Authentic German Rouladen

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One of Germany’s most famous and delicious dishes, Rouladen (Rinderrouladen) are beef roulades filled with bacon, onions, mustard and pickles, then browned and simmered in the richest gravy imaginable.  Mouthwateringly delicious and made the way my Mutti and Oma made it, this authentic Rouladen recipe is the only one you’ll ever need!

Growing up in Stuttgart, we regularly enjoyed family dinners with my Oma and Opa.  My Oma was famous for her Kasseler, Kartoffelpuffer, Sauerbraten and her Rouladen.  When a meal included gravy she always knew to make extra when we came over because I would heap copious amounts of it over my meat, potatoes, Semmelknödel, Kartoffelklöße, Rotkohl, Sauerkraut, you name it.  (I still do.)  For me the gravy was one of the primary highlights of the meal.  Rouladen is one of my all-time favorite German dishes and its accompanying gravy is arguably the king of all gravies.  Today I’m sharing my homemade Rouladen recipe with you and I’m confident you’re going to love it as much as we do!

What is Rouladen?

Rouladen is a traditional German dish featuring long, thin strips of meat slathered with mustard and filled with bacon, onions, and pickles.  The filling is enclosed by rolling up the meat strips and the roulades are then browned and slow-simmered in a rich gravy.

Beef rouladen are enjoyed throughout the year in Germany but are often associated with Sunday dinners and special occasions like Christmas Eve.

Can Rouladen Be Made Ahead Of Time?

You can save time by assembling the rouladen in advance and chilling them until you’re ready to cook them.  They are also good reheated.

How Large Should the Slices of Beef Be?

They need to be large enough to stuff and roll up, at least 4×6 inches in size and about 1/4 inch thick.  This recipe makes 2 rouladen per person.  Alternatively you can make larger rouladen and serve one large rouladen per person.

Authentic Rouladen Recipe

Rouladen aren’t hard to make, but they do take time.  You can shave off some time on the day of your meal by assembling the rouladen ahead of time and chilling them until you’re ready to cook them.

Rouladen are made by spreading some German mustard on thinly cut slices of beef, adding bacon, sliced German pickles and chopped onions.  Sprinkle with some salt and pepper and roll them up, securing the rolls with toothpicks or cooking twine.  Next you generously fry the rouladen in oil until they’re nicely browned on all sides.  They’re then removed and set aside so you can saute the onions and vegetables for the gravy.  Add the liquids and spices to the cooked veggies and nestle the rouladen in this mixture to simmer on low until the meat is fork tender.  The rouladen are removed, the sauce is poured through a strainer, and the resulting gravy is returned to the pot and thickened.  The rouladen are returned to the gravy, heated through and served with Rotkohl and boiled potatoes, Knödel, or Spätzle.

Below I’ve provided step-by-step pictured instructions to ensure your success!

Lay the beef slices out on a work surface. Spread each beef slices with about 2 teaspoons of German mustard and sprinkle with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Place a strip of bacon on each beef slice so it’s running the same length as the beef. Place the sliced German pickles and chopped onions on each beef slice.

Roll up the beef slices, tucking in the sides as best you can and securing the beef rolls with toothpicks or cooking twine.

Heat the butter and oil in a heavy Dutch oven or pot (make sure it’s oven-safe if baking in the oven) and generously brown the rouladen on all sides. Browning them well will ensure a rich and flavorful gravy. Set the rouladen aside on a plate.

*Do not remove the browned bits in the bottom of the pan, it’s key to the most flavorful gravy!

Add the onions to the pot and a little more butter or oil if needed. Cook the onions until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the leek, carrots and celery and cook for another 5 minutes. Pour in the red wine, bring to a rapid boil for one minute, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 2-3 more minutes.

Add the beef broth, tomato paste, bay leaf, salt and pepper.

Nestle the rouladen in the pot.

Oven or Stovetop: You can cook the rouladen, covered, on the stovetop on low for about 90 minutes or until fork tender but for the most even cooking we recommend transferring the pot (make sure it’s oven-safe) to the oven preheated to 325 F and cook it there for about 90 minutes or until fork tender.

To Make the Rouladen Gravy:

When the beef is fork tender, remove the rouladen from the pot and set aside. Pour the liquid and vegetables through a strainer and reserve the liquid. (You can set the veggies aside for another purpose, they are yummy.  Or you can puree the veggies in the blender and then return them to the gravy.)

Return the strained liquid back to the pot and bring to a simmer. Thicken the gravy either with either a cornstarch slurry (for a clear/translucent gravy) or flour slurry (for an opaque gravy). For a creamy gravy you can also add a few tablespoons of heavy cream at this point. Simmer, whisking constantly, until the gravy is thickened.

Add the chilled butter, whisking constantly, until the butter is melted and incorporated. Add salt, pepper and mustard to taste. Note:  If you’d like creamy gravy you can stir in some heavy cream at this point.

Carefully remove the toothpicks or cooking twine from the rouladen and return them to the gravy and heat through.

Serve the Rouladen with Rotkohl and either boiled potatoes, Semmelknödel (bread dumplings) or Kartoffelklöße (potato dumplings) or Spätzle.

What to Serve With Rouladen

Here are some traditional German sides you can pair with your Rinderrouladen:

• Rotkohl (German Red Cabbage)
• Spätzle (German Noodles)
• Semmelknödel (German Bread Dumplings)
• Kartoffelklöße (German Potato Dumplings)
• Kartoffelpuffer (German Potato Pancakes)
• German Potato Salad (Kartoffelsalat)
• Creamy German Cucumber Salad (Gurkensalat)
• Bohnensalat (German Green Bean Salad)
• German Carrot Salad (Karottensalat)

For more authentic German dishes, be sure to also try my:

• Sauerbraten
• Königsberger Klopse
• Käsespätzle
• German Potato Salad
• Senfbraten
• Schnitzel
• Jägerschnitzel
• Schweinshaxe
• Maultaschen
• German Potato Soup
• Frikadellen

Originally published on The Daring Gourmet October 29, 2019