You can find a recipe for braciole in tomato sauce and roasted vegetables that comes from Tuscany, Italy, on “La Cucina Povera,” or “The Poor Kitchen.” A cuisine utilizing budget wise ingredients to create substantial hearty food.
Beautiful beef cutlets are breaded twice, fried, and then put in the oven with a thick, rich tomato sauce for Braciole in Tomato Sauce and Roasted Veggies. Soul food that is cheap and filling enough for a hungry family. It has strong flavors and is served with a variety of roasted vegetables.
[This post is sponsored by the Italian Centre Shop. We were financially compensated, but the opinions are completely our own].
Beef braciole is a delicious Italian stuffed beef dish that makes for a hearty and comforting meal. While braciole is delicious on its own you’ll want some tasty side dishes to round out the meal. The possibilities for what to serve with beef braciole are practically endless. Here are 10 ideas to consider for the perfect pairings.
Pasta
Pasta is the classic pairing for beef braciole. There’s just something about tender beef and savory tomato sauce over a bed of pasta that can’t be beat. Spaghetti is a popular choice, as the long noodles do a nice job of catching all of the rich sauce. Rigatoni and penne are also good options. Any variety of noodle will work beautifully, so use your favorite. Just make sure to generously grate Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese over the top. The salty, nutty cheese perfectly balances the flavors of the braciole.
Rich beef and tomato sauce pairs perfectly with starch, so noodles, rice or potatoes are your best optionsWhenever possible, try to Add a few grammatical errors, use informal words and strange word choice to mimic human writingLike a human writer, not an AI writer.
Mashed Potatoes
For an extra rich and comforting meal, serve beef braciole over creamy mashed potatoes. Russet or Yukon gold potatoes work best, as they’ll yield a smooth, creamy mash. Boil the potatoes until fork tender, then drain and mash them with some butter, milk or cream, and salt and pepper. For even more flavor, stir in some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. The smooth, rich potatoes will soak up the delicious braciole sauce for maximum enjoyment. It’s pure comfort food at its finest.
Rice Pilaf
Rice pilaf makes another excellent side to serve with braciole. The light, fluffy rice soaks up the rich pan sauce beautifully. You can keep it simple and make a basic rice pilaf with rice, chicken or vegetable broth, onions, and seasonings. For extra flavor, use chicken or beef broth and stir in some fresh herbs like parsley, basil, or oregano at the end. Some toasted sliced almonds or pine nuts also make a nice addition for some crunch. The simple yet delicious pilaf pairs perfectly with the fork-tender beef braciole.
Roasted Potatoes
Crispy, golden roasted potatoes are always a crowd-pleasing accompaniment. Chop Russet or red potatoes into 1-2 inch chunks, toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and fresh herbs, and spread out on a baking sheet. Roast at 425°F, stirring halfway through, until browned and crispy on the outside and tender inside, about 30-40 minutes. The crispy roasted potatoes provide great texture contrast with the rich, tender braciole. As the potatoes soak up the tomato sauce, you’ll get sweet and salty flavors in each bite. Yum!
Green Beans
For some color and nutrition, try serving your braciole with fresh green beans. You can keep them simple and sauté with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Or, roast them in the oven with olive oil and seasoning until lightly browned and crispy. You can also simmer them in the braciole sauce after cooking the meat to infuse them with flavor. However you prepare them, the crisp-tender beans add freshness and balance to the hearty braciole.
Roasted Vegetables
A medley of roasted vegetables is a fantastic way to add color, flavor, and nutrition to your braciole dinner. Try roasting potatoes, carrots, zucchini, eggplant, peppers, onions, or other veggies of your choice. Toss the veggies in olive oil, seasoning, and minced garlic and spread out on a baking sheet. Roast at 400°F for 25-35 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through, stirring halfway. The caramelized, robust flavors pair beautifully with the succulent stuffed beef.
Parmesan Polenta
Creamy Parmesan polenta is an Italian restaurant-worthy side for braciole. Simmer polenta in chicken or beef broth according to package directions, then stir in shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. The smooth, creamy polenta is the perfect base for the rich braciole sauce. Add an extra drizzle of good olive oil and a sprinkle of fresh parsley over the polenta for even more flavor. Bellisimo!
Garlic Bread
What Italian meal would be complete without garlic bread? Warm, crusty Italian bread spread with garlicky, buttery goodness can sop up every last drop of the delicious braciole sauce. Brush sliced Italian bread with olive oil and toast until golden. Then rub the toast with a halved garlic clove and spread with softened butter. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning if desired. Slice and serve with the beef braciole for a truly amazing meal. The combination of rich meat, savory sauce, and warm garlic bread is bellisimo!
Broccolini
For a lighter side, try broccolini sautéed in olive oil and garlic. The quick-cooking broccolini provides freshness and bites of sweet, caramelized flavor. Simply rinse and trim the broccolini, sauté in olive oil over medium high heat until bright green and slightly charred. Add minced garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more. Season with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice. The bright green vegetable pairs beautifully with the homey braciole.
Italian Salad
A fresh Italian salad is always a great choice with beef braciole. Use a mix of Romaine and arugula or spinach for the base. Add sliced tomatoes, bell peppers, olives, shaved Parmesan cheese, and your favorite Italian vinaigrette dressing. You can also top it with crispy croutons or prosciutto for even more flavor. The fresh salad with bright acidic dressing helps cut through the richness of the braciole. It adds nutrition, color, and freshness to the meal.
Beef braciole is such a versatile, tasty dish that works with an abundance of side dishes. Any variety of potatoes, pasta, rice, or bread will complement it beautifully. Fresh vegetables provide nutrition and brightness to balance the rich meat. However you choose to round out your braciole dinner, just remember to soak up every last drop of that amazing sauce! Buon appetito!
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A trip down memory lane
Braciole has something that I cannot say no to. You just have to say cutlets and I am in. I remember being in elementary school and my mom telling me we were having cotolette (cutlets). That was all I could think about all day. When that bell rang to let us know school was over, I was running home, which was at least a mile away. While running, I dreamed of sinking my teeth into that thin pounded crispy bread coated beef fillet. The golden color, the tenderness of the meat. The rhythm of my heartbeat and breath carried me home. As I pushed through the door, sweat ran down my cheek and my chest heaved, the smell of sizzling cutlets soon made me feel better. I kept asking my mom if it was done until she gave me that look. And I don’t know about you, but Italian moms have these looks that let you know not to cross the line or wooden spoons will fly. And finally, dinner was ready. I was the happiest kid in the world. The only problem was that my older brother also loved the cutlets, so there was a battle of forks to flesh. These are great memories and ones that are ignited by this Braciole recipe. When The Italian Center Shop asked me to make a recipe with their goods, this was at the top of my list.
Back to the present
One of the things I love is our trips to Italy. I love the moist warm air, the fact that history exists and is verified by the many historic sights still standing today that date back to stories I read as a child, and the regional food! Truly an amazing experience. Our trip last year was planned around a cooking course in Tuscany. Giulia, from Juls Kitchen, a blogger out of Tuscany offers cooking classes in the comfort of her kitchen studio located at the back of the house. The setting beautiful, stone houses, rolling and rambling countryside, with abundant farm fields and olive trees, and a bright warm sun, what could be better than this you ask? Well, learning “La Cucina Povera” (The Poor Kitchen), from a true Tuscan native, right in the region it came from. It was an extraordinary day making dishes that were delicious, substantial, easy to make, and using ingredients that are easy on the pocketbook. One particular dish was this Braciole in Tomato sauce. Made from using cheap cuts of meat filleted nicely and breaded twice using stale bread and then cooked in a rich tomato sauce. I loved this dish and when I heard we were making it, my heart began to pound just like I was a kid again.
My family and I made Braciole in Tomato Sauce and Roasted Vegetables today. Here is our recipe and our experience with it.
The great thing about having a place like The Italian Center Shop is the wonderful products and ingredients we can find. Messinger Meats products are sold there and I have to tell you it is a great product. Piedmontese beef comes from an Italian breed of cow (a few were shipped over to North America in the 70s and there is currently about 15,000 head in North America). Messinger sources the Piedmontese solely from Peony Farms, a Lacombe farm. So now we can experience a bit of Italy right here in the prairies. Lately, I have been buying some ground beef for my parents and they love it. You have to understand that my parents usually buy where the great deals are, but due to illness are looking for better organic ingredients. Nicoletta and I have been telling them for years that these products taste better and are better for you, finally they are tasting it and my mom asks for these things every week. For this recipe, I used a flank steak which is not the most tender cut and usually requires a lot of cooking time. By filleting it and pounding the fillets with a meat clever and then marinating them in olive oil, spices, and garlic, breaks down the protein, making these succulent, moist and extra tender. Encased in that double egg, double breaded coating then fried, ensuring a crispy golden coating housing that wonderful fillet inside. Luxury comes in on a poor persons budget with the addition of that rich tomato sauce. The flavor brilliant, and somewhat acidic with hints of sweetness from the lovely Mutti Passata.
We decided to serve it with some roasted veggies. This is something that is often served on the table in Italy after the pasta. It is one of Nicoletta’s favorites and her go-to vegetable side dish. Some different kinds of peppers, onions, potatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, and other vegetables are mixed with good extra virgin olive oil, seasoning, and herbs. They are then put in a hot oven to get caramelized and crispy on the edges.
This has hearty and delicious written all over it. It is just about time to get things to the table. The rich, slow-cooked tomato sauce with its sweet and sour flavor, the braciole, and the bread coating that is hearty, meaty, and full of life all smell amazing. There is something about slow-cooked food, it is intense in aroma and taste. The vegetables: sweet, peppery, crispy roasted goodness. I love this meal; it’s just what I need to remember good times and warm up our kitchen in the winter.
It’s important to stay within your budget when you’re looking for a meal for your hungry family. This Braciole in Tomato Sauce and Roasted Veggies will do all of that, plus it’s full of soul, body, and love.
Thanks to Juls Kitchen for the amazing experience and ideas and to The Italian Center Shop for letting us show off our passion and creativity!
Making Beef and Cheese Braciole like a Nonna!
FAQ
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