This beef rouladen recipe comes from my Grandma Mary, and it’s a childhood favorite. Tender beef rolls filled with smoky bacon, onions, and dill pickles are slow-braised until melt-in-your-mouth tender, delivering big flavor from simple ingredients and the most incredible gravy.
- What is Rouladen? German beef rouladen is thin-sliced beef spread with mustard, rolled up with bacon, onions, and a dill pickle, then slow-braised until tender and served with brown gravy.
- Flavor: Savory and robust without feeling heavy. Slow braising softens the beef and mellows the onions, while mustard and pickles keep the flavor bright and lively.
- Why Make It: This classic German dish combines everyday, simple ingredients for layers of mouthwatering flavor. It’s one of the best comfort foods of all time (and it’s a dish my Polish grandmother and mom made often)!
- Serving Suggestions: Serve with mashed potatoes or cooked macaroni like my grandma always did. Or it can be paired with spätzle, egg noodles, potato dumplings, baby potatoes, or braised red cabbage (rotkohl).
Choosing the Right Ingredients
- Beef Round or Flank Steak: Choose thin slices of top round steak or flank steak, 8 to 10 inches long, 4.5 inches wide, and ¼-inch thick. In my area, I find beef labeled “Rouladen,” or you can ask the butcher to thinly slice steaks. If using round steaks, you may need to layer two to get a 10-inch length.
- Mustard: My grandma always spread prepared yellow mustard on the beef. For a sharper flavor use Dijon mustard instead.
- Bacon: Use uncooked bacon; it adds smoky flavor and keeps the beef moist.
- Pickle: Our family uses dill pickles (not sweet) in the center of the rouladen. Remember to keep some of the juice for the gravy. The acidity from the pickle tenderizes the meat and adds lots of flavor along with the bacon.
- Gravy: This recipe uses beef broth with a bit of dill pickle juice. My mom always added a can of mushrooms with the juices, so I add them in as well. The juices are later used to make the sauce or gravy for serving. While some recipes add a bit of red wine, my Grandma kept it simple. You can add extra onions to the gravy and a rib of celery and carrot if you’d like for flavor. Discard the carrot/celery before thickening the gravy.
How to Make Rouladen
- Gently pound the beef to tenderize (full recipe below).
- Top with mustard, bacon, and onions, and roll around a pickle, then secure.
- Brown the outside. Add broth and a splash of pickle juice. Simmer.
- Thicken the juices with flour or a cornstarch slurry to make gravy.
Got Leftovers?
Rouladen tastes great the next day! You can also chop up the leftovers and add them to a soup!
It can also be prepared and frozen either before or after cooking. Simply prepare as directed, place in a single layer on a baking sheet, and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag or air-tight container. To enjoy from frozen, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and cook as directed in the recipe.
Comfort Dinners with Incredible Gravy
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Preheat the oven to 325°F.
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Place the beef slices on a cutting board and gently pound with a meat tenderizer to ¼-inch thickness.
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Spread a thin layer of mustard over each slice and season with salt and pepper.
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Add a slice of bacon to each piece of beef and top with onions and a dill pickle.
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Roll each rouladen jelly-roll style and secure with toothpicks or kitchen twine.
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In a Dutch oven, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the beef rolls and brown on each side.
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Add the beef broth to the Dutch oven, scraping up any brown bits in the bottom of the pan. Add the canned mushrooms with juices if using and ¼ cup pickle juice (and extra onions if desired). Cover and roast 90-120 minutes or until fork-tender.
To Make Gravy
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Transfer the rouladen to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm, leaving the juices in the Dutch oven.
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Heat juices over medium-high heat until boiling, making sure to scrape up any brown bits. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of cold water. Slowly add the cornstarch mixture to the boiling broth while whisking to reach the desired thickness. You may not need all of the cornstarch mixture.
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Serve rouladen over mashed potatoes or elbow macaroni with gravy.
I prefer to roast cook beef rouladen in the oven but it can be covered and gently simmered on the stove for about 45-55 minutes or until tender.
Store leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or in the microwave until heated through.
Calories: 153 | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 1112mg | Potassium: 300mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 177IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine German© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
