak or top round steak or sirloil, as long as you slice it thinly and pound it to an even thickness. The important thing is that the meat can be rolled easily and become tender with slow cooking.
The wine adds depth and acidity, so it’s recommended. If you prefer to cook without alcohol, you can swap it for beef stock or chicken stock, and a teaspoon of red or white wine vinegar.
Absolutely. Beef braciole is even better the next day. Cook it completely, cool and refrigerate in the sauce. Reheat over very low heat on the stovetop, covered, until warmed through. If the sauce has reduced a lot, add a splash of water or stock while reheating.
Yes. After searing the stuffed beef rolls and deglazing with wine, transfer everything to a slow cooker with the tomatoes. Cook on LOW for about 6–8 hours, or until the beef is very tender and easy to slice.
Please leave a comment and rating if you try my Beef Braciole recipe – it really helps others find it and gives me great feedback for future tweaks. Don’t forget to share your photos and tag me on tag me on @Instagram or TikTok – I LOVE seeing what you’re cooking.
Beef Braciole
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
For the filling
- 1 cup (150g) breadcrumbs see note 1
- 1 cup (100g) freshly grated parmesan or Pecorino Romano
- 1 handful fresh parsley
- 4 cloves garlic
- 5 tbsp olive oil , or more as needed
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- pinch red pepper flakes
For the roulades
- 2 oz (900g) flank steak or top round, sliced
- 12 slices prosciutto or as needed
- 2 tbsp olive oil , to sear
For the sauce
- ¼ cup (60ml) white wine , to deglaze
- 1 onion , finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 28 oz (800g) San Marzano Tomatoes canned
To serve
- salt and pepper , to taste
- 3 tbsp parsley , chopped
- grated parmesan
Instructions
Make the Filling
- Place bread, parsley, garlic, grated cheese, spices, seasoning and olive oil in a food processor or blender. Pulse until the texture is fine and the filling starts to clump together. Set aside.1 cup (150g) breadcrumbs, 1 cup (100g) freshly grated parmesan, 1 handful fresh parsley, 4 cloves garlic, 5 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, pinch red pepper flakes
Assemble the roulades
- Slice the steaks in half to create a thin fillets. Cover in plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet until it’s as thin as you can get it! You will have 8 -12 pieces, depending on how thin you manage to get the steak.2 oz (900g) flank steak
- Trim the flattened steaks to neat rectangles. Top each with prosciutto slices.12 slices prosciutto
- Add 1-2 tablespoons the breadcrumb mixture on each flattened steak. Spread out evenly and quite thin — you need to be able to roll up the steak into a tight roulade so don’t overfill.
- Tuck the ends of the prosciutto over to encase the filling.
- Use the plastic wrap to help you roll the steak up into a log shape. Make sure this is as tight as possible to ensure even cooking. At this point you can chill the plastic-wrapped rolls to help them firm up to keep their shape.
- Remove the plastic wrap and secure each roulade tightly with butcher’s twine.
Cook the braciole
- Place the canned to tomatoes in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.28 oz (800g) San Marzano Tomatoes
- Heat olive oil in a large lidded pan and sear the braciole until well browned on all sides. Place on the pan seam side-down first to seal before turning over. Transfer onto a plate.2 tbsp olive oil
- Turn the heat down and deglaze the pan with the wine, using a wooden spoon to scrape any bits stuck to the pan loose. Simmer until the wine is cooked down.¼ cup (60ml) white wine
- Add a little olive oil to the pan if needed. Sauté the onion over low heat for 5-7 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds or so. Add the tomatoes, stir together and bring to a low simmer.1 onion, 2 cloves garlic
- Add the browned roulades to the sauce. Cover the pan and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes, turning the roulades over halfway through. Add a little water to the pan if it's looking a bit dry.
- Taste and add salt and pepper to the sauce if needed. Remove the twine and slice the braciole. Serve with extra grated parmesan and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.3 tbsp parsley, grated parmesan, salt and pepper
Notes
- Note 1: You can use dry breadcrumbs such as Panko or fresh torn bread. I have made this recipe with brioche breadcrumbs and focaccia breadcrumbs!
- Storage – Cool the braciole and sauce completely, then transfer to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days – this dish tastes even better the next day, so it’s ideal for making ahead.
- Reheating – Reheat gently in a covered saucepan over low heat until piping hot, adding a splash of water as needed if the sauce has thickened too much.
- Freezing – Place the rolls and sauce in a freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag, removing as much air as possible. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Make-ahead – Assemble the rolls, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for up to a day ahead. Sear and add to the sauce to braise.
