Stuff and roll a flank steak with butterflies for an easy and elegant meal. Stuffed with prosciutto, basil, parmesan, and roasted peppers, this Stuffed Flank Steak recipe is a crowd-pleaser.
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This rolled flank steak stuffed with prosciutto, basil, and roasted peppers is one of our favorites for corporate and family gatherings! This classic beef roulade presents itself in a dramatic way.
How to make a butterfly steak
To prepare the flank steak so you can roll it up, you’ll need to butterfly it (or have your butcher do it) so it opens like a book.
The butterfly flank steak requires a little finesse, which is why we usually let our butcher do it. But it can be done. You need a long, sharp knife and a steady hand.
Orient the flank steak so the short end is towards you, place your hand on the steak and make a horizontal cut along the long side of the steak, almost slicing the meat in half and stopping when you do still have about an inch to cut . Then open it like a book!
Flank steak marinade
After we butter the steak, we marinate it for a few 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
Roll up the flank steak with the filling
Once the steak is marinated, coat the inside with prosciutto, fresh basil leaves, Parmesan cheese, roasted pepper strips, and parsley. Then roll up the flank steak with the filling like a jelly roll and tie with string.
You can do this several hours before cooking. The rolled steak only takes about 30 minutes to cook in the oven.
To serve, the steak is cut into rounds for a celebratory presentation.
A version of this recipe has been circulating on the internet for years. We found it in a magazine maybe 15 or 20 years ago and photocopied a clipping.
The likely source is an Italian party flank steak recipe that appeared in Parade Magazine in the 1990s. (Thanks to all of our commenters who also clipped the recipe and remembered the source!)
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Check out this Stuffed Flank Steak recipe
Prepare stuffed flank steak ahead of time
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 a day in advance.
Cover the assembled steak and refrigerate overnight. On the day you plan to serve it, remove it from the refrigerator an hour or two before cooking and allow the steak to come to room temperature before baking.
Adjust the fill
- 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 raw pepper strips in place of the roasted red peppers.
Sides to serve with stuffed flank steak
- Creamy baked mac and cheese
- Roasted Parsnips
- Apple Cider Vinaigrette Roasted Root Vegetables
- Cold Pea Salad
- Spring vegetable salad with mint pesto
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Stuffed flank steak
Smashing a flank steak can be a bit tricky. If your grocery store has a butcher, you can ask the butcher to smash it for you.
Trader Joe’s sells a jar of roasted red peppers that make a good substitute for roasting your own.
ingredients
Marinade:
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1/4 Cup Extra virgin olive oil
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1/4 Cup red wine vinegar
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2 cloves garlicfinely chopped
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2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
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1/4 teaspoon rough ground black pepper
flank steak:
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1 flank steak (3/4 inch thick, approx 1 1/4 lb), butterfly
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2 Red pepper (see recipe note)
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olive oil
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6 to 8 thin slices prosciutto, or other raw ham
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3 tablespoon chopped Parsely
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24 medium sized fresh basil leaves
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2 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
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Fresh ground black pepper taste
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1 bunch watercress, or baby arugula for garnish
method
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Butterfly the Steak:
To butter the steak, first orient it so the meat fibers run up and down in front of you. (In other words, the short edge of the steak is toward you.) Place your hand on the meat. Using a long, sharp knife, make a long, horizontal cut down the long side of the steak, slicing the meat in half and going almost all the way across, leaving 1 inch uncut along the edge (the hinge).
The butterfly hinge should be in the same direction as the grain of the meat. (Choose the longest straight side of the steak as the hinge side and the roundest side with the most curvatures as the side where the cut begins.)
Open the steak flaps. You can smooth out the middle if you want so the middle isn’t as thick.
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Make the marinade:
In a large non-reactive bowl, combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, parsley, and black pepper.
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Marinate steak:
Brush the flank steak with the marinade, making sure to coat the inside of the steak as well. Leave to marinate for 2 hours.
(Note: Refrigeration is not required in cool weather. However, in hot weather, refrigerate for 1 hour. Then leave to marinate at room temperature for the final hour.)
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Preheat grill:
Set the grill to high and preheat.
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Roast peppers:
Halve the peppers and remove the stems and seed pods. Rub the outside of the pepper halves with olive oil and place cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
Roast the halved red peppers until the skins are black. Remove from the oven, place in a bowl and cover with a plate. After about 5 minutes, remove and discard the blackened peel.
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Layer the steak filling:
Set the oven to 350°F.
Remove the steak from the marinade and reserve the leftover marinade.
Layer the steak with the prosciutto slices, roasted peppers, parsley and basil leaves, leaving at least an inch free on the ends. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and black pepper.
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Roll up the steak:
Starting at one of the long ends, roll up the meat like a jelly roll. The grain of the steak should run the length of the roll. Tie with kitchen twine at 2- to 3-inch intervals.
Place in a shallow casserole dish and spread the remaining marinade over it.
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Bake, rest, cut and serve:
Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. For medium-rare, cook at an internal temperature of 130°F to 135°F. Remove from the oven, cover with foil and leave to rest for 15 minutes before slicing. Cut into 1/2 inch to 1 inch thick slices.
Arrange on a platter and garnish with watercress or baby arugula.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 356 | calories |
| 23g | Fat |
| 3g | carbohydrates |
| 34g | protein |
