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Croatian · Mediterranean

Pašticada

Non-vegetarian

Dalmatinska pašticada

A festive Dalmatian pot roast: beef studded with bacon and garlic, marinated in vinegar, then braised for hours with wine, prunes and root vegetables into a dark, sweet-savoury sauce. Traditionally served with gnocchi.

Pašticada is a Croatian main course, ready in about 16 hours 10 minutes and made with beef chuck, prunes and dry red wine. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
30 min
Cook
3 h 30 min
Rest
10 min
Total
16 h 10 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
516

Includes about 12 hours of marinating; many cooks marinate for a full day or two.

Ingredients

6 servings

Marinade

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Make small cuts all over the beef with a thin knife and push in the bacon (opens in a new tab) sticks and slivered garlic (opens in a new tab). Cover with the vinegar and water and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, turning once.

    • 15 min

    Food safety: Marinate raw beef in the fridge and discard the marinade.

  2. Step 2

    Drain and pat the meat dry, season with salt and pepper (opens in a new tab), and brown it on all sides in the oil in a heavy pot. Lift out.

  3. Step 3

    In the same pot cook the onion (opens in a new tab), carrot (opens in a new tab), celery (opens in a new tab), parsnip (opens in a new tab) and chopped garlic (opens in a new tab) until well browned and sticky, about 20 minutes — this colour makes the sauce.

    • 20 min
    • medium heat
    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Stir in the tomato paste (opens in a new tab), prunes (opens in a new tab), figs, cloves (opens in a new tab), bay and nutmeg (opens in a new tab), pour in the wine and stock, and return the beef. Cover and braise on low heat, turning the meat now and then, for about 3 hours until very tender.

    • 180 min
    • low heat

  5. Step 5

    Lift out the beef. Remove the bay and cloves (opens in a new tab) and blend the sauce smooth. Slice the meat thickly, return it to the sauce and simmer gently 10 minutes more until heated through and glossy before serving.

About this dish

Origin
Dalmatia, Croatia · Well documentedMore food from Croatia
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Main courses · Stews & braises
Cooking method
Braised, Marinated / cured, Slow-cooked
Taste
rich, sweet & savoury, aromatic / warmly spiced, mild
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · High-protein
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly
Cook more with
Beef chuck · Prunes · Dry red wine · Bacon · Garlic · Wine vinegar
Techniques
Simmering · Braising · Marinating · Curing

Allergens

  • Contains: Celeryfrom celery, beef stock
  • Contains: Sulphitesfrom wine vinegar, dry red wine

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

516 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 586 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 41%
  • Carbohydrate 21%
  • Fat 38%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy516 kcal88 kcal
Protein48.3 g8.2 g
Carbohydrate25.3 g4.3 g
Net carbohydrate21.8 g3.7 g
Sugars12.4 g2.1 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre3.6 g0.6 g
Fat19.8 g3.4 g
Saturated fat6 g1 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol135 mg23 mg
Sodium1221 mg208 mg
Salt equivalent3.1 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1410 mg
Calcium
93 mg
Iron
5.7 mg
Magnesium
81 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
271 µg
Vitamin C
8 mg
Vitamin D
0.2 µg
Vitamin B12
4.7 µg
Folate (DFE)
28 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: parsnip, dried figs.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Pašticada tastes even better the next day once the sauce settles into the meat.

Common mistakes

  • Under-browning the vegetables — the dark colour of the sauce comes from patient browning, not from the wine.
  • Boiling instead of braising gently makes the lean beef dry and stringy.

Serve with

  • Serve with potato gnocchi (njoki) or homemade pasta to catch the sauce.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months in its sauce.

Reheating

  • Warm slowly in the sauce, covered.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 3, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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