Crispy Baked Veal Parmesan Recipe

Just the name "parmigiana" evokes images of Italy. According to The New York Times, its origins are a bit mysterious, although this famous dish does seem to hail from southern Italy. Parmigiana was always eggplant back then, but when Italian immigrants landed on America's shores, Italian cooks started breading and frying veal and chicken, overloading it with gobs of mozzarella, and plopping it on top of an enormous plate of pasta. Stephanie Rapone is a busy working mom, and in her blog, Pantry to Plate, she streamlines her recipes that cut preparation time but don't sacrifice the flavor. Rapone's recipe for veal parmesan simplifies what could be a labor-intensive dish and adds her own unique twist to how it's battered, which results in an incredibly crispy crust. 

Traditionally, veal parmesan is fried in oil, but Rapone eliminates the oil, and bakes the veal in a very hot oven, which substantially lowers the gut-busting calorie intake of the original dish and helps the cutlets achieve an amazing crunch. "My husband didn't think this one was possible!" she tells us. "To have crispy veal parm you have to pan fry it, right? Nope. This recipe actually works. It's crispy and delicious, a lot less messy, and healthier!" she raves. So if you're hungering for some comfort food that's easy to make, get your ingredients together for this simple veal parmesan recipe.

You obviously can't make veal parmesan without the veal, and Rapone recommends buying veal scaloppini cutlets, which have already been thinly sliced and pounded to ¼-inch thick pieces. If your grocery doesn't have scaloppini, buy regular veal cutlets and pound them yourself. (Put each cutlet between two sheets of plastic wrap, and using the flat side of a meat tenderizer, gently pound the veal to ¼-inch thickness.) You'll have most of the other ingredients in your spice rack or pantry, and you can buy Parmesan cheese and sliced mozzarella anywhere. The unexpected secret ingredient in Rapone's recipe is corn flakes, which burnishes the crackling exterior a deep golden-brown. The ingredients also includes canned crushed tomatoes. You can use regular crushed tomatoes, but if your supermarket carries the San Marzano tomatoes, use those. They have a more intense tomato taste than regular or plum tomatoes.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. You'll be setting up a dipping station to make the breading, so have three small casserole dishes or pie plates at hand. In the first, beat the eggs so they're well-blended. In the second casserole or pie plate, combine the all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon of kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Put the cornflakes in a zip-top plastic bag, and mash them to crumbs. Pour the cornflake crumbs into the third casserole or pie plate, and whisk them together with the panko bread crumbs, ½ cup of grated Parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon of dried basil, and 1½ teaspoons of garlic powder (not garlic salt!).

Depending on the size of your baking sheet pans, you may need two to hold all of the breaded veal in a single layer. Prepare the baking sheet by spraying it with nonstick spray. Season the veal cutlets with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and the remaining ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Arrange your dipping station so the first casserole or plate is the seasoned flour, followed by the beaten egg, and finally the cornflake mixture. Dip a veal cutlet in the flour, covering both sides, and shake off the excess. Using your opposite hand, dip the floured cutlet into the egg, and finally, dredge the cutlet into the cornflake mixture, pressing the crumbs lightly to adhere them to the veal. Lay the cutlet on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat the dipping process with the remaining veal pieces, and lay them on the sheet, taking care that their edges don't touch. Spray the tops of the veal with cooking spray, then bake the veal for 10 minutes, until they're golden brown. Don't worry that the veal cutlets aren't fully cooked; they'll finish cooking later when they're layered with sauce and cheese.

While the veal is baking, you can make Rapone's easy fresh tomato sauce. Add the can of crushed tomatoes to a medium saucepan along with the remaining 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, the remaining 1 teaspoon of dried basil, the last ½ teaspoon of kosher salt, the sugar, and the onion powder. Stir everything together and heat the saucepan over medium-low heat. Keep stirring every few minutes so the bottom of the saucepan doesn't burn. When the sauce is bubbling, reduce the heat to low, and cover the saucepan with a lid.

Spray a 9x13-inch casserole dish with nonstick spray, then spoon about a ½ cup of the tomato sauce into the bottom of the dish. Spread the tomato sauce evenly with an offset spatula or wooden spoon. It's the same method used for baked lasagna, and according to The Whole Portion, this layer will help prevent the veal parmesan from sticking. But it also bathes the veal in that delicious sauce. When the veal is golden brown, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the veal in the casserole dish, slightly overlapping each slice. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan over the veal, then spoon the sauce over the veal. Rapone recommends keeping the sauce in the middle so the edges of the veal cutlets get crispy when baked. She also likes to reserve some sauce for serving.

Layer the sliced mozzarella over the top of the sauced veal, cover with foil, and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil from the casserole, and turn on the broiler. Broil the veal parmesan for 2 to 4 minutes, until the cheese is brown and bubbly. Watch it carefully because the cheese can quickly burn. Take the casserole out of the oven, and let it rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving. While the veal is resting, finely chop or chiffonade a handful of fresh basil, and sprinkle it on top of the veal parmesan. The basil is optional, but it will add wonderful flavor and aroma to the finished dish. If you've reserved some tomato sauce, spoon a little over each serving. There you have it, a classic Italian-American meal your family will love! And like most casseroles, this veal parmesan makes fantastic, even tastier, leftovers.