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Veal Saltimbocca – veal cutlets wrapped in crispy, salty prosciutto and fragrant sage leaves. A classic Roman dish that’s pan-fried until they’re juicy, tender and incredibly delicious. A simple and elegant meal that’s great served with potatoes, asparagus or salad.
What does Saltimbocca Mean?
Saltimbocca translates from Italian as ‘jump in the mouth’ and it really couldn’t have a better name. This veal saltimbocca is just incredible and for so many reasons:
- It’s fast: it’s so fast that you should probably prep and start cooking your sides first. The veal only needs to be cooked for 4-5 minutes on each side to be cooked through.
- It’s easy: there’s really nothing to making this recipe, bash your veal cutlets or ask your butcher to do it. Then all you need to do is wrap them in prosciutto, sage and fry!
- It’s impressive: it’s so elegant looking and is sure to impress your guests (or yourself) with both look and taste.
- It’s delicious: veal itself has a beautiful flavour but add in some crispy, salty prosciutto, fragrant sage leaves and a squeeze of lemon….do I need to say more?
I will never stop saying that the simple recipes are always best because it’s just SO true and this veal saltimbocca is a prime example of a super simple recipe made with few ingredients that just tastes incredible. I mean it’s just so good!
No matter if you’re serving this for a romantic night in, a special occasion or just because you want something a little extra special (like because it’s Friday night) it’s sure to impress and you can easily prep it in advance to make things even easier, win!
Why You Should Pound the Meat
Pounding the meat not only ensures it will cook faster, it tenderizes it making it soft, tender and delicious. If your meat is too thick you’ll need to cook it for longer and doing so at a high heat (with this type of meat) will make it too tough and unappetising so I always recommend starting the cooking process with veal cutlets at 1/4 inch thick.
How to Make Veal Saltimbocca – Step By Step
Place the veal cutlets between two sheets of plastic wrap (cling film) and gently beat with a rolling pin or meat mallet until 1/4 of an inch thin (photos 1 & 2).
Place a slice of prosciutto over each cutlet followed by a sage leaf then secure everything together using a small wooden skewer (photos 3 & 4).
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItDip the cutlets in flour on each side and shake gently to get rid of any excess flour. Heat olive oil in a large pan or skillet and fry on each side until slightly crispy and browned. Remove from the pan and add the wine to deglaze the pan (photos 5-8).
Scrap all the brown bits and stir until reduced by half, return the veal to the pan to heat through then serve.
Can I Use Chicken Instead?
Absolutely, let’s face it veal can be a little expensive if you’re cooking for a large group and it can also be hard to find in some places so using chicken is an easy alternative, you could also use turkey or pork.
The difference is that obviously, it won’t have the same flavour as veal BUT it will still be delicious and work great as an alternative. Follow the instructions as you would for veal and your chicken version will be perfect!
Serving Suggestions
Veal saltimbocca is great served with roast potatoes, mashed, asparagus, broccolini, any grilled veggies or even just a fresh salad. The choice is yours, the great thing about it is that you can make it a light meal or turn it into something comforting with a big pile of creamy mash.
Top Tips for Making Veal Saltimbocca
- Make sure to pound the meat to tenderise it otherwise it could turn out a little tough
- You can use white wine or marsala to make the sauce
- Dredging the cutlets in flour gives them a delicious coating and also adds a little substance to the sauce but you can also make this recipe without flour
- If prepping in advance don’t dredge in flour, wait until last minute to do that or it’ll soak into the meat and create a weird texture
- Be careful not to overcook or the meat will toughen. Since the veal is pounded thin it doesn’t take long to cook (around 4 minutes each side)
- A squeeze of fresh lemon juice really brings out the flavours and cuts through the rich and salty flavours so don’t skip it if possible
- Chicken, turkey or pork can all be used as good substitutes to veal
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 1-2 days and eaten cold or reheated until hot all the way through
If you’ve tried this Veal Saltimbocca or any other recipe on the blog please let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW MEon FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Step By Step Photos Above
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Veal Saltimbocca
Ingredients
- 6 veal cutlets (escalopes)
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour, (80g)
- 6 slices prosciutto
- 6 large sage leaves
- 1/2 cup (125ml) white wine
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 6 toothpicks, to secure the cutlets
Instructions
- Place the veal cutlets between two sheets of plastic wrap (cling film) and gently beat with a rolling pin or meat mallet until 1/4 of an inch thin.
- Place a slice of prosciutto over each cutlet followed by a sage leaf. Secure everything together using a small wooden skewer.
- Dip the cutlets in flour on each side and shake gently to get rid of any excess flour. Heat olive oil in a large pan or skillet and fry on each side until slightly crispy and browned. Remove from the pan and add the wine to deglaze the pan.
- Scrap all the brown bits and stir until reduced by half, return the veal to the pan to heat through then serve.
Video
Notes
- Make sure to pound the meat to tenderise it otherwise it could turn out a little tough
- You can use white wine or marsala to make the sauce
- Dredging the cutlets in flour gives them a delicious coating and also adds a little substance to the sauce but you can also make this recipe without flour
- If prepping in advance don’t dredge in flour, wait until last minute to do that or it’ll soak into the meat and create a weird texture
- Be careful not to overcook or the meat will toughen. Since the veal is pounded thin it doesn’t take long to cook (around 4 minutes each side)
- A squeeze of fresh lemon juice really brings out the flavours and cuts through the rich and salty flavours so don’t skip it if possible
- Chicken, turkey or pork can all be used as good substitutes to veal
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 1-2 days and eaten cold or reheated until hot all the way through
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.
How does the veal cook on the side covered with prosciutto and sage?
Hi Beverly, you sear on both sides, even although the prosciutto is covering one side it still cooks through, don’t worry.
You say don’t skip the lemon but it isn’t called out in the recipe anywhere?
You can just squeeze a small amount on top before serving 🙂
Tried this tonight; it came out delicious! Didn’t have fresh sage so used dried instead but there was little flavour; next time will try basil. Will surely go in my recipe book!!
made it tonight. I don’t like the taste of sage except in Stuffing, so I used a Basil leaf instead. Also, instead of Olive oil, I used butter. It was a big hit! will definitely make this again!
Great idea, so happy you enjoyed it!
Ok recipe. I found excluding the flour was better. Sage goes *under* the prosciutto, or toast the prosciutto separately.
Hi Bryan, thank you for your feedback! Traditionally veal saltimbocca is dusted with flour and the reason the sage leaf is on the outside is so it gets nice and crispy but you can certainly tuck it under the prosciutto if you find it easier.
One of my favorite dishes ever!!
Yay, mine too Pina!
Wow this sounds so flavourful! I love dishes that incorporate prosciutto. My Italian father used to make his own prosciutto every year. So yummy!
Love your step by step instructions!! The dish looks absolutely fabulous! Well done (:
My husband loves veal, but I never cook it. I am going to have to give this a go soon!
I’m always looking for new dinner recipes and this looks like an absolute winner! Thanks for sharing!
This dish looks stunning and I bet it tastes incredible!
Thanks so much Amy it’s so delicious!