This is a great recipe for a special dinner and it’s actually pretty easy because I relied on the handy dandy crock-pot! I actually think this would be great during the holidays too because it’s Christmas-y colors 🙂 So lets get stuffin’ . . .
For the Steak:
- 1 flank steak (mine was about 2.6 lbs)
- 1 small pkg frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry with cheese cloth
- 1/2-3/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 1 jalapeno pepper (more if you like it hotter)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 jar roasted red bell peppers
- salt, pepper & Mrs. Dash
For the Sauce: (you could also use your favorite jarred sauce)
- 2 – 28oz cans TJ’s Plum Tomatoes with basil (or any favorite style)
- 1-2 tbsp herbs de provence
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste after cooking
- 1 jar white kidney beans (we decided to leave these out last minute)
Butterfly the flank steak against the grain so that it opens up flat like a book. Sorry for the meat pictures : / Sprinkle the steak on both sides with salt and pepper.
Then in the food processor, blend the spinach, cheese, garlic, jalapeno pepper and olive oil until a paste forms. Add salt, pepper and Mrs. Dash to taste.
Place 1/2 the spinach mixture over the steak, top with canned roasted red peppers (blot with paper towel to dry first), and top with rest of the spinach mixture.
Starting at the thinnest end, roll up carefully and the secure every two inches with kitchen twine. I used toothpicks since I didn’t have any twine on hand, but they are harder to get out once it’s done cooking.
Sear the rolled up flank steak on each side in a hot pan with a little canola oil until nice and browned. Place all the sauce ingredients in a crock-pot and then nestle the rolled up flank steak in the sauce; spoon some of the sauce over the top of the steak. Cook on low and slow for 6-7 hours so the meat can tenderize. I didn’t get to cook it quite long enough so it was a bit tough, but longer, slower cooking will ensure tenderness 🙂 Then you can mash or immersion blender the sauce to desired consistency.
We didn’t get the chance to make fresh pasta, but I would highly recommend it! We just grabbed some dried fettucine and topped it with fresh mozzarella, yum! This would go really great with a fruity red, but there was no alcohol in the cards for us. Make sure you let it cool slightly when it’s done and cut on a bias, slightly against the grain. Hope you enjoy this recipe! It turned out pretty and Christmas-y 🙂
