Stuffed flank steak with spinach and provolone
Flank steak rolled around spinach, provolone and roasted red peppers, seared and roasted, then sliced into pretty pinwheels.
- 60 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 4
- About $5.75 a serving
- 430 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 flank steak, about 1½ lb
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 slices provolone slices
- 2 cups baby spinach
- ½ cup roasted red peppers, patted dry
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- 1 cup marinara sauce, warmed, for serving (optional)
From your pantry
- 1¼ tsp salt, divided
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Each serving has about 430 calories, 46 g protein, 4 g carbs and 25 g fat, and costs about $5.75 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No flank steak? Skirt steak works.
- No provolone slices? Shredded mozzarella works.
- No baby spinach? Kale or arugula works.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 400°F.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Lay the steak between two sheets of plastic wrap with the grain running left to right, and pound it to an even ½ inch thick with the bottom of a heavy pan.
Dolly’s tip: Setting it up with the grain left to right now means every pinwheel you slice later cuts across the grain.the top with half the salt and the pepper, spread the garlic over it, then layer the provolone, spinach, red peppers and parmesan, leaving a 1-inch border along the top edge.
Season. Seasoning means adding salt, pepper or spices to bring out a food’s flavor. A little at a few stages tastes better than a lot all at the end.
How you’ll know: When you taste it, it tastes bright and like itself, not flat and not salty.
Roll it up tightly from the bottom edge and secure the seam with toothpicks every 2 inches. Season the outside with the rest of the salt and wash your hands.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Heat the oil in an oven-safe over medium-high and the roll 2 minutes on each side.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Medium-high heatTimer: 8 min
20 to 25 minutes, until the thickest part of the meat reads 145°F.
Roast. Roasting means cooking in a hot oven, around 400°F to 450°F, usually spread out on a sheet pan. The dry heat browns the outside and brings out sweetness, especially in vegetables.
How you’ll know: The edges are browned and a little crisp, and a fork slides easily into the thickest piece.
Timer: 22 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Push the thermometer into the steak itself, not the melted cheese in the middle.Food safety: Steak, pork chops and other whole cuts are safe at 145°F in the middle, then let them rest for 3 minutes before cutting.
10 minutes, pull out the toothpicks, and into 1-inch pinwheels with a sharp knife. Serve with warm marinara.
Rest. Resting means letting cooked meat sit for a few minutes before you cut it. It keeps cooking gently, and more of the juice stays in the meat instead of running onto the board.
How you’ll know: Loosely covered with foil, it stays hot, and very little juice runs out when you slice it.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Timer: 10 min
Dolly’s tip: The skillet handle stays scorching hot. Leave an oven mitt draped over it as a reminder.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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