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Costoletta alla Valdostana is a traditional dish from the Aosta Valley. A breaded veal chop stuffed with fontina cheese and prosciutto cotto (ham) then fried in butter. It’s a hearty, indulgent and so delicious.
If you ever find yourself in Valle d’Aosta (Aosta Valley) this is a dish you’ll see everywhere and it’s something you’ve got to try.
You’ll find it named either Costoletta (with the bone) or Cotoletta (without the bone) done Valdostana style – stuffed with fontina cheese and ham.
The veal chop is breaded and then fried in butter – not for the faint-hearted but so worth every bite.
This is the type of dish you’d make as a treat or on special occasions because it is indulgent and hearty but not too difficult to make. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
See the recipe below including notes on ingredients, step by step photos, tips, variations and a video tutorial. For the full printable recipe scroll to the bottom or click the recipe link below
Ingredients
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Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Veal chop – you can buy this with the bone on (see our directions on how to trim it) or without the bone. If you can’t find veal you can use a large pork chop or chicken cutlets (tips on using those cuts below).
- Fontina cheese – this is a typical cheese from the Aosta Valley and it should have a DOP on it. Other cheeses that work well are gruyere or comte.
- Prosciutto cotto – Italian cooked ham, try to use a good quality one.
- Breadcrumbs – use fine breadcrumbs (not panko) and don’t use seasoned breadcrumbs if trying to the traditional recipe.
- Butter – traditionally Costoletta alla Valdostana is fried in clarified butter but we use unsalted butter with a little olive oil to stop the butter from burning. You can opt to use clarified butter instead if you prefer.
Visual walk-through of the recipe
Don’t forget we have a video tutorial at the bottom of the page also showing the step-by-step process!
- Trim the veal – first, you need to trim off the sinue (silverskin) from around the veal chop and trim the bone. You want to leave about an inch of meat attached to the bone at the bottom (photos 1-4).
- Prepare and stuff the veal – Next, cut the veal in half lengthways making sure to keep it attached at the bone then beat it using the smooth end of a meat mallet until half the thickness. If using a rolling pin cover it with plastic wrap first so you don’t damage the meat (photos 5 and 6).
- To stuff the veal, lay one layer of cheese slices followed by 2 slices of ham (prosciutto cotto) and another layer of cheese on top. Fold the veal over to cover the filling and beat the edges again to help secure it (photos 7-10).
- Bread and fry – next, dredge the veal chop in flour, egg and breadcrumbs until completely coated then fry in butter and a little olive oil for around 4 minutes on each side. Let the veal rest for about 3-4 minutes before cutting and serving (photos 11-16).
Using different cuts of meat
- Cutlets (veal or chicken) – you can opt to use thin cutlets instead of a thick chop. To do this, bash the cutlets so there’s enough circumference for fold over each edge. Place the cheese and ham in the middle and roll it up tucking in the edges. Dredge and bread the cutlets and fry in butter.
- Pork chop – this will be cooked and prepared in the same way as the veal. Pork is much tougher than veal when cooked so there will be a slightly different texture to it.
Recipe tips and FAQs
- Bone in or out – You don’t have to keep the bone attached if you don’t want to. You can trim the veal then open it up like a book making sure to keep it attached at one end.
- Bashing the meat – always use the flat end of a meat mallet and not the spikey send. If you’re using a rolling pin cover the meat with plastic wrap (cling film) to protect it.
- Breading the veal – do this step carefully so the veal doesn’t open up.
- Prepping in advance – if you want to prepare the veal ahead of time you can prep and stuff the veal then refrigerate it until needed. Don’t bread the veal ahead of time as the breadcrumbs will turn soggy if left for too long.
- Frying the veal – make sure to fry the veal on a medium-low heat. If the heat is too high the breadcrumbs will burn before the meat is cooked through.
In Italian, you’ll see this dish called Costoletta when the bone is still attached and Cotoletta when the bone has been removed. Some recipes for Cotoletta alla Valdostana use a thin cutlet of veal that is rolled up and breaded.
Serving suggestions
We love to serve Veal Valdostana with a simple side salad of arugula (rocket) and shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano (see our recipe, Arugula Salad with lemon and Parmesan).
Another great side is Italian Roast Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic. You could also go for green veg such as green beans drizzled with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.
More Italian veal recipes to try
If you’ve tried this Costoletta alla Valdostana recipe or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest or sign up to our Newsletter to see more of our delicious food
Step By Step Photos Above
Most of our recipes come with step by step photos, helpful tips and tricks to make it perfectly first time and even video!
Costoletta alla Valdostana (Stuffed Breaded Veal)
Equipment
- plastic wrap
- Meat mallet or rolling pin
Ingredients
Instructions
- Trim off any sinue (sliverskin) around the edges of the veal chop. Trim the the meat away from the bone making sure to leave it attached at the very end (leave about inch of the meat attached to the bone).
- Cut the veal chop in half through the middle making sure to keep it attached at the bone. Using the flat side of a meat mallet or rolling pin (if using a rolling pin cover the meat with plastic wrap first) flatten the meat all over until about half its thickness.
- Open the veal, add a layer of cheese slices then top it with two slices of ham. Top the ham with more cheese slices then fold the veal over the top.
- Use a meat mallet or rolling pin to flatten the edges slightly (this helps to seal it).
- Carefully dredge the veal chop in flour, egg and breadcrumbs then place on a plate.
- Add the butter to a large pan on a medium-low heat. Once melted add the veal chop and cook for 4 minutes on each side until golden, crispy and cooked through.
- Let the veal chop rest for 3-4 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- Other cheeses you can use – instead of Fontina you could use Gruyere or Comte.
- Bone in or out – you can opt to remove the bone if you prefer just make sure to keep the veal attached at one end when you cut it open for the filling.
- Cooking the veal – a medium-low heat is best for cooking the veal. If the heat is too high the breadcrumbs will burn before the veal is cooked through.
- Prepping in advance – you can prep and stuff the veal in advance then store it in the fridge until needed. Don’t bread the veal in advance as the breadcrumbs turn soggy if left for too long.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this! Fontina is such a perfect cheese for this.
It really is…it’s such a delicious recipe!