Spezzatino. Those were magic words I was raised listening to from my mom, grandmother, and aunts. In Italy, Spezzatino is a staple of each family.
The way to prepare it are endless, but the base remains the same: tomato sauce. The preparation is as easy as 1-2-3.
The result is very succulent beef chunks cooked into a bed of potatoes covered with tomatoes.
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My mom gave me her phenomenal cookbook of “Enciclopedia della Cucina / Curcio”. I had my eyes on those 12 books since I was a teenager.
Since the day my mom passed them down to me, they have taken center stage on my bookshelf, and I constantly look at them, open them, and get ideas from them.
The books and recipes transport me back to my years in Paris and the fun dessert recipes that I used to make from them. I only baked back then.
It was fun then, now having the book in my hands and reading them.
So… with the recipe in hand, all the ingredients were put together, layered in a large pan, in the oven, it all went, and one hour and a half later of lingering aromas, this wonderful dish was ready to be enjoyed.
We had no leftovers, which was sad as I looked forward to having them for lunch.
Well, maybe next time…
TIP:
I love Le Creuset pans. I have since I started cooking. With this recipe, I used a 4 quarts round. The heat was distributed evenly on the bottom and all the sides; the juices were all nicely blended.
If you enjoy this fantastic recipe of Spezzatino, you may want to try my other recipes.
Roasted Rosemary Potatoes – Crispy, Easy & Delicious
Spezzatino of Beef with Potatoes and Onions
Ingredients
- 3 pounds beef chuck, cut into small cubes beef chuck
- 1½ yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced yellow onion
- 1 pound potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 7 slices bacon, sliced and diced bacon
- 28 ounces San Marzano tomatoes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º
- In a large gratin dish or pan, cover the bottom with olive oil. Add one layer of the onion slices. In top of that add the beef cubes, making sure that they are all the same size. Salt and pepper the meat. Another layer of potatoes and cover it all with the bacon. Add the can of tomatoes and the basil leaves. Lightly salt and put in the oven for 1 ½ hour.
- Make sure that during cooking the juices are not drying up to much. If it becomes dry add couple of tablespoons of water to it, or wine.
- Serve in the same dish.
Nutrition
Cooking Canva provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as a registered dietician does not calculate them.
- Course: Beef, Veal & Lamb, Dinners
- Cuisine: Italian
- Type: Under 45 minutes
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