Stuffed Ribeye Roasts
The holidays are a special time of year, all about family and food, and a time of year when you want to cook up food that makes you and your loved ones feel special, and today I’m going to show you how to do a holiday dinner centerpiece Italian style.
Today, I will make a delicious ribeye roast stuffed with prosciutto, spinach, and cheese for a wonderful blend of flavors. I will then pair this stunning roast with a classic sauce made with mushrooms, tomatoes, and cream called boscaiola, which will compliment the roast beautifully.
If you’re looking for an alternative to your holiday turkey, then look no further because this ribeye roast will be both delicious and easy.
Stuffed Ribeye Roasts
Serves 6
Total time: 45 minutes.
For the Ribeye roasts
4 bone-in ribeye steaks (1 pound each)
8 thin slices of prosciutto
8 ounces of baby spinach, cooked
1/2 a wedge of asiago cheese, cut into thin, wide slices, plus some grated for garnish.*
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
For the Boscaiola Sauce:
4 ounces of diced pancetta
1 jar (8 ounces) of sundried tomatoes in oil, finely chopped, plus 1 tablespoon of the sundried tomato oil.
8 ounces of cremini mushrooms, chopped
8 ounces of spinach leaves
1 cup of heavy cream
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of chopped parsley, for garnish
Additional equipment: kitchen twine
*I feel like Asiago is a pretty underrated cheese, at least in America it is. It has a salty nuttiness like parmesan with the addition of a slightly creamy, melt-in-your-mouth consistency.
Step 1: Prepare the Roast
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and line a wide baking sheet with foil.
Sandwich the ribeye steaks between two pieces of plastic wrap, then use a meat mallet to pound them all into an even 1/4-inch thickness. When you do this, it’s best to grip the mallet right underneath the hammer part, that way you have more control over the mallet and there’s more power with each smack.
On top of each steak, lay on two slices of prosciutto running along the longer side of the beef, some cooked spinach, and two slices of asiago, leaving about 1/2 an inch of room near the bone. Roll the beef up tightly.
Step 2: Tie the Roasts
Now you’ll need to tie up the roast so the stuffing can stay inside as it cooks. It might sound daunting, but it’s quite easy to do.
First, place the ball of twine into a small saucepan or other container so that as it rolls around as you unroll it, it will stay in one place. Thread one end of the twin under the end of the roast farthest from the bone, then create a loop around the roast, then pull to tighten.
Once that first loop is tight, create another loop of twin in the air, then move the loop about 1/2 an inch down the roast, then pull to tighten. Repeat until the entire roast is wrapped up in the twine, then use kitchen sheers to snip away the excess twine, but keep enough to run down the length of the roast. Bring the two ends of the twine together, then tightly tie in a knot, like tying your shoes. Repeat with the other roasts.
Step 3: Cook the Roasts
Place the stuffed and tied-up roasts onto the prepared sheet pan, then rub the outside with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the roasts into the oven for 25 minutes or until the roasts are well browned and reach an internal temperature of 140 degrees.
Step 4: Make the Boscaiola Sauce
In a medium saucepan, heat the pancetta with the oil from the sundried tomatoes over medium heat until the pancetta is slightly browned and crisp.
Add the sundried tomatoes and mushrooms, then cook for about 3-4 minutes or until the mushrooms are golden brown. Add the spinach, then cook until wilted, then add the heavy cream, bring that to a boil, then let that simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until thickened. Season with pepper to taste.
Step 5: Finish the Dish
Allow the roasts to rest for at least 5 minutes after they’re cooked. Use kitchen sheers to cut the twine and remove all of it, you definitely don’t want to serve string to your holiday guests. You can then either slice the roast or serve it whole, up to you, with a generous amount of the boscaiola sauce, grated asiago, and parsley.
With this dish, you get beef that is incredibly tender and juicy, backed up by the salty prosciutto, the slightly creamy asiago, a bit of freshness from the spinach, and that chunky, flavorful boscaiola sauce to drag it all through. If you’re not making this for your holiday dinner, then I don’t know what you’re doing.
