The best meat to put in your Sunday sauce is this authentic Italian braciole, filled with prosciutto and breadcrumbs with parmesan. If you're looking to switch it up from your normal meatballs and sausages, you have to try braising a tender braciole.
If you love braciole, then you need to try our Italian Fried Meatballs or ring sausage! Fill your Sunday sauce with this meaty goodness.
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Why This Recipe
Braciole, commonly misspelled as bracciole, is an Italian-American stuffed meat dish. It's made by stuffing the flank steak with breadcrumbs, herbs, parmesan, and prosciutto and then searing and braising it in a tomato sauce.
It is a type of involtini which is an Italian stuffed meat. It's made differently across all parts of Italy and America, with different cuts of meats and different stuffings. Even from family to family recipes will change.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Steak. My preferred method of making beef braciole is to make it with flank steak. Flank steak is one of my favorite meats to braise because it will be extremely tender. You can make one huge roll or cut it into thin slices like I do to make a couple of little rolls.
Other types of beef you can use are top-round steak or sirloin. If you get a top round roast, cut it into thin slices using a sharp knife. You can also ask your butcher to slice it thin for you.
Braciole or involtini can also be made with veal and pork. Using thinly sliced veal or pork cutlets requires a shorter time to cook.
Tomatoes. I use crushed tomatoes or whole plum tomatoes and then blend them. When you're braising something for this long you want to use a good tomato like San Marzano tomatoes. They won't be as acidic and won't add unnecessary flavor like a jarred sauce would.
Step-by-Step Directions
With a beautiful thinly sliced flank steak, this braciole will be so tender and delicious
Step 1: Combine the breadcrumbs, parsley, parmesan, salt, and garlic powder. Then add the olive oil and combine. The texture should be clumpy but not wet like the breadcrumbs almost want to stick together but they still fall apart. All breadcrumbs are different depending on the brand so add more olive oil as needed.
Step 2: Thinly slice the flank steak with a sharp knife into 2 or 3 slices depending on the thickness. Lay the steak flat and use a meat tenderizer to beat the meat until it's flattened and tender.
Step 3: Lay the prosciutto flat on the steak.
Step 4: Top with the breadcrumb mixture. I fully expect the breadcrumb mixture to fall out of the roll a bit when I'm doing it. You can always scoop it up and add it to the next roll.
Step 5: Roll the steak up and tie it with butcher string. Season the outside with salt and pepper.
Step 6: In a large pot add 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high heat. Once the oil is very hot, place the bracioles in the pot to sear.
Step 7: Sear each side for 60-90 seconds. This should be a quick sear. Set them aside when they are seared on all sides.
It's good to have all of the braciole in the pot if you can fit them so that there is less steam overcooking the meat. The more packed the meat is next to each other, the less the steam will cook the sides of the meat. But this requires the pan to be HOT.
Step 8: In the same pot, lower the heat and add olive oil. Then add the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the red wine and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 30 seconds. Add the crushed tomatoes, salt, and basil. Bring to a simmer.
Step 9: Add the braciole back to the sauce so that they're almost almost covered with sauce. Cover the pot and simmer low for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
After 3 hours, the braciole will be tender and the sauce should become thicker.
Remove the braciole and cut the strings off with kitchen shears. Serve over pasta with extra parmesan cheese!
Pro-Tips
- You want your pot to be very hot when you sear the braciole. I like to use a dutch oven because they heat very evenly. Move quickly when turning them. When you remove the braciole and move onto the sauce, if the pot is burnt at the bottom, you will have to clean it out. If you just have some brown bits, don't worry about cleaning the pot.
- When slicing, butterflying, the flank steak, think of it like you're making thinly sliced chicken cutlets. Use a very sharp knife for best results.
- Use butcher string and not toothpicks to keep the braciole tightly wrapped. It will keep it much tighter and result in much more tender meat at the end.
What to serve with Braciole
- I always serve braciole with sausage and fried Italian meatballs in Sunday sauce especially if I'm serving a large group! You can learn how to make your own sausage by following our How to Make Homemade Italian Sausage guide!
- You also need some vegetable sides to go with a dish like this, so I'll make a caesar salad, or something with more substance like Italian cabbage or Lacinato kale.
- If you need to serve some appetizers before dinner you can always go with something like Pepperoni Bread (Stromboli) or Italian Sausage Bread. But if you want something lighter, just make a quick Shrimp cocktail or serve some marinated eggplant.
- For pasta, you can use whatever you like. With a thick sauce like this, I prefer rigatoni, but you can use rotini, or spaghetti and it'll be great!
Recipe FAQs
It's made from beef, veal, or pork. The cuts of meat vary as it depends on what people have or where it's being made.
It originates in southern Italy but has been changed over time as it has been in Italian-American homes. It has deep Italian roots but braicole means thinly sliced meat roasted over hot coals. Our Italian-American braciole is more of an involtini or stuffed meat.
More Classic Italian-American Recipes
Please leave a comment and star rating below in the recipe card! I love to hear what you think of our recipes. Feel free to tag us on Instagram @vindelgiudice.
📖 Recipe
Authentic Italian Braciole
Equipment
- 1 large pot
- 1 butcher string
Ingredients
- 1 2-3lb flank steak
- 6 oz prosciutto
- ¾ cup breadcrumbs
- ½ cup parmesan
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- salt and pepper
Sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ½ cup red wine
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 4 basil leaves
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Combine the breadcrumbs, parsley, parmesan, salt, and garlic powder. Then add the olive oil and combine.
- Thinly slice the flank steak with a sharp knife into 2 or 3 slices depending on the thickness. Lay the steak flat and use a meat tenderizer to beat the meat until it's flattened and tender. Lay the prosciutto flat on the steak and top with the breadcrumb mixture. Roll the steak up and tie it with butcher string. Season the outside with salt and pepper.
- In a large pot add 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high heat. Once the oil is very hot, place the bracioles in the pot to sear. Sear each side for 60-90 seconds. It's good to have all of the braciole in the pot if you can fit them so that there is less steam overcooking the meat. This should be a quick sear. Set them aside.
- In the same pot, lower the heat and add olive oil. Then add the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the red wine and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 30 seconds. Add the crushed tomatoes, salt, and basil. Bring to a simmer. Add the braciole back to the sauce so that they're almost almost covered with sauce. Cover the pot and simmer low for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the braciole and cut the strings off with kitchen shears. Serve over pasta with extra parmesan cheese!
Notes
- You want your pot to be very hot when you sear the braciole. I like to use a dutch oven because they heat very evenly. Move quickly when turning the braciole. When you remove the braciole and move onto the sauce, if the pot is burnt at the bottom, you will have to clean it out. If you just have some brown bits, don't worry about cleaning the pot.
- When slicing the flank steak, think of it like you're making thinly sliced chicken cutlets. Use a very sharp knife for best results.
- Use butcher string and not toothpicks to keep the braciole shut. It will keep it much tighter and result in much more tender meat at the end.
Lisa Dee
Hello, thank you for your amazing site. I'm planning to make this sauce for a braciole, but I am also planning to do your meatballs and sausage in your Sunday sauce. I know you politely already answered that this can be made in that sauce also, but I noticed under your meatball recipe there seems to be a whole other sauce. I was wondering in regard to taste does the braciole do better in this sauce? I ask because I am deaf with a distinct sense of taste and it seems to me from all your excellent recipe notes it may be better in this sauce and to just have the other pot with the Sunday sauce and all of it's gloriousness beside it-since I am making both. Thank you for skipping the raisins in your recipe so we don't have to pick them out like we did as children.
Vinny
Either sauce will work. If I'm just making braciole, I'll usually use the red wine to deglaze the pan which I wouldn't need to do with meatballs or sausage.
Anthony Scaringe
Excellent recipe. I included a 30mo. prosciutto and fresh basil. OMG!! Also I added raisins and pine nuts, an addition from my old family recipe. Amarone for the wine!
Maria Case
My grandmother’s recipe was to add egg into the mixture with the cheese and breadcrumbs. It made it more of a paste and one of our family’s favorites!
Mary Brown
Hello. I am considering making this for our Christmas Eve dinner this year. Can I make it a day or two ahead? Thank you.
Vincent DelGiudice
Yes, that will work. Just reheat in the sauce over medium low heat.
Mary Brown
Great. Thanks so much. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Marilyn Petitto
Cannot wait to try these, I have made they before a little different, yours seems a lot more simple. Thank you again.
Michael Ferguson
The recipe looks great. I am going to try cooking the meat and sauce in a Kamado Joe smoker without a lid so the sauce can absorb some of the smoke. At what temperature in the smoker would you recommend the meat be cooked and at what temperature do you recommend the meat be cooked to?
I apologize in advance if a little smoke flavor may be offensive but I think it will add depth to the hearty taste of the Braciole.
Joan Przada
I'm going to try your recipe. My husband 's. Elderly aunt, who is Sicilian is the only one left in the family, but they made a similar recipe every year for Christmas Day . But this year she is too infirmed to do it. So I'm going to try to make it. Her recipe is a little bit different. She puts hard boiled egg and salami along with the cheese and bread crumbs before she rolls the meat. I'm going to make this over the holiday. It won't be the same as his aunt's ( we would always gather a few days before Christmas to make them we usually made about 400 of them ..she would count them lol) .
Lynne Ray
Did you cook this amount in the oven instead of stove top? If so, what temp and how long. Did you use a roasting pan instead of a dutch oven?
Mario
My family is from Sicily and also put hard boiled eggs in the center. Personally, the combination of red (the sauce) with the yellow yolk is not very appetizing visually
Steven
Do you think the 'garlic powder' is considered either 'original' or 'from scratch' ?? Also, i miss onions in the sauce and pine nuts in the beef filling. Where are the raisins?
Vincent DelGiudice
Yes, I do consider it from scratch. Powder is used in the filling because I don't like how fresh garlic doesn't cook in the filling. Fresh Garlic goes in the sauce, onions don't. And less than half of Italian-Americans I know use Raisins. My great grandmother specifically had to make all the meats without raisins because my Grandpa hated them. As for the pine nuts well, if you want them... add them!
Jean
Thank you for sharing your recipes!
My question is, if making your braciole, can I make it with your Sunday Sauce or is it best with the sauce in the original recipe?
Thanks again,
Jean
Vincent DelGiudice
Hey Jean, great question! You can make it with the Sunday Sauce.
Rose DiMino Weigel
I'm Italian and I love to cook. I truly don't care for beef Braciole. The best Braciole is pork skin. By far it has a better taste and melts in your mouth.
My grandmother is from Bari. My grandfather is from Calabrian. This is my mother's side.
On my father's side, both grandparents are from Slicly.
Vinny and Marisa
I love beef braciole. Make it with Flank Steak and its very tender!
April
If the meat beef doesn't fall apart once you cut into it..you didn't cook it long enough would be my guess..personally like beef more than pork generally and this meat falls apart and is extremely tender. whether beef or pork is really a matter of taste not tenderness. imo
Paula Picanzo
This recipe is very similar to my parents who came here from Italy. My dads entire family were fabulous cooks of Italian dishes. We did not put prosciutto in our braciole and instead used raisins. It’s a Xmas Eve tradition in our family now for generations. We love it and everyone looks forward to our xmas Eve feast and especially the braciole. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Valerie
Hi. Your grandmother is from Bari? My grandfather is from Barrea, L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is by a lake. My grandmothers parents were from there also. But I cook Italian recipes from all over Italy.
Yvette Marchetti
Do yourself a favor and make this!! I actually used cube steak vs flank and it was just AMAZING!!! Growing up, my mom called this birds hahaha, I'm not aure where that came from! And bacon vs prosciutto, but when i came across this, I had to do it! The heavy gets rich and jammy after braising and the flavor, muah!!! Thank you for sharing!!