Beefsteak Marinara
Submitted by steph42
Beef round steak cubes braised for 3 hours with mushrooms, wine, and Italian herbs in a rich tomato-consommé sauce, served over spaghetti. Fork-tender, deeply flavored, and worth every minute.
YIELD
5 cupsPREP
30 minCOOK
3 hrsREADY
3 hrsIf patience is a virtue, this recipe rewards it tenfold. Cubes of round steak get seared until deeply browned, then braise in a casserole with mushrooms, garlic, and onions swimming in a wine-laced marinara built on beef consommé, tomato paste, and stewed tomatoes.
Three and a half hours in the oven transforms tough, economical round steak into something so tender it falls apart at the touch of a fork.
The sauce thickens into a rich, herb-scented gravy loaded with basil, oregano, and parsley that coats every strand of spaghetti it touches.
Kitchen Tips
- Brown the beef in small batches so each piece gets a proper sear. That caramelized crust is where most of the flavor lives.
- Make a proper roux with the butter and flour before adding the liquids. This gives the sauce body from the start instead of relying on reduction alone.
- Break up the stewed tomatoes with a spoon right in the pan. You want chunky, rustic texture, not a smooth purée.
- This gets better overnight. Make it a day ahead, refrigerate, and reheat gently for even deeper flavor.
Ingredients
Directions
Cut meat into ¾ inch cubes.
Pour 1 tablespoon oil into a 10 to 12 inch frying pan over medium-high heat.
When oil is hot, add meat, a portion at a time, cooking until well browned; stir often.
Transfer meat with a slotted spoon to a shallow 3 to 3½ quart casserole.
Add 1 tablespoon oil to the frying pan along with onion, garlic, and mushrooms; stir often until onion is limp, about 10 minutes.
With a slotted spoon, transfer mixture to casserole.
Melt butter in frying pan, add flour, and stir until mixture bubbles.
Smoothly blend in consomme, wine, tomato paste, parsley, basil, oregano, and tomatoes (break them up with a spoon) and liquid; stir until boiling.
Mix sauce with ingredients in casserole.
Cover tightly with foil and bake in a 350’F oven until meat is very tender when pierced, about 3½ hours.
Serve over hot cooked spaghetti and add salt and pepper to taste.
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