Spinach & Cheese stuffed Flank Steak
Flank Steak is a great cut of meat to make fancy-looking roulade steaks! It is a fairly inexpensive cut of meat, and if cooked and sliced correctly – can be the centerpiece of an elegant or impressive meal! One version of a roulade made with flank steak, is Braciole… an Italian version stuffed with breadcrumbs and cooked in marinara sauce.
Today’s recipe for roulade steak is stuffed with a blend of cheeses (ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan) along with cooked spinach – it has a lovely color and when sliced, has a beautiful presentation.
When done, the roulade slices can be served as is (no sauce)… or you can add a mushroom based gravy, peppercorn-cream sauce, or an Italian style tomato sauce. Enjoy!
Roulade Steak:
- 1.7 – 2 lb. beef flank steak (whole piece)
- salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
- 1 T. olive oil
Spinach-Cheese Filling:
- 1 c. whole milk ricotta
- 1 c. shredded mozzarella
- 1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 5.25 oz bag baby spinach
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place your flank steak on a cutting board and identify the grain (you want the grain to be vertical).
2. Using a sharp knife (be careful!), butterfly the steak by cutting it in half horizontally, then flip it open like a book to double the width.
3. Using a meat tenderizing mallet, pound the steak to even thickness, and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
4. Microwave the spinach in a bowl for about 2-3 minutes. Chop the spinach, and the squeeze out the excess liquid (you can use paper towels to help soak up the liquid).
5. Mix the filling ingredients together in a bowl until thoroughly combined.
6. Starting from the outer right edge of the flank steak, spread the filling to about 2″ from the left side.
7. Roll up the steak like a cinnamon roll, from right to left. When you are finished, the grain of the meat should be running up and down, along the length of the roll. Why? Because when you slice the roulade into steaks, you want to be cutting ACROSS the grain so that the meat isn’t tough and chewy. Using kitchen twine, tie the roulade together. Start at one end with a square knot. Then make a loop, tuck the loop under and bring it an inch or two from the first tied section, then tighten. Repeat and tie off more sections until you reach the end. Finish by tying with another square knot.
8. Place your roulade onto a foil lined baking sheet. Rub the top with the olive oil. Insert a meat thermometer, then bake in the 425 degree preheated oven for about 30-40 minutes, until center reaches approximately 120 degrees. Finish by broiling on high for about 3-5 minutes to caramelize the top.
9. Remove from oven and cover with aluminum foil – allow to rest about 15 minutes before slicing into pieces. (Just FYI You should be slicing ACROSS the grain of the meat.)
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