Traditional Beef Rouladen Recipe and how to cook it to perfection. (2024)

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Have you made or heard of rouladen before? This is a traditional German dish and one that I have made many times but not for years! This Traditional Beef Rouladen Recipe is pure comfort food and until the really warm weather hits, we are still wanting dishes like this.

Served up with some creamy mashed potatoes, creamy polenta, potato dumplings, or spaetzle and steamed veggies or red cabbage this is a great dinner for any weeknight (but you do need time for it to cook) or this recipe would be perfect for a Sunday supper. Another great beef meal is our Perfect Beef Wellington, a real show stopper.

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Table of Contents

What Cut of Beef Is Used for Rouladen?

In Canada, we can buy meat that is actually called inside round rouladen, which is thinly sliced and meant for this dish. You could also use round steak, which may also be known as a rump steak.

The dish consists of a bacon strip, onions, mustard, and sometimes a pickle rolled up inside.

This time I omitted the dill pickle, but in discussion with my girlfriend, Cheryl, she now chops hers up finely and adds it to the middle of the beef roll. What a great idea! Let’s dive into this recipe!!

How Do You Make Beef Rouladen?

Your beef slices should be no more than 1/2 an inch thick. Lay your beef out flat on a butcher block or large cutting board and brush on the mustard. Place a bacon strip in the middle and sprinkle with onions and parsley, salt, and pepper. This is also where you would add the pickle if using.

Roll up the steak and secure with toothpicks, repeat with the other steaks. Dredge the rolls in flour and fry the rolls with butter on medium-high heat until they are browned on all sides but not cooked through.

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Place them in a casserole dish or dutch oven, leaving a little space in between each beef roll. Add water or beef broth to the frypan and scrape up the drippings, pour over the rouladen. Then add in the soy sauce (not traditional but delicious), Worcestershire sauce, and additional water or beef broth to come halfway up the rouladen.

Add the mushrooms and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bake it in the oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

The gravy is simple and just needs a little thickening at the end, you could also add some red wine to the gravy for some additional depth of flavor. The meat is so flavorful being slowly cooked and with the wonderful ingredients stuffed inside and out.

Can I Make Rouladen in Advance?

The short answer here is yes, of course, you can. In fact, making it a day ahead will not only free up your time before serving the rouladen for dinner, but it will also enhance the flavors. Make the rouladen as you normally would and after it is done simply allow it to cool, cover and refrigerate for the next day. Make sure you take it out of the refrigerator a half-hour to an hour before reheating it, to allow it to come to room temperature.

Reheat it low and slow in your oven. You and your family or guests will love it!

Because this dish has German origins it is often served during Oktoberfest, a fall celebration featuring great food, singing, dancing and of course beer… a lot of beer! Spending time with family and friends eating great food and drinking beer shouldn’t only happen during Oktoberfest! You should plan events and gatherings throughout the year, and of course, serving up a fantastic dish like this will always be popular with everyone!!

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This dish can be served with a dollop of sour cream and is fantastic all year round as it is a beloved dish that will be welcomed on the supper table.

Ingredients

Rouladen

Large inside round rouladen
Dijon mustard
Onion, finely chopped
Chopped parsley and more for garnish
Bacon
Salt and pepper to taste
Flour
Butter
Low sodium soy sauce
Worcestershire
Mushrooms, sliced

Gravy

Flour
Butter

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Rich gravy, scrumptious bacon, onions and pickle, mustard, and topped with mushrooms, that is cooked on a slow braise! What is not to love about this traditional dish that has been around for ages.

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Here is a sneak peek inside the rolls, they are so juicy, tender, and gorgeously flavored. I know you will be making this meal again and again.

Beef Rouladen

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Traditional Beef Rouladen Recipe and how to cook it to perfection. (12)

Old pin before new pictures!

Traditional Beef Rouladen Recipe and how to cook it to perfection. (13)

Traditional Beef Rouladen Recipe

Traditional Beef Rouladen Recipe and how to cook it to perfection. (14)

Traditional Beef Rouladen Recipe

Yield: 4-6 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes

A Traditional Beef Rouladen Recipe is pure comfort food and very easy to make. This is a dish that can be served any night of week or splendid for Sunday Supper also.

Ingredients

  • 6 large inside round rouladen
  • Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley and more for garnish
  • 6 slices bacon
  • 6 - 1/4 dill pickle (optional)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 3 Tbsp. butter
  • 3 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce (not traditional but adds so much flavor)
  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire
  • 8 mushrooms, sliced

Gravy

  • 2 Tbsp. flour
  • 2 Tbsp. butter

Instructions

  1. Lay out the 6 slices of meat and brush with Dijon mustard. Lay on a slice of bacon on each, cutting if needed for size. Add the 1/4 pickle spear if using. Sprinkle on the onions and fresh parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Roll up and fasten with a toothpick. Dredge in the flour.
  2. Heat a large saute pan and add the 3 Tbsp. butter. Fry the rouladen until nicely browned on all sides. Cook in batches if needed.
  3. Place in a casserole dish big enough for a single layer. Add water to the saute pan to get the drippings and scrape up, and pour over the rouladen. Add in the low sodium soy sauce, Worcestershire, and additional water to come about halfway up the rouladen. Sprinkle on the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Bake covered in a 325F oven for 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours.
  4. When finished cream the butter and flour together. Remove the rouladen and keep warm. Pour the gravy in a saucepan and heat. Add the flour/butter mixture and whisk to thicken. Adjust seasoning if needed. Let simmer and pour over the rouladen. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 188Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 639mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 6g

Recipe calculation was provided by Nutritionix and is an estimation only. If you need nutritional calculations for medical reasons, please use a source that you trust.

Traditional Beef Rouladen Recipe and how to cook it to perfection. (2024)

FAQs

What is the best cut of beef for Rouladen? ›

Beef for Rouladen: Use top round roast (sometimes called topside or beef round roast) beef for Rouladen, and more importantly, ask your butcher to cut it for you! You want long thin slices about ¼ inches thick and 6-10 inches long and 4-5 inches wide.

How long do I bake Rouladen? ›

Bake in the oven at 325 for about 90 minutes or until the beef is very tender.

What is a roulade in cooking? ›

When thin slices of meat, poultry, fish or leaf vegetables are filled, rolled up and braised, it is called a roulade – a dish that has been popular since the eighteenth century.

What is the most flavorful tender cut of beef? ›

Filet Mignon Steak

The Filet Mignon is the most tender cut of beef - known for its buttery-rich, melt-in-your-mouth texture and mild flavor. It is a highly sought-after cut of steak.

Do you use top or bottom round for Rouladen? ›

Top round is perfect for this. It's not the toughest piece of meat, but it has some collagen that will enrich our sauce and lend tenderness to the finished meat roll. You can often find top round thinly sliced and sometimes sold as “beef roulade meat,” but if not, ask your butcher to slice it for you, about 1/8″ thick.

Do you cook Rouladen covered or uncovered? ›

Heat canola oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook beef rouladen on all sides until browned. Add broth and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes.

Do you roll a roulade from the long or short side? ›

Roll it while it's hot.

Pick an end and start rolling, using the parchment paper to help guide you if the cake is too hot for you to handle easily. For a traditional roulade, roll from the longer side. For my vertical roulade, roll from the shorter end.

What ethnicity is Rouladen? ›

(As you know since you searched for it) Beef Rouladen is a traditional German dish made for special occasions, like Christmas or a wedding.

Is Rouladen popular in Germany? ›

One of Germany's most famous and delicious dishes, Rouladen are beef roulades filled with bacon, onions, mustard and pickles, then browned and simmered in an incredibly rich and flavorful gravy.

What is the best meat for Rouladen? ›

For something that looks and tastes as impressive as this beef rouladen, it's actually one of the simplest stuffed meat recipes I know. You can pretty much use any cheap cut of beef; I used round steak, but rump, chuck, flap meat, and other similar cuts will work work.

Why is my roulade rubbery? ›

The cake can become rubbery if the batter has been over-mixed. Over-mixing the batter increases the development of gluten which in turn increases the cakes gumminess. Over-mixing can also deflate the air bubbles that were created when whipping the meringue, causing the cake to deflate.

How to stop a roulade from cracking? ›

If your roulade cracks when you roll it, there are a few possible culprits: it's overbaked, it's underbaked, or it's not warm enough. So, how do you roll a cake without cracking it? Some tips: Get your baking time and temperature just right so that your cake is light, airy, and not dried out.

What beef cuts are best for pulled beef? ›

Chuck roast is arguably the best cut to use for pulled beef. Similar to the front shoulder of pork (or the pork “butt”) chuck roasts, being from the front shoulder of the steer, are chock full of fat, collagen, and marbling. This is the stuff we need to make delicious juicy pulled beef.

What is the best cut of beef for a rolled roast? ›

Cuts like a whole eye fillet (aka chateaubriand) are the quickest to cook and the most tender but a rolled scotch roast probably has the best combination of flavour and tenderness. A porterhouse roast is the next best thing.

What are the 3 best cuts of beef? ›

Top 5 Most Flavorful Cuts Of Beef
  1. Rib Eye.
  2. New York Strip. ...
  3. Top Sirloin. The top sirloin is cut from the loin and offers great flavors! ...
  4. Tenderloin. The tenderloin is a cut from the loin of beef and is the most tender cut of beef. ...
  5. Top Sirloin Cap. The top sirloin cap is a very versatile cut of meat. ...
Feb 21, 2022

What is the best cut of beef for a tender roast? ›

Top Round Roast

This lean cut comes from the rump area, which you can imagine is quite exercised. Because it doesn't have the fat content that other roasts do, it comes out its best when it's cooked for hours in the slow cooker to tenderize it.

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