Why We Love This Classic Italian Recipe
The best comfort foods are often just the right balance of rustic and refined… Think beautifully crisp and golden fried veal cutlets, robust marinara sauce, and ooey-gooey mozzarella. Drool! This is a simple recipe to make, but all together on a plate, you get that wow-factor that tastes like a special occasion. But our Classic Veal Parmesan recipe is so tantalizing you will want to put it on your regular dinner rotation! It’s ready to serve in under an hour with pasta, potatoes, or other favorite side dishes. Note: If you’re not a fan of veal, you can make the exact same parmigiana recipe with Italian chicken cutlets as well.
Ingredients You Need
Veal cutlets – pounded thin All-purpose flour – for breading the meat Eggs – a binder for the breading Panko breadcrumbs – makes a super crunchy breaded cutlet Parmesan cheese – both grated and shredded Bacon – diced Marinara – your choice of jarred or homemade marinara sauce Salt and pepper – a bit of each to taste Olive oil – or other high-heat and neutral-tasting oil, like avocado or canola oil Optional – spaghetti and parsley, to serve the veal parm
How to Make Veal Parmesan
Set a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the diced bacon to the pan. Stir and cook the bacon for 3 to 4 minutes until brown and crispy. Pour in the marinara. Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the marinara to simmer for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat. Meanwhile, lay out the cutlets. If they are more than 1/8 inch thick, use a meat mallet to pound them very thin so that they cook quickly and are very tender. Prep a dredging station for the veal cutlets. Set out three shallow bowls: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set out a large rimmed baking sheet for the finished veal cutlets. Set another large sauté pan (or skillet) and place it over medium heat. Add the olive oil to the skillet. Dredge the veal cutlets one at a time, first dipping them in the flour mixture. Then dip in the egg mixture. And finally dipping in Panko breadcrumbs. Place the dredged veal cutlets in the hot oil and fry for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Once the cutlets are golden brown, place them in a single layer on the baking sheet. Then continue to dredge and fry until all the veal cutlets are coated and cooked to golden brown. If making pasta, heat a large pot of salted water over high heat. Once boiling, cook the pasta according to the package directions and strain in a colander. While the pasta is cooking, spoon the marinara sauce over each veal cutlet. Sprinkle the tops generously with shredded mozzarella cheese. Place in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes to warm the sauce and melt the cheese over the veal cutlets.
Recipe Variations
Chicken parmesan – swap veal with fried or baked Italian chicken cutlets Gluten-free – use your preferred GF-friendly all-purpose flour and Panko breadcrumbs alternatives Dairy-free – use your favorite plant-based Parmesan and mozzarella substitutes Sauce – we love classic marinara, but feel free to use other flavors of pasta sauce like spicy arrabbiata or meaty bolognese Cooking method – skip pan frying and instead air fry or oven bake the veal parm cutlets
Serving Suggestions
We’re serving veal Parmesan over spaghetti, but feel free to pair it with other pasta you like. Or you can certainly serve veal parm over risotto, polenta, mashed potatoes, or other carby-/starchy favorites. You can even layer them on a ciabatta roll for Veal Parmesan Sandwich! Make this a full Italian-inspired meal and serve a hearty green salad and a loaf of crusty garlic bread on the table, too. For a lower carb meal consider serving with roasted greens, caprese panzanella, or a simple side salad.
Looking for More Classic Italian Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
Oven Baked Meatballs (Old School Italian Meatball Recipe) Cheese Manicotti with Meat Veal Scallopini with Mushroom Sauce Best Homemade Lasagna with Sausage Clam Pasta (Alle Vongole)
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