What is Beef Braciole?
Braciole (pronounced bra-chee-oh-lay) is a slow-braised Italian beef roulade commonly filled with a combination of salt pork, parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, and prosciutto. Once filled and rolled, the beef is pan-seared in olive oil, then braised in a tomato and red wine sauce until tender.
Our beef braciole recipe is made with top round steak, pounded thin, and rolled around a filling of diced Genoa salami, fresh basil and parsley, grated Parmesan, shredded mozzarella, and fresh breadcrumbs made from Italian bread.
Key Ingredients
- Beef: We generally make braciole with top-round steak. This cut is generally lean and can be pounded thin to make rolling easy. Flank steak is a good alternative and, thanks to its naturally rectangular shape, is pretty easy to roll and stuff.
- Genoa salami: We love Genoa salami for its robust garlic and black pepper flavors and tender texture. It also has just the right amount of fat marbling to add a little moisture to the braciole filling.
- Fresh herbs: We like fresh basil and parsley for the herbaceous flavor they add to the filling, but given the low, slow cooking method for this dish, dried herbs are perfectly acceptable.
- Cheese: We chose to include a blend of grated Parmesan and shredded mozzarella in the filling of our braciole for a combination of mild and tangy flavors.
- Fresh breadcrumbs: You can use your food processor to make fresh breadcrumbs from Italian bread. If you can, use stale bread. If not, put a few slices in the oven at 275°F and bake until dry and lightly crisped. Times will vary depending on the type of bread you use. Don’t toast the bread, though; it will likely be too dry and crumbly. Tear the bread into pieces and pulse it in the work bowl of a food processor until you get a medium-sized crumb. Removing the crust is unnecessary, but if you use rustic-style bread with a chewy crust, it might be harder to process into crumbs as chewy crust tends to get caught on the blades.
How to Make Slow-Cooker Beef Braciole
This is an overview of how this dish is made. Detailed measurements, ingredients, instructions, and times are available in the printable version of the recipe below.
- Start by preparing the tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and continue cooking until soft and fragrant.
- Stir in the tomatoes, red wine, and oregano. Simmer for a few minutes, season to taste with salt and pepper, then transfer the sauce to the slow cooker.
- Start the slow cooker on low and wipe out the pan you used for the sauce.
- Place each portion of steak between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and pound to an even thickness of 1/4-inch. Arrange the slices on a flat surface and season with freshly ground black pepper (no salt).
- Add the salami, garlic, basil, and parsley to the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped, then add the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheese. Pulse until the mixture is well blended and has the consistency of breadcrumbs.
- Spread a portion of filling on each piece of steak to within 1 inch from the ends. Roll the meat into cylinders, being careful not to push out any filling.
- Using butcher’s twine, tie each roll in the center, then tuck in the ends and run an additional, longer piece of twine around the length of the roll. Trim the excess twine and set aside.
- Coat the bottom of the frying pan with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the braciole and brown lightly on all sides, 1-1/2 to 2 minutes total.
- Transfer the braciole to the slow cooker, nestle them into the sauce and spoon a little over each roll. Cover and cook for 8 hours on low.
- Once cooked, transfer the braciole to a plate and using kitchen shears, remove the twine from each piece. Serve over freshly cooked pasta and top with sauce.
More Italian beef recipes:
Slow Cooker Beef Braciole
If you're craving a satisfying dinner filled with classic Italian flavors, give our beef braciole recipe a try. These tender beef rolls are filled with a delicious mix of breadcrumbs, herbs, garlic, salami, and two types of cheese, then slow-cooked in a rich tomato sauce until fork-tender.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs top round steak, cut into 8 equal pieces
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 ounces Genoa salami, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
- 6 to 8 large basil leaves, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs, preferably from Italian bread
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, finely shredded
- Olive oil
- 1 lb cooked pasta, ziti, rigatoni, penne or rotini
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
- 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Start by preparing the tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking until soft and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Stir in the tomatoes, red wine and oregano. Simmer for 5 minutes, season to taste with salt and pepper, then transfer the sauce to the slow cooker.
- Start the slow cooker on low and wipe out the pan you used for the sauce.
- Place each portion of steak between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and pound to an even thickness of 1/4-inch. Arrange the slices on a flat surface and season with freshly ground black pepper (no salt).
- Add the salami, garlic, basil, and parsley to the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped, then add the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheese. Pulse until the mixture is well blended and has the consistency of breadcrumbs.
- Spread a portion of filling on each piece of steak to within 1 inch from the ends. Roll the meat into cylinders, being careful not to push out any filling.
- Using butcher’s twine, tie each roll in the center, then tuck in the ends and run an additional, longer piece of twine around the length of the roll. Trim the excess twine and set aside.
- Coat the bottom of the frying pan with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the braciole and brown lightly on all sides, 1-1/2 to 2 minutes total.
- Transfer the braciole to the slow cooker, nestle them into the sauce and spoon a little over each roll. Cover and cook for 8 hours on low.
- Once cooked, transfer the braciole to a plate and using kitchen shears, remove the twine from each piece. Serve over freshly cooked pasta and top with sauce.
Recipe Notes
How to make fresh breadcrumbs: You can use your food processor to make fresh breadcrumbs from Italian bread. If you can, use stale bread. If not, put a few slices in the oven at 275°F and bake until dry and lightly crisped. Times will vary depending on the type of bread you use. Don’t toast the bread, though; it will likely be too dry and crumbly. Tear the bread into pieces and pulse it in the work bowl of a food processor until you get a medium-sized crumb. Removing the crust is unnecessary, but if you use rustic-style bread with a chewy crust, it might be harder to process into crumbs as chewy crust tends to get caught on the blades.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Slow Cooker Beef Braciole
Amount per Serving
Calories
365
% Daily Value*
Fat
12
g
18
%
Saturated Fat
4
g
25
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
6
g
Cholesterol
80
mg
27
%
Sodium
473
mg
21
%
Potassium
640
mg
18
%
Carbohydrates
25
g
8
%
Fiber
2
g
8
%
Sugar
3
g
3
%
Protein
34
g
68
%
Vitamin A
336
IU
7
%
Vitamin C
6
mg
7
%
Calcium
110
mg
11
%
Iron
4
mg
22
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Have you tried this recipe?Did you add your own special touch? We’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment and a rating to share your thoughts with others.
Barrie says
My husband loves Braciole- and I bet it would get super tender in the crock pot! He keeps bugging me for this, so I think I may just try this slow-cook version soon!
Lynne Webb says
Hi Barrie,
The beef does get nice and tender in the slow cooker – stays moist too. Hope you enjoy it if you give it a try.