Veal parmesan is a rich, sumptuous meal that is often overlooked. While restaurants may feature it on their specials list, you don’t often hear about people cooking it at home. This is a shame because it can be prepared with relative ease at a fraction of the price that you’d expect to pay in a fine dining establishment.
It’s not something that you’d make on a nightly basis, but if you want to impress yourself or your guests, you can get a lot of mileage out of veal parmesan. Consider one of these 7 recipes next time you’re craving some luxurious, beefy, cheesy goodness.
1. Baked Veal Parmesan and Spaghetti
If you want something that could fill you up for days, this is the dish. The mixture of fresh mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese keeps this as authentic as you can get, while the toothy spaghetti noodles give an additional layer of carby deliciousness. A simple tomato sauce brings a nice, fresh acidity to balance out the richness of the fried meat and melty cheese. You’ll use the classic 3-part breading station, with one bowl each of flour, eggs, and panko breadcrumbs. If you’ve never breaded meat before, this is a great way to learn, and you’ll be surprised just how easy it is!
Get the full recipe and directions here.
2. Fast Skillet Veal Parmesan
This recipe proves that you don’t need to mess up your entire kitchen to make a delicious veal parm. You don’t need eggs or flour to bread the cutlets, and you’ll only be using one skillet for the entire recipe! The hot oil should help the breadcrumbs stick to the meat, which will only need to be cooked for a few minutes per side thanks to the fact that you’ll pound the cutlets out to 1/8 inch. Add the cheese and seasoning and cover until melted, and you’ll have a piping hot veal parm dish that can be completed in under 20 minutes!
Get the full recipe and directions at Cook Eat Share.
3. Veal Scaloppine with Egg & Parmesan
You don’t always have to go the traditional route when making veal parmesan. You can combine aspects of different dishes, much like this recipe. By using veal scallopine, you’ll get a dish that’s lightly breaded and might not weigh you down as much. The egg mixture for the breading uses anchovies, but don’t worry about a fishy flavor – they simply add some more umami to the dish. If you prefer, you can use Worcestershire sauce instead. While you won’t be using the red sauce that you may be used to in veal parm, you’ll still get plenty of salty, cheesy flavor thanks to the Parmigiano Reggiano. The meat is balanced with a light, crisp arugula salad that rounds out the dish perfectly.
Get the full recipe and directions at Fine Cooking.
4. Veal Cutlets with Lemon, Rosemary, & Parmesan
This is another dish that focuses on a fresher flavor profile rather than the heavy, rich taste of traditional veal parmesan. You won’t be using breading, which makes this a lighter version of veal parm and helps the dish to come together in less than 15 minutes. Rosemary and lemon complement the rich, beefy veal very nicely, though you could substitute oregano or thyme if you want something a little bit different. A light sprinkling of parmesan helps this dish maintain its “veal parmesan” name while not overpowering the earthy and citrus flavors of the meal. If you wanted, you could still coat this with eggs and breadcrumbs, but we love this dish as it is, especially on hotter days.
Get the full recipe and directions at Eat Smarter.
5. Stuffed Veal Cutlets with Prosciutto and Provolone
When you really want to push the limits of decadence, this is the dish for you! Stuffing the veal cutlets with salty, cured prosciutto and funky provolone helps turn a standard veal parmesan into something fit for kings. Rosemary, sage, and lemon help to provide some earthy balance to this extremely rich meal. If you prefer Jamon Iberico to prosciutto, that will also work wonderfully. You’ll want to make sure to pound your veal cutlets nice and thin so that they can easily wrap around the meat and cheese. We think a cast iron skillet is your best option for frying these up, but stainless should also work – just try to stay away from non-stick as you won’t get the desired browning on your meat.
Get the full recipe and directions at Kitchen Divas.
6. Veal Parm Sandwich
Sometimes you don’t want to go through the whole ordeal of plating a dish that needs to be eaten with forks and knives. Maybe you’re on the go, maybe you’re being lazy, or maybe you just want to experience the joy of eating with your hands. This veal parm sandwich is perfect for such occasions. This sandwich is far from traditional, but it is incredibly delicious. It uses tomato chutney instead of marinara sauce, and swiss cheese instead of parmesan, though you could easily substitute the standard ingredients and still end up with one of the best hunks of meat you’ve ever put between bread!
Get the full recipe and directions at Another Food Blogger.
7. Keto Veal Parmesan (Nut-Free, Gluten-Free)
The keto diet doesn’t seem to be going away, and this is a fantastic way to enjoy the carb-heavy veal parmesan without any guilt! The breading is made of an ingenious combination of pork rinds, whey protein powder, and baking powder. This might sound like protein overkill, but it works very nicely, and you still won’t be weighed down after enjoying this indulgent meal. Consider trying chicken or duck cracklings if you aren’t a fan of pork – either will taste wonderful!
Get the full recipe and directions at Sugar-Free Mom.
If you’ve only ever enjoyed a traditional veal parmesan dish from an Italian restaurant, you will likely be surprised by how many variations you can come up with. Try one of the above veal parm ideas for a delectable lunch or dinner!
If you like this post, we think you’ll really like our Costoletta di Vitello Recipe post.