Classic German Rouladen - Recipes From Europe (2024)

An Authentic Rouladen Recipe For A Classic German Dish!

If you want to make German Rouladen, you’re in the right place! This special meat dish is made from thinly cut and rolled beef stuffed with onions, pickles, mustard, and bacon.

Served with delicious red wine gravy, beef Rouladen is a popular dish that takes a few steps but is definitely worth the effort!

To complete the meal, Rouladen are often served with hearty sides like spaetzle, bread dumplings, or potatoes as well as red cabbage and a simple green salad.

We’re big fans of Rouladen. In the part of Germany that Lisa grew up in, it’s one of these classic Sunday lunch dishes for when the whole family gets together.

Eric had never had Rouladen until Lisa’s mom made it when they came to visit – and now he’s hooked!

Since we both like it so much, we also frequently make it for the family now that we live in North America, and they always enjoy the flavors and uniqueness of the dish!

Recipe Tips & Substitutions

When making German Rouladen, be sure to consider these few recipe tips and suggestions:

• As for portions, we calculate one Roulade per person if the meat cut is on the larger side and you’ve got other dishes to serve with it. If the beef cuts are smaller, or you’ve got big eaters to serve, you should probably make two Rouladen per person.
• When pounding the meat, be gentle. You do not want to create holes in beef as this will make stuffing, rolling, and searing more difficult.
• For the wine, use a wine that you like to drink. If you choose a wine of lesser quality, you’ll taste the difference. That said, you don’t need a wildly expensive wine to make decent Rouladen.
• Before serving, be sure to remove what you held the beef rolls together with (cooking twine or toothpicks).
• Also keep in mind that you can make German beef Rouladen in advance. Lisa’s mom often makes hers the day before so they get a chance to develop more flavor overnight! She then just stores them in the fridge overnight and gently reheats them the next day.

How to Make Rouladen – Step by Step Instructions

If you want to make Rouladen at home, you can find the recipe card at the bottom of this post with measurements and instructions.

For those wanting to follow along visually with the recipe steps (there are quite a few steps involved), you can find the step-by-step recipe photos in this section.

This way, if you have any questions about what a step should look like, you can refer back to this beef Rouladen recipe as a guide!

First, peel the onion, then chop it into small cubes. Also, cut the baby dill pickles into small cubes.

Next, peel the carrot and cut it into slices. Wash the celery and then cut those into slices as well.

Also, wash the leek (make sure to wash it well – leek can be quite dirty) and cut it into rings. Set the vegetables aside for now.

Wash the meat and trim the excess fat (if applicable). Place one piece of meat between two pieces of cling film, then pound it thin using the smooth side of a meat hammer.

Remove the cling film. Salt and pepper on both sides of the meat.

Then evenly spread one of the sides with mustard (approximately 1 tablespoon per roulade).

Add one slice of bacon as well as some of the cut-up onion and pickles.

Be sure to place the onion and pickles in the middle of the beef with room at the edges – you’ll need this space for rolling/tucking the beef.

You can do it either how we did it in the photo above (only add onions and pickles to a small area) or spread it out across the whole roulade.

Now roll up the piece of meat and try tucking in the edges.

Secure the roll of meat either with toothpicks (we like using a whole toothpick in the middle and a half toothpick for each end) or cooking twine (you can tie the beef roll as you would ribbon in four directions on a present).

Set the roulade aside on a plate and repeat the steps with the other pieces of meat.

If some mustard is leaking out, don’t worry about it – it will just add more flavor to the gravy.

At this time, preheat your oven to 310 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once you have rolled all the pieces of meat, heat oil in a pan/pot with high sides. Alternatively, you can also use a Dutch oven or similar that you can put in the oven.

Add the rouladen and sear the meat on high heat on all sides (so make sure to rotate them!). Once all the sides are browned, remove the meat from the pan.

Turn down the heat to medium and add the vegetables to the pan. Sauté them for around 5 minutes.

Then add the tomato paste and the sugar. Give everything a stir.

Now add 1/2 cup of wine to the pot and wait until it reduces. Then add the other 1/2 cup and wait for it to reduce and thicken again.

Add the beef broth to the pan/pot and bring everything to a simmer.

Then pour the contents of the pan into a roasting pan for the oven or leave them in the pan/pot if it is oven safe.

Place the meat on top of the evenly spread out sauce and vegetables and put the roasting pan with the lid off into the oven.

After 30 minutes, take the pan out of the oven, flip the rouladen and place them back in the oven.

Bake them for another 30 minutes, flip them again, and put the lid on at the 1-hour mark.

This way, they get a nice dark color. If you don’t want them to be that dark, place them into the oven with the lid on from the beginning – but still flip them every 30 minutes.

Test if the meat is tender after 90 minutes. If it is, remove the pan from the oven. If not, put it back in to continue cooking the beef.

Once the meat is tender, remove the rouladen from the roasting pan and set them aside.

Pour the sauce through a sifter to capture the cooked vegetables.

To thicken the sauce, you have two options. Either blend approximately 1/2 of the cooked vegetables with some of the liquid from the sauce drippings.

Then add it back to the strained liquid and bring this mixture to a simmer on the stove in a pot.

See Also

Korean Beef and Rice Recipe

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Alternatively – if you don’t want to use any vegetables to thicken the sauce – thicken the sauce with approximately 1 tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in a little bit of cold water and discard the cooked vegetables or eat them on the side.

Serve the meat and gravy with potato dumplings, bread dumplings, spaetzle noodles, or potatoes. German red cabbage and a green side salad are also popular additions.

Storage Tips

Store any uneaten Rouladen in a sealed container in the fridge. We usually store the leftover gravy in another container but they can be combined.

It’s best to eat leftovers within 1-2 days. If you prepared the Rouladen in advance, it’s especially important to consume leftovers soon.

To re-heat Rouladen, you can pan fry the beef on low or just toss it in the microwave. For the sauce, add a bit of water to the leftover gravy and add it to a pot on the stovetop on low heat while stirring frequently.

FAQ

Related Recipes

For more classic German meat dishes, try out these tasty recipes:

• Königsberger Klopse – Delicious meatballs in that famous creamy caper sauce!
• German Schnitzel – A classic recipe for simple breaded pork schnitzel (also good as a sandwich)
• German Meatloaf – A simple meatloaf recipe – with hard-boiled eggs inside

Rouladen

Rouladen is a classic German dish. Made from thinly cut and pounded beef filled with onion, pickles, bacon, and mustard, this filling meat dish includes a thick gravy that serves well with bread or potato dumplings, spaetzle, or potatoes.

4.75 from 20 votes

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Prep Time: 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 55 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

The Meat

• ▢ 4 thin slices of beef, approximately 9×5 inches or slightly bigger (ideally top round cut, but flank steak or outside round cutlets also work)
• ▢ 4 slices bacon
• ▢ 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• ▢ 4 baby dill pickles
• ▢ 1 small yellow onion
• ▢ salt
• ▢ pepper
• ▢ 1 tablespoon oil
• ▢ toothpicks or cooking twine

The Sauce

• ▢ 1 large carrot
• ▢ 1 small leek
• ▢ 2 celery sticks
• ▢ 1 cup red wine
• ▢ 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ▢ a pinch of sugar
• ▢ 2 cups beef broth
• ▢ salt and pepper

Instructions

• Peel the onion, then chop it into small cubes. Also, cut the baby dill pickles into small cubes.

• Peel the carrot and cut it into slices. Wash the celery and leek (make sure to wash it well – leek can be quite dirty), then cut those into slices/rings as well. Set the vegetables aside for now.

• Wash the meat and trim the excess fat (if applicable). Place one piece of meat between two pieces of cling film, then pound it thin using the smooth side of a meat hammer.

• Remove the cling film. Salt and pepper on both sides of the meat, then evenly spread one of the sides with mustard (approximately 1 tablespoon per roulade). Add one slice of bacon as well as some of the cut-up onion and pickles. Be sure to place the onion and pickles in the middle of the beef with room at the edges – you’ll need this space for rolling/tucking the beef.

• Now roll up the piece of meat and try tucking in the edges. Secure the roll of meat either with toothpicks (we like using a whole toothpick in the middle and a half toothpick for each end) or cooking twine (you can tie the beef roll as you would ribbon in four directions on a present). Set the roulade aside on a plate and repeat the steps with the other pieces of meat.

• Preheat your oven to 310 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Once you have rolled all the pieces of meat, heat oil in a pan/pot with high sides. Alternatively, you can also use a Dutch oven or similar that you can put in the oven. Add the rouladen and sear the meat on high heat on all sides (so make sure to rotate them!). Once all the sides are browned, remove the meat from the pan.

• Turn down the heat to medium and add the vegetables to the pan. Sauté them for around 5 minutes, then add the tomato paste and the sugar. Give everything a stir.

• Now add 1/2 cup of red wine to the pot and wait until it reduces. Then add the other 1/2 cup and wait for it to reduce and thicken again.

• Add the beef broth to the pan/pot and bring everything to a simmer. Then pour the contents of the pan into a roasting pan for the oven or leave them in the pan/pot if it is oven safe.

• Place the meat on top of the evenly spread out sauce and vegetables and put the roasting pan with the lid off into the oven. After 30 minutes, take the pan out of the oven, flip the rouladen and place them back in the oven. Bake them for another 30 minutes, flip them again, and put the lid on at the 1-hour mark. This way, they get a nice dark color. If you don’t want them to be that dark, place them into the oven with the lid on from the beginning – but still flip them every 30 minutes.

• Test if the meat is tender after 90 minutes. If it is, remove the pan from the oven. If not, put it back in to continue cooking the beef.

• Once the meat is tender, remove the rouladen from the roasting pan and set them aside.

• Pour the sauce through a sifter to capture the cooked vegetables.

• To thicken the sauce, you have two options. Either blend approximately 1/2 of the cooked vegetables with some of the liquid from the sauce drippings. Then add it back to the strained liquid and bring this mixture to a simmer on the stove in a pot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Alternatively – if you don’t want to use any vegetables to thicken the sauce – thicken the sauce with approximately 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch dissolved in a little bit of cold water and discard the cooked vegetables or eat them on the side.

• Serve the meat and gravy with potato dumplings, bread dumplings, spaetzle noodles, or potatoes. German red cabbage and a green side salad are also popular additions.

Notes

• We usually calculate one roulade per person if the meat is on the bigger side and there are different side dishes. If the meat is smaller and/or you are cooking this dish for people with large appetites, it’s best to calculate two rouladen per person.
• Use a wine that you would also drink. If you use one with poor quality, you’ll taste it. At the same time, there’s no need to use a very expensive wine either.
• Be careful when you pound the meat – you want to get it thin but don’t want to break through the grains and create holes in the piece of beef.
• Make sure to remove the toothpicks or cooking twine from the meat before eating it.
• You can prepare the rouladen the day before. Some people (Lisa’s mom include) like doing this since it gives the flavors in the rouladen time to mingle. Just place them in the fridge overnight and then gently reheat them the next day.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 1016kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 82g | Fat: 65g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 32g | Cholesterol: 259mg | Sodium: 1831mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g

This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.

Course Dinner

Cuisine German

Author Recipes From Europe