This elegant yet simple recipe was featured on the US Wellness Meats website when I was lucky enough to have been selected as one of their featured chefs, which means that this steak is sort of a celebrity. You can make this star-studded meal anytime if you make it ahead. And while this tasty flank steak looks challenging, the steps are quite simple—and it will have your guests thinking that you’re a culinary rock star!
ROULADE
2 pounds (907 g) flank steak
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 strips bacon, cooked but not crispy, chopped
2 cups (480 ml) loosely packed spinach leaves, chopped
1/3 cup (720 ml) chopped sundried tomatoes
1 cup (240 ml) chopped white button mushrooms (7 or 8 whole mushrooms)
Butcher’s twine
FOR SERVING DAY
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBSP (30 ml) coconut oil
Serves 4
Prep Day:
Pound the flank steak with a meat mallet to an even 1/3-inch-thickness. Doing so will give you more surface area to work with when rolling the steak.
Lay the steak out flat, and season both sides with sea salt and pepper. Layer chopped bacon, spinach, sundried tomatoes, and mushrooms evenly over the steak.
Roll the steak tightly into a log (roulade), and tie it in 3 places with butcher’s twine.
Wrap the steak in plastic wrap, seal it in a freezer bag, and freeze until needed.
Serving Day:
Thaw the roulade in the refrigerator overnight.
When ready to cook, preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C).
In a large, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat, melt the coconut oil.
Place the roulade in the skillet, and sear the steak until brown on all sides, 2-3 minutes total.
Remove the skillet from the heat, and sprinkle the minced garlic all over the roulade.
Place the skillet in the hot oven for 10-15 minutes or until the meat is cooked but still pink in the center.
Remove the skillet from the oven, and let the meat rest for 10 minutes.
Remove the twine, slice the roulade into pinwheels, and serve.
More Recipes You'll Love
Garlic topped flank steak roulade is a showpiece that's secretly make-ahead simple. Flank steak is pounded thin, layered with bacon, spinach, sundried tomatoes, and mushrooms, rolled into a tight log, seared, then roasted under a blanket of minced garlic and coconut oil until the slices show off the spiral.
Pro Tips
- Pound the flank steak to an even 1/3-inch (0.8 cm) thickness first — the bigger, flatter surface makes rolling easy and every slice gets the full filling.
- Layer the filling to within an inch of the edges and roll tightly into a log, then tie at three even points so the roulade holds its shape through searing and roasting.
- Sear the log on all sides — 2–3 minutes total — before it goes in the oven; that crust seals the juices and gives the slices real colour.
- The minced garlic goes on top after searing, not in the pan earlier, so it toasts gently in the 425°F (220°C) oven instead of burning.
- Freeze the rolled, tied raw roulade and thaw overnight — dinner becomes a sear-and-roast job with zero rolling mess on the night.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this roulade ahead?
Yes, that's the design — wrap and freeze the raw rolled steak, thaw overnight in the fridge, then sear and roast. The filling flavours deepen beautifully as it sits.
What can I use instead of flank steak?
Butterflied sirloin or a pounded round steak also rolls well. Whatever you choose, pound it to an even thickness for a tidy spiral and even cooking.
Is this steak roulade paleo?
Completely: flank steak stuffed with bacon, spinach, sundried tomatoes, and mushrooms, cooked in coconut oil and garlic. No breadcrumbs or cheese needed to hold the filling.
How do I slice the roulade neatly?
Rest the cooked log 5–10 minutes, snip off the twine, and cut with a sharp knife into thick rounds so each slice shows the full spiral of filling.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- Serves 4 Prep Day: Pound the flank steak with a meat mallet to an even 1/3-inch-thickness. Doing so will give you more surface area to work with when rolling the steak. Lay the steak out flat, and season both sides with sea salt and pepper.
- Layer chopped bacon, spinach, sundried tomatoes, and mushrooms evenly over the steak.
- Roll the steak tightly into a log (roulade), and tie it in 3 places with butcher’s twine.
- Wrap the steak in plastic wrap, seal it in a freezer bag, and freeze until needed.
- Thaw the roulade in the refrigerator overnight.
- When ready to cook, preheat your oven to 425°F.
- In a large, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat, melt the coconut oil.
- Place the roulade in the skillet, and sear the steak until brown on all sides, 2-3 minutes total.
- Remove the skillet from the heat, and sprinkle the minced garlic all over the roulade.
- Place the skillet in the hot oven for 10-15 minutes or until the meat is cooked but still pink in the center.
- Remove the skillet from the oven, and let the meat rest for 10 minutes.
- Remove the twine, slice the roulade into pinwheels, and serve.
