12/28/2025
Neapolitan Beef Braciole— The Heart of Naples, Rolled in Tradition 🍅🥩✨🇮🇹
In a true Neapolitan kitchen, every ingredient has meaning — and nowhere is that truer than with the beloved braciola.
Far more than a simple steak, the Neapolitan braciola is a thin slice of beef rolled with fragrant fillings, tied tight, and slowly simmered in tomato sauce until meltingly tender. ❤️
The word itself dates back centuries, appearing in the writings of Ippolito Cavalcanti, and in Naples it refers not to a chop, but to a stuffed roll — sometimes beef, sometimes fish or veggies.
Traditionally, braciole simmer right inside the legendary Neapolitan ragù, alongside pork cuts and additional beef.
The sauce becomes the first course, dressing pasta…
and the braciole themselves?
They arrive afterward as the main event — exactly as Nonna intended. 🍝✨
Ingredients
For the Braciole
14 oz thinly sliced beef (top round or flank steak, pounded thin)
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
¼ cup Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated
2 tbsp golden raisins
2 tbsp pine nuts
1 garlic clove, finely minced
2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
For the Sauce
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
½ cup dry white wine
3 cups tomato passata (or smooth tomato purée)
Fresh basil leaves, to taste
👩🍳 Instructions
Lay the beef slices on a cutting board and gently pound them with a meat mallet until evenly thin.
Season the meat lightly with salt and black pepper.
Sprinkle each slice with pine nuts and raisins, followed by the minced garlic and chopped parsley.
Finish with a generous layer of grated Pecorino Romano, leaving the edges clear.
Roll each slice tightly into a bundle and secure with toothpicks placed crosswise.
In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the onion until soft and translucent.
Add the braciole and brown them gently on all sides. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Deglaze with the white wine and allow the alcohol to evaporate.
Pour in the tomato passata, add basil, cover with a lid, and reduce the heat to very low.
Let the braciole simmer gently for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. The sauce should barely bubble.
Remove the lid during the final 15 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.
