Stuffed Flank Steak Recipe

Name: Stuffed Flank Steak
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 175 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: Marinade:; 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil; 1/4 cup red wine vinegar; 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped; 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley; 1/4 teaspoon coarse black pepper; Flank steak:; 1 flank steak (3/4 in thick, about 1 1/4 pounds), butterflied; 2 red bell peppers; 3 Tbsp chopped parsley; 6 to 8 thin slices of prosciutto or other cured ham; 24 medium sized fresh basil leaves; 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese; Freshly ground pepper to taste; 1 bunch watercress or baby arugula for garnish

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This rolled flank steak stuffed with prosciutto, basil, and roasted red peppers is one of our favorites for company and family get-togethers! This classic beef roulade makes a dramatic presentation.

You can do a lot of the work in advance—marinating, stuffing, and rolling—and just put it in the oven about 45 minutes before you want to serve it.

How to Butterfly Steak

To prepare the flank steak so that you can roll it up, you'll need to butterfly it (or have your butcher do it) so it opens up like a book.

Butterflying flank steak takes a little bit of finesse, which is why we usually have our butcher do it for us. But it is doable. You'll need a long, sharp knife and a steady hand.

Orient the flank steak so that the short end faces you, place your hand down on the steak, and make a horizontal cut along the long side of the steak, cutting the meat almost in half, stopping when you still have about an inch to go. Then, open it like a book!

How to butterfly a flank steak — Elise Bauer

Flank Steak Marinade

After butterflying the steak, we marinate it for a couple hours in a simple olive oil and wine vinegar marinade. The marinade has:

Extra virgin olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Garlic
Fresh parsley
Black pepper

Stuffed flank steak on a sheet pan — Elise Bauer

Roll Up the Flank Steak With Filling

Once the steak has marinated, you layer the inside with prosciutto, fresh basil leaves, Parmesan cheese, strips of roasted bell peppers, and parsley. Then, you roll up the flank steak with the stuffing inside, like a jelly roll, and tie it up with string.

You can do this several hours in advance before cooking. The rolled steak takes only about 30 minutes or so to cook in the oven.

To serve, the steak is cut into rounds for a festive presentation.

Rolled Stuffed Flank Steak — Elise Bauer

A version of this recipe has been floating around the Internet for years. We found it in a magazine maybe 15 or 20 years ago and photocopied a clipping.

The likely source is a recipe for Italian Party Flank Steak that appeared in Parade Magazine in the 1990s. (Thank you to all of our commenters who also clipped the recipe and remembered the source!)

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Watch This Stuffed Flank Steak Recipe

Prepping Stuffed Flank Steak in Advance

Marinate the meat up to eight hours in advance. Or marinate the meat for just two hours and roll and tie the stuffed flank steak up to one day ahead.

Cover and refrigerate the assembled steak overnight. On the day you plan to serve it, remove from the fridge one to two hours before cooking, and let the steak come to room temperature before baking.

Customize the Filling

Use prepared pesto if you don't have fresh basil leaves.
Instead of Parmesan, use mozzarella, provolone, feta, or blue cheese.
Add cooked mushroom slices or strips of raw pepper in place of the roasted red pepper.

Sides to Serve With Stuffed Flank Steak

Stuffed Flank Steak

Prep Time 25 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Marinating 2 hrs

Total Time 2 hrs 55 mins

Servings 4 to 6 servings

Butterflying a flank steak can be a bit tricky. If your grocery store has a butcher, you can ask the butcher to butterfly it for you.

Trader Joe's sells a jar of roasted red peppers that works well as a substitute for roasting your own.

Marinade:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Flank steak:

1 flank steak (3/4-inch thick, about 1 1/4 pounds), butterflied
2 red bell peppers (see Recipe Note)
Olive oil
6 to 8 thin slices prosciutto, or other cured ham
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
24 medium-sized fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 bunch watercress, or baby arugula, for garnish

Butterfly the steak:

To butterfly the steak, orient it first so that the meat grain is running up and down in front of you. (In other words, the short edge of the steak is facing you.) Place your hand on top of the meat. Using a long, sharp knife, make a long, horizontal cut on the long side of the steak, cutting the meat in half, and going almost all the way across, leaving 1 inch at the edge uncut (the hinge).

The butterfly hinge should be in the same direction as the grain of the meat. (Choose the longest straightest side of the steak as the hinge side, and the roundest most-curved side as the side to start the cut.)

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer

Open the flaps of the steak. You can even out the middle if you want so that the center is not as thick.
Make the marinade:

In a large, nonreactive bowl, combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, chopped garlic, parsley, and black pepper.
Marinate the steak:

Coat the flank steak with the marinade, making sure to coat the inside of the steak as well. Let marinate for 2 hours.

(Note: There's no need to refrigerate during cool weather. During hot weather, though, refrigerate for 1 hour. Then, let marinate at room temperature for the last hour.)

Elise Bauer
Preheat the broiler:

Set the broiler to high and preheat.
Roast the bell peppers:

Cut the bell peppers in half and remove the stems and seed pods. Rub the outside of the bell pepper halves with olive oil and place on a lined baking sheet, cut-side down.

Broil the halved red bell peppers until the peels are blackened. Remove from the oven, place in a bowl, and cover with a plate. After about 5 minutes, remove and discard the blackened peel.
Layer the steak filling:

Set the oven to 350°F.

Remove the steak from the marinade, reserving the leftover marinade.

Layer the steak with prosciutto slices, roasted red bell pepper, parsley, and basil leaves, leaving at least an inch bare at the ends. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and black pepper.

Elise Bauer
Roll up the steak:

Starting with one of the long ends, roll the meat up like a jelly roll. The grain of the steak should run the length of roll. Tie in 2- to 3-inch intervals with kitchen string.

Place in a shallow baking dish and spread any remaining marinade over the top.

Elise Bauer
Bake, rest, slice, and serve:

Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. For medium-rare, cook to internal temperature of 130°F to 135°F. Remove from the oven, tent with some foil, and let rest 15 minutes before cutting. Cut into 1/2-inch to 1-inch-thick slices.

Serve, arranged on a platter, garnished with watercress or baby arugula.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
356	Calories
23g	Fat
3g	Carbs
34g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	356
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 23g	29%
Saturated Fat 6g	31%
Cholesterol 95mg	32%
Sodium 350mg	15%
Total Carbohydrate 3g	1%
Dietary Fiber 1g	2%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 34g
Vitamin C 40mg	199%
Calcium 60mg	5%
Iron 3mg	15%
Potassium 506mg	11%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.