During the seventies and eighties, veal parm was my favorite Italian-American dish. But don’t expect to find this dish if you travel to Italy. Invented by Italian immigrants, it could be found in just about every Italian restaurant in the country.
A testament to the United States, the land of plenty. Where meats were no longer considered a luxury. And veal was the king of meats.
There’s something magical about veal parmesan, it’s the perfect combination of flavors. Every forkful a culinary delight……sigh
And if that wasn’t enough, veal parm is always accompanied by spaghetti or linguini with marinara sauce. It doesn’t get any better than that.
What Ingredients do I need to make Veal Parm?
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Veal Parmigiana. In Chef Speak this is called the “Mise en Place” which translates to “Everything in its Place”.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Do I have to use prosciutto to make veal parm?
No, you don’t. The addition you’ll find in my veal parm recipe, that most recipes don’t include is prosciutto.
The first Italian cookbook I owned was Mama Leone’s Italian cookbook (Published in 1967). To me, it was the holy grail of cookbooks and where I learned to make veal parmigiana (with prosciutto).
How do I make Restaurant Style Veal Parmesan?
The first step is pounding out the veal slices. Depending upon the size of the veal slices you may need to add two pieces together.
This is done by pounding out each piece then seaming them together by overlapping the pieces and pounding them out a little more.
After setting up the breading station, you’re ready to bread the veal. Use flour seasoned with sea salt and black pepper, egg wash (eggs whipped with water or milk), and seasoned bread crumbs.
in a large skillet over medium-high heat, pan-fry both sides of the breaded veal cutlet until golden brown.
- On a sheet pan add a little marinara sauce, placing the fried veal cutlet on the sauce.
- Add the sliced proscuitto on top of the breaded veal cutlet.
- Top with marinara sauce, then grated Romano cheese.
- Finish the veal parm by adding shredded mozzarella and a sprinkle of chopped Italian parsley.
Place into a 350-degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until the cheese has fully melted.
Serve with your favorite pasta and enjoy! Wouldn’t your family love to sit down to this delicious Italian-American Classic? I promise my Veal Parm Recipe will bring smiles to your table!
Recipe FAQ’s
Veal cutlets or veal scallopini is used to make Veal Parmesan. Veal is known for its tender texture and delicate flavor and can be purchased in many of the same cuts as beef. You can find veal in many supermarkets as roasts, chops, ribs, ground and cutlets.
Veal is similar to beef with a milder flavor. Veal is low in fat and high in protein, One of the most popular uses for veal is Veal Parmesan
Traditionally, veal parm is served with tomato sauce and cheese. Mozzarella is typically used to make the dish. Although called Veal Parmesan this dish isn’t made with parmesan cheese.
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Restaurant-Style Veal Parmesan
Ingredients
- 7 oz veal slices (3 ½ ounce per portion) pounded thin and seamed together to make a 3 ½ ounce portion for each veal parm
- 1 cup flour seasoned with sea salt and black pepper
- 1 cup eggwash 2 eggs whipped with water or milk
- 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 1 oz prosciutto 2 thin slices
- 8 oz spaghetti sauce my recipe or your favorite jarred sauce
- 4 oz mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 teaspoon Italian parsley finely chopped (optional)
- 2 tablespoon grated Romano Cheese
Marinara Sauce
Instructions
- Using a meat hammer pound out the veal slices. Depending upon the size of the veal slices you may need to add two pieces together.This is done by pounding out each piece then seaming them together by overlapping the pieces and pounding them out a little more.
- Set up a breading station with flour seasoned with sea salt and black pepper, egg wash and Italian seasoned bread crumbs.
- Coat the veal cutlet with the seasoned flour. Then place in the egg wash and finally in the bread crumbs. Make sure you get a good coating of each ingredient on the veal cutlet, completely coating them.
- Add about ½ inch of oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat, pan-fry both sides of the breaded veal cutlet until golden brown.
- Drain the fried veal cutlets on baking racks over sheet pans (or baking sheets).
- On a sheet pan add a little marinara sauce, placing the fried veal cutlet on the sauce.
- Add the sliced prosciutto on top of the breaded veal cutlet. Top with marinara sauce then grated Romano cheese.
- Finish the veal parm by adding shredded mozzarella and a sprinkle of chopped Italian parsley
- Place into a 350-degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until the cheese has fully melted.
- Serve with your favorite pasta and enjoy!
Maggie
This my first time cooking veal. It’s hard to get where I live. One question how hot and how long should the veal pan fry? My first piece burnt a bit but very pink inside. Then the rest I only browned.
Chef Dennis Littley
The pan was definitely too hot if it burned the veal parm. The oil needs to be hot enough to fry the cutlet without getting greasy, but not so hot that it burns. If you are pounding the veal thin for the parm, even with just a minute on both sides it will be pretty much cooked and not pink inside.
There is a fine line between too hot and hot enough. You’re going to finish the veal parm in the oven, so browning them nicely even if they aren’t fully cooked is fine, they’ll finish cooking in the oven.
Angela Taylor
Absolutely wonderful! Thank you.🍷🍷🍷
Angela Taylor
Absolutely wonderful! Thank you.🍷🍷🍷
Gerald C Pett
Thank you for the Veal Parmigiana recipe! I plan on serving it with my own sauce recipe! Looking forward to serving it to family and friends!
Lloyd
I made this tonight 4/5/23, and it’s what I needed. I did add mushrooms while I sauted first. My wife loved it.
Pat
Dennis, Thank you for sharing this recipe. I am a Jersey girl, so I know good Italian food. This recipe was delicious!
Chef Dennis Littley
You are very welcome and I do love Jersey girls!!
Michele Faux
Ingredients say 7 ounce veal slices.
Is each slice 7 ounces? How many of them? Or should it be 7 slices that are 1 ounce?
Chef Dennis Littley
sorry for the confusion, it’s 7 ounces total, so 3 1/2 ounces per portion.
Robert
Used panko + fresh grated parmesan instead of Italian crumbs. Also added fresh basil on top of the prosciutto and Marinara sauce, then shredded Fontina cheese followed by one inch square mozzarella slices and leftover panko mix on top. Drizzled evoo over it, then broiled it for 5 minutes. Fantastic. 😋
DS
So you didn’t make this recipe at all 😳
Chef Dennis Littley
He used the basic recipe and changed it a bit to suit his tastes and preferences. That’s what cooking at home is all about. Recipes aren’t chiseled in stone. The best way to find joy in the kitchen is to adapt recipes to how you like to eat.
Victoria Helms
I am going to make for the first time if I am not going to add prosciutto do I still use Romano cheese?
Chef Dennis Littley
Yes, still add the Romano. It’s not a deal breaker if you leave it off, but it will add to the flavor, especially since you aren’t using the proscuito
Marg
I made this recipe exactly as indicated and it was delicious, especially with prosciutto. Thank you
Heather
I was looking up your veal parmason recipie and thought I only like spaghetti squash and thought how about spaghetti squash with it and how about it with meatballs not sure which would go better with either of them only thought I am diabetic so thought the spaghetti squash would be better than plain spaghetti as it is a vegetable what are your thoughts about this.
Chef Dennis Littley
If you like spaghetti squash you should use it. I like zoodles as a side instead of pasta occasionally. It should always be about eating what you like and what you’re able to eat.
I don’t think you need meatballs with the veal parm, but again its your dinner so anything you like is ok
Lucille
Love love loved it… I used my own seasonings black pepper garlic powder onion powder adobo(red top) and McCormick Montreal chicken seasoning the best and then followed the flour egg wash and Italian bread crumbs it came out perfect!!!!! Thank you chef Dennis
Polly Kay
You need to add grated Romano cheese in the list of ingredients.
Chef Dennis Littley
thanks for letting me know I missed that Polly.
John K Bufe
Dennis,
I love veal parm and will use your recipe the next time I make it. Please clarify
#6 instruction. Why would you pound the veal again after it is breaded and cooked?
The tenderizing process is already in step #1.
Chef Dennis Littley
that was definitely a typo. Thank you so much for pointing that out!
Erin Kathleen
Can I make part of it in advance through the frying step, then put it in the oven the next day?
Chef Dennis Littley
Yes you can. You can bread it, cook it, then refrigerate it in a well sealed container. Add the sauce and bake at 350 for 15 minutes, add the cheese and bake for 5 minutes longer to melt the cheese.