Involtini alla Palermitana, Sicilian Beef Involtini

Incredibly good Sicilian Beef Involtini stuffed with breadcrumbs, sundried tomatoes, raisins, pine nuts and cheese. These involtini are dusted in breadcrumbs and pan-fried until crispy and good on the outside. solid served with a veggie side or salad.

On a recent trip to Sicily, we were in complete and utter food heaven. We're talking the most irresistible crispy arancini, famous cannoli made by Nuns, Panelle (chickpea fritters) Parmigiana di Melanzane that you can't stop eating and these glorious involtini.

The butcher's counter at a local store sold about 10 different varieties of these involtini and we managed to try 4 different kinds during our time there. This recipe (Palmeritana means Palermo style) and one stuffed with a cheesy pistachio and mortadella filling were our favourites.

As soon as we tasted these involtini we knew we had to recreate the recipe at home and share it with you because they're beyond good.

Thin slices of beef stuffed with a tomato breadcrumb filling with caciocavallo cheese, raisins, sundried tomatoes and pine nuts. They're served on skewers with fresh bay leaves (these add so much flavour) and onion.

These are solid served with veggie side dishes and salad (see our recommendations below) enjoy!

All ingredient substitutions are noted in the recipe card, below we go into a little more detail for some specific ingredients.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

• Beef – we use a whole piece of topside/top round beef that's trimmed, cut into slices and bashed thin. If your butcher sells beef already cut into thin slices then go for that for ease (you need 16 slices total).
• Two types of bread – we like to use stale bread blitzed into breadcrumbs for the filling and store-bought fine unseasoned breadcrumbs for dusting. The bread for the filling needs to soak up a lot of flavour which stale crusty bread does well and the breadcrumbs on the outside need to be fine so they crisp up.

Step by step photos and instructions

This is a visual guide to help you with each step. For the full written recipe, ingredient amounts and tips scroll to the recipe card below.

1. Soak the raisins – first, soak the raisins in hot or warm water. This helps to rehydrate them and make them plump (photo 1).
2. Make breadcrumbs – blitz the bread in a food processor until breadcrumbs form. Tip them into a dry pan and toast them on a medium heat until crispy (photos 2 and 3).

1. Saute onion – saute the onion until soft and translucent. Add the tomato passata and stir to combine. Turn off the heat and set aside (photos 4 and 5).
2. Make the filling – Add the toasted breadcrumbs, tomato and onion to a bowl with the sundried tomatoes, pine nuts and both cheeses. Squeeze the water from the raisins and add them too. Mix everything until combined (photo 6).

1. Trim the beef – trim any sinue or silverskin from the beef and cut it into thin slices 1/4 inch thick. Bash them thin to half the thickness. Form 2 tablespoons of filling into a compact croquette shape by squeezing it in your hand and place it at the end of a slice of beef. Roll the beef tucking in the sides as you go to form the involtini (photos 7-12).

1. Skewer – skewer four involtini on each skewer with 1 bay leaf and a slice of onion in between each involtini (photo 13).
2. Crumb and fry – lightly brush the involtini with olive oil then dust in fine breadcrumbs. Add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to a large pan on medium heat and fry the involtini for 4 minutes on each side. Stand them up on their sides and brown the sides for about a minute then serve (photos 14-16).

1. Alternative cooking method – to bake the involtini, first brown them in a pan for 1-2 minutes then lay them on a baking tray and bake in a pre-heated oven for 10 minutes (180C/350F).

Sides to serve with involtini

Italian roast potatoes are a great side and what we usually serve with them alongside some green veg like green beans or broccolini.

If you're serving these for lunch and want to keep it light then a rocket or arugula salad works well with some good olive oil, lemon juice and black pepper.

Involtini or Spiedini

You may see similar recipes called Spiedini which means skewers. Involtini refers to small bites rolled and stuffed (can be meat or veg) so the names can be used interchangeably for this particular recipe since the involtini are cooked on skewers.

More Sicilian recipes to try

Sides

Peperoni Ammollicati (Peppers and Breadcrumbs)

Salads

Insalata Pantesca (Sicilian Potato Salad)

Italian Desserts

Pistachio Tiramisu

Sides

Sicilian Fennel and Orange Salad

See all Sicilian recipes

Ingredients

Makes 4 - 6 servings

• 6 slices (2lbs/900g) Beef top round or topside ((can also use veal))
• 2 white onions (1 finely chopped and 1 cut into wedges)
• 200 g (7oz) bread cut into slices
• 60 g (2oz) Caciocavallo cheese ((can also use provolone) cut into small cubes)
• 140 g (1/2 cup) Passata (tomato puree US)
• 40 g (1/2 cup) Pecorino (finely grated)
• 30 g (1/4 cup) raisins soaked in hot/warm water
• 30 g (3 tablespoons) pine nuts
• 50 g sundried tomatoes (about 5-6 tomatoes, cut into strips)
• Salt and pepper
• Fine breadcrumbs for dusting
• 20 fresh bay leaves ((see notes on using dried))
• Olive oil
• Salt

Equipment

• Skewers

Method

1. Soak the raisins in hot/warm water and set aside.

2. Blitz the bread in a food processor until breadcrumbs form. Toast in a dry pan until crispy but they don't have to be golden.

3. Finely chop the onion and sauté in 1-2 tbsp of olive oil until soft and translucent. Add the Passata and stir in with a pinch of salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and set aside.

4. Finely chop the sun-dried tomatoes and cut the cheese into small cubes. Put them in a large mixing bowl with the breadcrumbs, tomato and onion, pine nuts and pecorino. Squeeze the liquid from the raisins and add them.

5. Mix everything together until thoroughly combined.

6. Cut the beef into slices about 1/4 inch thick then bash them thin to half the thickness. Each slice should be around 5-6 inches long.

7. Form 2 tablespoons of filling into a compact croquette shape by squeezing it in your hand and place it at the end of a slice of beef.

8. Begin to roll the slice of beef over the filling and fold in the sides as you go (see photos for reference).

9. Repeat with the rest of the beef then skewer 4 involtini onto each skewer place 1 bay leaf and 1 slice of onion in between each one.

10. Brush the involtini very lightly with olive oil then dust them in fine breadcrumbs.

11. Add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to a large pan on a medium heat. Once hot, fry the involtini skewers on both sides for 4 minutes each side. Make sure to hold them on their sides to brown each end for 30-60 seconds each.

Alternative cooking method (baking)

1. Alternatively, you can brown the involtini for 1-2 minutes each side then bake them in a pre-heated oven at 180C/350F for 10 minutes.

2. Serve the involtini with a veggie side, salad or beans and enjoy!

Kitchen notes

• Note on bay leaves you need fresh bay leaves to be able to pierce them on skewers as dried leaves will fall apart (they're also not as fragrant so fresh is best if you can find them). If you don't have fresh you can leave them out or use dried but bake the involtini as instructed tucking some dried leaves in between the involtini.
• Cheese alternatives if Caciocavallo is difficult to find where you are you can use another semisoft cheese such as provolone, Fontina or even although not Italian Manchego also works well.
• Prep in advance you can prepare the involtini in advance (but don't dust in breadcrumbs until ready to fry) and keep them stored in the fridge for 1-2 days. Bring them to room temperature before frying.
• Leftovers leftovers will keep well in the fridge for 2-3 days and can be reheated in a preheated oven at 190C/350F for 10 minutes until hot all the way through.