Beef Braciole Recipe (Braciola)

5 from 25 votes

Beef Braciole was one of the recipes I developed during the early days of my restaurant career. I always cut my own steaks and the end of the Strip was never really fit for a good steak.

I would save those pieces for other recipes, and Braciole was always a customer favorite in the restaurants I worked at.

overhead shot of beef braciole with mushroom tomato sauce and farro on a white plate

I can promise you if you ask your Italian grandmother how to make Beef Braciole it won’t be this way. I can also promise you that after you make and eat my version of this Italian Classic you’ll agree that there’s more than one way to make braciole.

Table of Contents:

What Ingredients do I need to make Beef Braciole?

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Braciole. In Chef Speak this is called the “Mise en Place” which translates to “Everything in its Place”.

Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the up cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

What Kind of Beef Should I use for Braciole?

There are a lot of different cuts of meat you can use for Braciole, I like to use Eye Round because of the uniform size. Top Round is also a good choice and will be a little more tender than eye round.

In my restaurant days, it was the ends from the sirloin steaks I hand cut. I’ve even used filet a time or too depending upon what I had on hand and who I was making it for.

How do I make Beef Braciole?

two images showing how to make the ricotta stuffing

Mix the ricotta, spinach, roasted red peppers, Romano cheese, and seasonings together. Refrigerate until needed.

four images showing how to assemble a braciole

Use a meat hammer and pound each piece of beef thin. Pound out each side, but don’t pound so hard that you tear the meat. As you pound the steaks, don’t just pound straight down. You need to hold the piece and almost push it outwards as you hit the meat trying to stretch it as you pound. *This will also help tenderize the meat. The meat hammer should have a ridged side that helps with the tenderizing.
After pounding the meat, lay a piece of prosciutto on top of the beef before adding the ricotta stuffing.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of the ricotta stuffing and spread it out in the center of each piece of beef, leaving a little room around the edges unstuffed.
Roll the beef up, shaping it like a small football. Try to seal the braciole as much as possible.

Once the beef braciole are all formed, you can get the breading station ready.

Flour seasoned with salt and pepper
Egg wash ( beaten egg with milk)
Seasoned bread crumbs (your own or store-bought)

Dredge the braciole in the seasoned flour (this is a good time to help reshape the braciole, the flour will help you close it up a little more). Then in the egg wash, and finally in the seasoned bread crumbs.

Repeat the process until all the braciole are breaded.

add some olive oil to a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the braciole to the pan.

Don’t be in a hurry to turn them over, you want a nice crust on the braciole and good color. Turn your braciole over and allow the other side to brown, repeat the process to all the sides of the braciole. You want some color all the way around.

Place the sauteed braciole in a 350 degree preheated oven for 20 minutes.

four images showing how to make mushroom red sauce

While the braciole are in the oven, start making the sauce.

Saute the mushrooms in olive oil till fully cooked
Add sambuca and allow alcohol to burn off
Add tomato sauce and grated Romano cheese
re-season to taste

*If the sauce gets too thick, thin it out with a little water.

two beef braciole with mushroom tomato sauce and farro on a white plate

Serve the beef braciole with the mushroom tomato sauce and grain or pasta of your choice.

Recipe FAQ’S

What is the best cut of meat for braciole?

Braciole is best made from pounded slices of beef eye round, sirloin, or filet. The individual slices are stuffed, rolled and usually served in a tomato-based sauce.
*Pounded pork or veal cutlets can also be used.

What region of Italy is braciole from?

The most traditional braciole recipes made with beef are from Sicily, Calabria, and Naples. Northern-Italian braciole are made generally made from pork or veal.

What does braciole mean in English?

Literally translated braciole translate to chops. When it comes to Italian cooking, braciole refers to thin slices of meat rolled stuffed, rolled and braised in a hearty tomato sauce

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overhead shot of two beef braciole with mushroom tomato sauce and farro on a white plate

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5 from 25 votes

Beef Braciole with Mushroom Tomato Sauce

My restaurant-style beef braciole with a mushroom tomato sauce may not be your Grandmother's braciole but I promise it will bring smiles to your dinner table and soon become a family favorite.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Italian – American

Servings:

Calories: 993kcal

Ingredients

Braciole Stuffing

8 oz ricotta cheese full fat or part skim
½ c grated Romano cheese
1 large egg beaten
4 oz baby spinach cooked and chopped
¼ cup roasted red peppers chopped – optional
½ teaspoon granulated garlic
½ teaspoon granulated onion
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Braciole Assembly

1 ¼ lb eye round trimmed or beef of your choice – sliced thin and pounded
¼ proscuitto sliced thin
1 large egg
½ cup milk or water for egg wash
1 cup flour seasoned with sea salt and pepper
2 cups bread crumbs Italian seasoned, panko, or plain

Mushroom Sauce

8 oz mushrooms sliced
½ cup Sambuca
½ cup Romano cheese grated
2 cups marinara homemade or your favorite brand
re-season to tastes

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Braciole Stuffing

Start by briefly cooking the spinach in a little water (2-3 Minutes). Once the spinach has been prepared allow it to cool and then squeeze out any remaining water.
Chop the spinach so that the pieces are easier to deal with when mixing.
Mix the ricotta, spinach, roasted red peppers, Romano cheese, beaten egg and seasonings together.
*Refrigerate until needed.

Beef Baciole

Trim any excess fat, and grizzle from meat you'll be using for the braciole. Slice the meat, against the grain, just like you would cut it if it was a roast.
*Each piece will weigh 2-3 ounces
Use a meat hammer and pound each piece of beef thin. Pound out each side, but don't pound so hard that you tear the meat. As you pound the steaks, don’t just pound straight down. You need to hold the piece and almost push it outwards as you hit the meat trying to stretch it as you pound.
*This will also help tenderized the meat, your meat hammer should have a ridged side that helps with the tenderizing.
After pounding the meat, lay a piece of prosciutto on top of the beef before adding the ricotta stuffing.
Add a full tablespoon of stuffing and spread it out in the center of each piece of beef, leaving about a half inch unstuffed all the way around.
Roll the beef up, shaping it like a small football. Try to seal the braciole as much as possible.
Once the braciole are all formed, you can get the breading station ready.
Dredge the braciole in the seasoned flour (this is a good time to help reshape the braciole, the flour will help you close it up a little more). Then in the egg wash, and finally in the seasoned bread crumbs.
Repeat the process until all the braciole are breaded.
Flour seasoned with salt and pepper
Egg wash ( beaten egg with milk)
Seasoned bread crumbs (your own or store-bought)
Add some olive oil to a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the braciole to the pan.
Don’t be in a hurry to turn them over, you want a nice crust on the braciole and good color. Turn your braciole over and allow the other side to brown, repeat the process to all the sides of the braciole. You want some color all the way around
Place the sauteed braciole in a 350 degree preheated oven for 20 minutes

Mushroom Sauce

While the braciole are in the oven, start making the sauce.
Saute the mushrooms in olive oil till fully cooked. Add the sambuca and allow alcohol to burn off, then add the tomato sauce and grated Romano cheese
re-season to taste. If the sauce gets to thick add a little water to the sauce.
Serve the braciole with the mushroom tomato sauce and grain or pasta of your choice.

Notes

**Sambucca is the only acceptable anise-flavored liqueur that can be used in this dish. I have tried other types and they all turn out badly. If you don’t have Sambucca it’s okay to just leave it out of the sauce.

Nutrition

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