Beef Braciola

I went to the grocery store the other day for what I thought was a pretty ordinary shopping trip—a couple gallons of milk, a few pounds of ground beef, some cheese, and a handful of pantry staples. When the total sailed past $100, I looked at the bags and wondered exactly where all that money had gone.

No prime rib was hiding in there. No filet mignon. Nothing particularly extravagant at all.

It got me thinking about the way we choose what to cook. I love a good steak as much as anyone, and there’s certainly a place for the more expensive cuts of beef. But they don’t have to appear regularly for dinner to be worth looking forward to.
Sometimes the more interesting question is what you can do with the less expensive cut.

Beef braciola is an intriguing example. Thin slices of top round are wrapped around breadcrumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, pancetta, parsley, a hint of basil and garlic, and just enough slowly sautéed onion to add a little sweetness. The rolls are browned, then settled into a tomato sauce with soffritto and red wine and left to braise slowly until that lean, stubborn piece of beef becomes remarkably tender.

Nothing about it is particularly complicated. What makes the dish special is how those relatively simple ingredients work together—and what a few good cooking decisions can do with them.

And that may be one of my favorite things about Beef Braciola: it doesn’t ask an inexpensive cut of beef to pretend it’s something more expensive. It simply shows how good that inexpensive cut can be.

Why You’ll Love This Beef Braciola

• Tender beef with a savory filling. A long, slow braise makes the top round fork-tender, while the pancetta, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, herbs, and sweet onion create layers of flavor inside each roll.
• The sauce gets something in return. As the braciole braise, the browned beef, pancetta, and filling add their flavor to the tomato sauce. Then toss the sauce with the pappardelle and plate it.
• It makes the most of a modest cut of beef. Top round may not be the first cut you think of for a special dinner, but that’s part of what makes braciola so satisfying. The technique does the heavy lifting.
• Most of the cooking is hands-off. There’s some work up front—pounding, filling, rolling, and browning the beef—but once the braciole goes into the oven, time takes over.
• It feels like more than the sum of its parts. Nothing in the filling needs to dominate. A little pancetta, Parmesan, onion, garlic, and fresh herbs work with the beef and tomato sauce to create a dish with far more flavor than the ingredient list suggests.

Before You Start Cooking

Ever get halfway through a recipe and realize the onions should’ve been chopped, the oven should already be hot, or something needed 30 minutes you didn’t know to give it? That’s exactly what mise en place helps prevent.

Before you start cooking, read the recipe all the way through. Then gather your tools, measure and prep your ingredients, and take care of anything that needs to happen in advance. When the heat goes on, you’ll know what’s coming next instead of trying to catch up with the recipe.

Mise en place simply means “everything in its place.” It doesn’t make dinner take longer—it makes the time you’re already spending in the kitchen easier to manage, with fewer surprises along the way.

Curious to learn more? I recommend Everything in Its Place: The Power of Mise-En-Place to Organize Your Life, Work, and Mind—a great read that goes well beyond the kitchen.

Ingredients for Beef Braciola

For the Braciole

• Top round: Look for top round sliced for milanesa or another thin-cut top round about ⅛–3/16-inch thick. The broad, thin slices are ideal for rolling and require very little pounding. If your store doesn’t carry it, ask the meat counter or butcher to cut the top round thinly for you.
• Pancetta: Finely diced pancetta adds richness and cured-pork flavor. Keeping the pieces small lets a little pancetta go a long way.

• Breadcrumbs: Plain, unseasoned store-bought breadcrumbs work perfectly here. They absorb the flavors of the pancetta, Parmesan, garlic, and herbs without the extra work of making breadcrumbs from scratch.

• Parmigiano-Reggiano: Finely grated so it distributes evenly throughout the filling and adds salty, savory flavor without adding a layer of melted cheese.

• Fresh parsley and basil: Parsley is the primary herb here, with just a little basil in the background. Finely chop both, so they distribute throughout the filling.
• Yellow onion: Thinly sliced lengthwise and slowly sautéed until soft and lightly golden. Add just enough to each braciola for a little sweetness and an occasional strand of onion.

• Garlic: Add a small amount to the filling. We want the garlic present without letting it take over.
• Kosher salt and black pepper: Season the beef before filling and rolling.
• Extra-virgin olive oil: Sauté the onion and brown the braciole.

For the Tomato Sauce

• Onion, carrot, and celery: The soffritto that forms the sauce’s flavor base. Cook until softened and starting to color, then move on.

• Tomato paste: Cook until it reaches a deep brick red to concentrate its flavor and add another layer to the tomato sauce.
• Garlic: Add after the tomato paste so it has just enough time to become fragrant without burning.
• Merlot: Deglazes the Dutch oven and brings the browned bits from the beef into the sauce. Let it reduce by about half before adding the tomatoes.
• San Marzano tomatoes: Whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand, form the body of the braising sauce.

• Kosher salt and black pepper: Start conservatively. The braciole will season the sauce as it braises.

For Serving

• Pappardelle Pasta: The broad ribbons pair well with the braising sauce without making pasta the centerpiece of the plate. Toss it with just enough sauce to coat it before serving alongside the braciola.

• Fresh parsley: A small amount at the end adds a fresh note against the long-cooked beef and tomato sauce.

How to Make Beef Braciola

Prepare the Beef

• The milanesa-cut top round should be thin enough to roll easily without pounding. If the slices are approximately 1/16 inch thick, layer two together to create a combined thickness of about ⅛ inch. Arrange them so they overlap evenly, then season both sides with salt and pepper. If using thicker slices, aim for an even ⅛–3/16 inch thickness, gently pounding only where necessary.

Slowly Sauté the Onion

• Cook the thinly sliced onion over medium-low heat until it’s completely soft and just beginning to turn golden. We’re not looking for deeply caramelized onions—the goal is a little sweetness and soft strands that will disappear easily into the filling rather than compete with it.

Make the Filling

• Combine 1 cup breadcrumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, pancetta, parsley, basil, and garlic until evenly distributed. There shouldn’t be obvious pockets of cheese, herbs, or pancetta; every braciola should get a little of everything.

Fill and Roll the Braciole

• Spread the filling evenly over each piece of beef, leaving a little room around the edges, then top each one with a few strands of sautéed onion. Roll the beef snugly around the filling and secure it with kitchen twine. A tight roll helps keep the filling where it belongs during browning and braising.

Brown the Braciole

• Brown the rolls in olive oil until they develop good color on all sides. Don’t rush this step—the browned beef and the fond left behind in the Dutch oven will eventually become part of the sauce. Transfer the browned braciole to a plate while you build the braising liquid.

Build the Braising Sauce

• Cook the onion, carrot, and celery in the same Dutch oven until softened and beginning to color. Add the tomato paste and cook until it darkens to a deep brick red, then add the garlic briefly. Deglaze with the Merlot, scraping up the fond, and reduce the wine by about half before adding the hand-crushed tomatoes.

Braise Until Tender

• Return the braciole and their accumulated juices to the sauce, spoon some sauce over the top, cover the Dutch oven, and transfer it to the oven. Begin checking the beef for tenderness after about 75–90 minutes. The braciole are done when a fork or thin knife passes through the beef with very little resistance.

Finish the Pasta and Serve

• Cook the pappardelle while the braciole rests. Toss the pasta with just enough braising sauce to coat the ribbons without drowning them. Remove the twine from the braciole and serve one roll with the dressed tagliatelle, additional sauce, and a little fresh parsley.

How to Store Beef Braciola

Refrigerator

• Store leftover braciole with the tomato sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If possible, store leftover pappardelle separately so the pasta doesn’t continue absorbing the sauce and become too soft.

Reheating

• Reheat the braciole gently with plenty of sauce to keep the beef moist. On the stovetop, cover and warm over low heat until heated through, adding a splash of water if the sauce gets too thick. You can also reheat them in a covered baking dish in a low oven.
  Warm the pasta separately and add a little sauce just before serving.

Freezing

• The braciole and tomato sauce freeze well together. Let them cool completely, transfer to an airtight freezer container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat gently in the sauce.
• I wouldn’t freeze the pappardelle. Make fresh pasta while the braciole and sauce are reheating—it takes only a few minutes and will give you a much better finished dish.

The Empty Plate

Beef Braciola

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

Italian Beef Braciola features thin slices of beef rolled around a savory filling of breadcrumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, pancetta, garlic, and fresh herbs. The rolls are browned, then slowly braised in a rich San Marzano tomato sauce with red wine until fork-tender. Serve with pappardelle pasta for a satisfying Italian dinner.

• Author: Scott Kubinski
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 90 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Entree, Beef
• Method: Oven Braise
• Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For the Braciole

• 1 1/2 pounds thin-sliced top round (milanesa), 8 large pieces
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 3 ounces pancetta, finely diced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 small yellow onion, very thinly sliced lengthwise
• Olive oil, as needed for sautéing the onion

For the Sauce

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup dry Merlot
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, hand-crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For Serving

• 8 ounces Pappardelle
• Chopped fresh Italian parsley

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. Prepare the beef. Select 4 broad pieces of top round and gently pound any thicker areas to an even ⅛–3/16-inch thickness; season both sides with kosher salt and black pepper.
2. Sauté the onion. Heat a small amount of olive oil over medium-low heat; add the thinly sliced onion and cook until very soft and lightly golden, then remove from the heat and let cool.
3. Make the filling. Combine the breadcrumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, pancetta, parsley, basil, and garlic until evenly distributed.
4. Fill and roll the braciole. Divide the filling evenly over the beef, leaving a small border; top with the sautéed onion, roll each piece tightly, and secure with kitchen twine.
5. Brown the braciole. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; brown the rolls well on all sides, then transfer to a plate.
6. Cook the soffritto. Reduce the heat to medium; add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook for 8–10 minutes, until softened and beginning to brown.
7. Develop the tomato base. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2–3 minutes, until it darkens to brick red; add the garlic and cook for 30–45 seconds.
8. Deglaze with the wine. Add the Merlot, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot, and simmer until reduced by about half.
9. Build the sauce. Add the hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes, salt, and black pepper and bring to a gentle simmer.
10. Braise the braciole. Return the rolls and any accumulated juices to the Dutch oven, spoon sauce over the top, cover, and braise at 250°F; begin checking for tenderness after 75–90 minutes. The beef is ready when a fork or thin knife slides through with very little resistance.
11. Cook the pappardelle. Near the end of the braise, cook the pasta in well-salted water until al dente; drain and toss with enough of the braciola sauce to lightly coat.
12. Rest and serve. Remove the braciole from the sauce, remove the twine, and rest for 5–10 minutes; serve one braciola with the pappardelle, spoon over additional sauce, and finish with chopped parsley.