You'll love this Braciole Recipe, featuring stuffed Italian beef rolls in a delicious tomato sauce. Make it on the stove or in a pressure cooker!
Certain dishes just scream "Italian Sunday dinner!" and this is one of them. It ranks right up there with pasta and pork ribs in tomato sauce or traditional beef meatballs.
You might remember hearing about braciole ("brah-ZHOL" in Sicilian dialect) on Everybody Loves Raymond. Braciole are rolls of meat stuffed with Italian cheese, herbs, garlic, bread and seasonings and usually cooked in a tomato sauce.
One roll is called a "braciola." But in Italy, "involtini" refers to any food that's rolled and stuffed.
My version includes top round steak stuffed with garlic, parsley, basil, torn pieces of soaked Italian bread and Pecorino Romano, the powerhouse of cheeses.
And that sauce! The braciole sauce features a tremendous depth of flavor, with red wine, olive oil and garlic.
Are you ready to mangia?!!
"The meat was fork-tender and the sauce was so good...Thank you for a delicious recipe I will definitely make again."
Wendy G.
Recipe ingredients
We'll go over the ingredients for these Italian steak rolls and sauce separately. See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the measurements.
Braciole ingredients
Steak: I recommend using top round steak, because it's sturdier than flank steak and won't tear during rolling. I use it for steak pinwheels too.
Sometimes, the grocery store will sell thin steak slices as "braciole meat." If you don't see any, ask the butcher to slice top round steak into six pieces that are each 10 inches long and 3-4 inches wide.
Bread: Italian bread is traditional for torn, fresh bread "crumbs," but you can substitute white bread if that's what you have.
Pecorino Romano: This cheese, made from sheep's milk, provides a salty, potent accent and pairs well with the other filling ingredients. If you don't have any, you can substitute Parmesan, but you may need to add a little salt.
Herbs: Fresh basil and parsley bring a pop of peppery flavor to the braciole.
Sauce ingredients
Tomatoes: Use your favorite brand of crushed tomatoes for the best sauce. I prefer the Giant Eagle brand or Tuttorosso.
Wine: We're using some red wine to deglaze the pot and bring a rich depth of flavor to the sauce. We like Cabernet Sauvignon, but use what you have, and even white wine would taste good.
If you need to omit the alcohol, you can deglaze the pot with water or beef stock instead.
How to make it
See the card at the end of this post for the full recipe, but here's an overview.
- Thinly pound the steak flat with a meat mallet (affiliate link).
- Place the filling on each slice of meat and roll them up. Use toothpicks or kitchen twine to keep the rolls together.
- Brown the meat in a sauce pot on the stove or in the Instant Pot.
- Make the sauce and finish cooking the beef rolls in it.
Recipe tips
- Pounding the steak helps tenderize it, besides making it easier to roll.
- If you don't have kitchen twine to tie up the rolls, toothpicks work great and are simpler to use.
Instant Pot braciole
If you have an Instant Pot (affiliate link) or other pressure cooker, use it for this Braciole Recipe! The braciole emerges tender and delicious, and the tomato sauce tastes like it's been cooking all day.
It's fabulous when you first make it, and mind-blowingly delicious the next day!
When the Instant Pot says 'burn'
The only downside to using the Instant Pot is you'll likely get a burn signal after it preheats for 20 minutes with the sauce, because it's slightly thick. Don't worry though.
You'll need to hit cancel, do an instant release of the steam, and stir the sauce, making sure to scrape along the bottom of the pot.
In the recipe card at the end of this post, I've spelled out exactly what to do. Plan on an extra 10 minutes to make things right!
What to serve with it
We love the sauce ladled over pasta. We eat that first, then enjoy the sliced braciole with more sauce.
Instead of pasta, you could serve this with farro, creamy Parmesan polenta or long-grain rice. Braciole goes great with sides of rapini greens with garlic, some crusty Italian bread and the best Italian tossed salad.
This is a fantastic meal. Whether you make this braciole recipe on the stove or in the Instant Pot, I hope you love it as much as we do!
How to store it
Store the braciole and sauce in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to four days. You also could freeze the meat and sauce for up to three months for the best quality.
How to pronounce braciole
The formal Italian braciole pronunciation is "Bra-CHO-leh." You will hear different versions of this in various regions (and dialects) of Italy.
More recipes like this
- Quick Pasta Sauce
- Gluten-Free Italian Meatballs
- Italian Stuffed Bell Peppers
- Pasta with Bolognese Sauce
- Spaghetti Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes
Enjoy!
If you try this Braciole Recipe, please leave a comment and a rating!
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Braciole Recipe (Stove or Instant Pot)
Video
Equipment
- Instant Pot (optional)
Ingredients
Braciole
- 2 pounds thin top round steak (6 pieces cut for braciole; see notes)
- 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1 cup torn 1-inch chunks of Italian bread (dampened with water)
- ½ cup parsley (snipped leaves)
- ¼ cup cut up fresh basil (frozen is fine)
- 2 cloves garlic (large; peeled & chopped)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Braciole Tomato Sauce
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine (Or white. Can substitute beef stock or water.)
- ½ cup water (only for Instant Pot version, not stovetop)
- 56 ounces crushed tomatoes (2 28-ounce cans)
- 4 cloves garlic (pressed or finely chopped)
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Prep the braciole filling: Place about 4 thin slices of Italian bread in a bowl and drizzle water over it, to dampen the bread. Grate the Pecorino, if needed. Rinse, dry and cut up the parsley and basil. Peel and chop two cloves of garlic. Measure out the salt and pepper. Make sure to set out 18 toothpicks or have kitchen twine ready.
- Tear up the soaked bread into pieces, until you have one cup. Add the bread pieces to a small mixing bowl, along with the Pecorino, basil, parsley, chopped garlic, salt and pepper. Stir gently to combine. Use a spoon to divide the filling into six sections in your bowl.
- Place 2 or 3 slices of thin steak at a time on a large cutting board. (To prevent a mess, you can line your cutting board with plastic wrap first. You also can loosely cover the meat with plastic wrap before pounding it.) Pound the steak to make it more tender, being careful not to tear the meat.
- Top each steak with ⅙ of the braciole filling, covering the entire piece, except for about ½ inch around the border. Starting on the short side of the meat, roll up the braciole and secure it closed with three toothpicks a couple of inches apart (or tie it with kitchen twine). Wash your hands well. Choose either the Stovetop or Instant Pot method for cooking the braciole and sauce.
Stovetop Instructions
- In a tall sauce pot, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat and sauté three braciole at a time, just until browned on all sides. Remove the meat to a platter, and when all the rolls are browned, deglaze the pot. Do this by adding in ¼ cup of wine and stirring it around to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, four cloves of pressed garlic, bay leaf, salt and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine. Add the braciole rolls to the pot and stir. When the sauce comes to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot loosely with a lid propped open with a wooden spoon resting on the edges. Cook for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
Instant Pot Instructions
- With the lid sealed, set the Instant Pot to sauté on medium heat for 20 minutes. While it's preheating, prepare the sauce ingredients. Press the garlic (or finely chop it) and have the other ingredients ready.
- When the Instant Pot is heated up (mine takes four minutes), remove the lid and pour ½ cup oil into the pot. Wearing oven mitts in case of splashing, sauté three braciole rolls at a time in the oil. Use kitchen tongs to turn the meat as needed to brown all sides. If the meat is sticking to the pot, just use your tongs to scrape under the meat. It will take around 7 ½ minutes to brown each batch, or 15 minutes total. Remove the browned braciole to a platter and press Cancel on the Instant Pot.
- Deglaze the Instant Pot by adding ¼ cup of wine to the pot and using a wooden spoon to scrape all the bits off the bottom. This helps with flavor and to prevent burning.
- Add ½ cup of water to the Instant Pot, then add the braciole. Add the crushed tomatoes, four cloves of pressed garlic, bay leaf, salt and red pepper flakes on top of the meat, but do not stir. Close and seal the lid. Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook for 30 minutes on high.
- It will take about 20 minutes for the Instant Pot to preheat, after which you will likely see a "burn" signal." If you get the burn signal, press Cancel. Do an instant release of the steam by pressing the vent spout with a wooden spoon. When all the steam is released, open the lid and stir the sauce, making sure to scrape along the bottom of the pot. Replace the lid and seal it. Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on high for 30 minutes (or however many minutes were remaining of the original 30-minute pressure cooking time). You should not get another burn signal, but if you do, repeat these steps.
- When the braciole is done pressure cooking, do an instant release of the steam and open the pot.
Serving & Storing the Braciole
- Serve the braciole and sauce with pasta, polenta or farro. It looks nicer to slice the braciole into rounds if you have company. Store leftover braciole and sauce in the refrigerator for up to four days or freeze them for up to three months.
Notes
Nutrition
(Recipe Source: Cooking with Mamma C. Originally published on December 12, 2018, and updated now with additional information.)
Sonia says
Delicious and Easy. I made this on Stovetop in large Pot. I used Sirloin Steak Slices as this is easier to find in Canada . Many USA Products not available in Canda so I improvise but I can . I do not like the Instant Pots , have one and it is gathering Dust LOL . My Guests even Love this when I Serve this . My Husband Loves this with Mashed Potatoes or even Gnocchi and Rapini on the side. Really Delicious Sunday Supper with Glass of Good Wine too.
Mamma C says
Hi Sonia - I'm so happy to hear that! Thank you for your review and sharing that sirloin works here too.