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Italian Steak Pinwheels (Roll Ups)


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 lb. skirt or flank steak, butterflied (cut so it’s a large flat piece – see pics in the post)
  • 6 or more slices of Mozzarella cheese, or enough to cover the steak (I used a sliced up mozzarella ball because I find it tastes best with the sun dried tomato, but you could also use mozzarella sliced from a cheese brick)
  • 8+ basil leaves
  • sun dried tomatoes in oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Grated Parmesan (Optional)
  • Canola Oil

Other Items Needed

  • Kitchen twine/string – to tie the steak
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Instructions

Prepping the Steak Roll Ups

  1. Using a sharp knife, butterfly the steak. This means to cut the steak, horizontally through the center, then stopping before you get to the other side. Then, open up the steak like a book and lay it flat. Essentially they call this “butterflying” because you’re opening up the meat like “wings”, but personally I think comparing it to opening a book makes more sense. lol  For reference, please take a look at the pictures in the body of this post to see how I butterflied my steak. It’s super easy to do, so don’t worry! You should end up with a nice flat piece of steak that’s easier to roll up. 
  2. On top of the steak, lay out basil leaves, then sun dried tomatoes, then slices of mozzarella. If you’re using grated parmesan, sprinkle some at this point.
  3. Next, roll up the steak so it’s the shape of a log. Using the kitchen twine/string, tie the steak in segments. I separated the one in this post into 6 segments, but this might be different for you depending on the size of the steak you’re using. 
  4. Next, using a sharp knife, cut the steak log between the tied parts, so you have little steak rolls. Make sure to leave the twine on these pieces so they hold their shape. 

How to Cook Steak Roll Ups 

Frying Pan/Skillet Method

  1. Add a little oil to a large skillet or frying pan. To the pan, add the steak roll ups, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and cook for about 7 minutes per side or until slightly browned and the cheese inside gets a bit melty. Make sure when cooking, that the spiral sides are what touches the surface of the pan. 
  2. Once cooked, remove each from the pan and set aside on a serving plate. Alternatively, you could also put them in a baking dish with a lid and put it in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes to keep the cheese melty before serving. I usually do this and it’s super yummy!

Baking in the Oven

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Drizzle a little oil in the bottom of a glass baking dish and arrange all the steak roll ups, spiral side down. Drizzle a little oil over top and sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Put the lid on the baking dish and bake for about 25 minutes.
  3. Once finished, remove the lid, allow to stand for a couple minutes, then serve.

How to Serve Steak Roll Ups

  • If having for dinner, serve along with rice or potatoes and some veggies on the side. I find that the steak roll ups are best with some kind of side that will soak up the juices and flavours from the sun dried tomatoes and other ingredients used. This way is my favourite! Please don’t miss out on those delicious juices at the bottom of the skillet or baking dish! Drizzle the juices over top of the served steak rollups and the rice/potatoes – it’s soooo good this way!
  • If serving as an appetizer or at a party, you can place the steak roll ups on a tray and guests can take them as they please. 

Notes

In the pictures for this post, you’ll notice that in addition to kitchen twine/string, I also secured my steak with wooden skewers – I found that this isn’t necessary so long as your twine is secured tight enough. Using only twine should be enough to hold everything!

Depending on your guests or who you’re serving the steak pinwheels to, you may want to remove the kitchen twine for them. My son loves this recipe, but needs me to remove the string for him first. If you serve them with the twine still intact, just remind your guests to remove it before eating. I find that they look quite nice with the twine still on when served, but it’s up to you!

If making these as appetizers, you can make smaller sized steak roll ups and secure them with toothpicks to make them (a little bigger than) bite sized. If doing this, to save on time, I recommend baking them in the oven rather than in the skillet or pan.

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Main
  • Cuisine: Italian Inspired