Veal Marsala, Scaloppine al Marsala

Veal Marsala is an Italian-American classic, veal cutlets in a rich and flavourful sauce made with Marsala wine, mushrooms and parsley. comforting and easy to make, serve it with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Veal Marsala, also known as Scaloppine al Marsala is one of those meals that is simple and easy enough to make on busy weeknights but is fancy enough for entertaining or even date night.

It's made with veal cutlets served in a rich and good marsala sauce with juicy mushrooms, garlic and fresh parsley.

Don't worry, if you can't get your hands on veal you can use chicken or pork instead and it's as good. Serve it with some creamy mash to soak up all the sauce and green beans.

Ingredients – what you need

See the photo below that shows you everything you need to make veal marsala plus some important notes.

• Veal – make sure your veal cutlets are about 1/4 inch (0.5cm) thick so they cook quickly. Use a rolling pin to bash them thin if needed.
• Flour – the veal is dredged in flour to not only give a nice texture to the meat but help thicken the sauce.
• Mushrooms – We use Crimini mushrooms (chestnut mushrooms UK) but you can pretty much use any kind of mushrooms you like.
• Garlic – fresh garlic has the best flavour don't use ground or powdered garlic.
• Stock – low sodium chicken stock is best, beef stock would be too strong and overpower the veal.
• Marsala wine – marsala is a sweet fortified wine like sherry, you don't need an expensive one for this.
• Parsley – fresh parsley is a must don't use dried!

How to make it

Season the veal with salt and pepper and slightly press it in so it sticks. Sprinkle the flour on a plate and dredge each piece of veal in the flour until lightly coated, shake off any excess (photos 1 & 2).

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or frying pan and fry the veal for 2 minutes on each side until browned and cooked through, you'll need to do this in batches and add more oil as needed. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate (photos 3 & 4).

Add the butter to the pan, once melted add the mushrooms and sprinkle with a little salt. Fry the mushrooms for around 5-7 minutes until the excess moisture has been released and they start to cook down (photo 5).

Add the garlic and fry for 1 more minute. Add the marsala and let it simmer until the liquid has reduced by half then add the chicken stock (photos 7 & 8).

Simmer the sauce for 5-7 minutes until it starts to thicken. Add the veal back into the pan to warm through (photos 9 & 10).

Serve the veal with a sprinkling of freshly chopped parsley

Recipe tips and FAQs

• Don't overcook the veal – because the veal cutlets are thin (1/4 inch/0.5cm) they cook fast and need only around 1 minute on each side. If you cook them for any longer they'll be too tough.
• Cooking with marsala – adding marsala to sauces is an easy way to add a lot of flavour (we use it in our Italian roast beef recipe too). Don't spend too much on a bottle it doesn't need to be expensive but leaving it out will totally change the flavour of this dish.
• Serving suggestions – we usually serve our veal marsala with creamy mashed potatoes to mop up all the sauce and green beans drizzled in olive oil. You could also serve it with Italian roast potatoesParmesan Roasted Potatoes and BroccoliSauteed Broccolini with Pesto or Creamy Polenta (Italian Cornmeal). Check out all of our good Italian side dishes for more inspo!

Can we use other meat instead of veal?

Absolutely, veal can be expensive or hard to find in some places so you can use chicken or pork instead make sure they are similar thickness.

Can we skip the flour?

You can skip the flour but your sauce won't thicken much or have as rich of a texture.

How long do leftovers last?

Leftovers will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days. We recommend adding a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce as you heat it up then add the veal to warm up.

Can we freeze it?

Yes, you can freeze veal marsala in suitable container or bags then defrost completely before reheating.

More good dinner recipes to try

• Chicken Piccata with Capers and Lemon
• Veal Saltimbocca with Prosciutto and Sage
• Ossobuco Milanese (Braised Veal Shanks)
• Steak Pizzaiola – (Carne alla Pizzaiola)

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

• 8 veal cutlets
• ¼ cup flour (for dredging)
• 2 tbsp butter (30g)
• 2.5 cups Crimini mushrooms (sliced (170g) aka chestnut mushrooms UK)
• 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
• 1.5 cups chicken stock (low sodium (375ml))
• ½ cup Marsala wine (125ml)
• 1-2 tbsp fresh parsley (finely chopped)
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Season the veal with salt and pepper and slightly press it in so it sticks. Sprinkle the flour on a plate and dredge each piece of veal in the flour until lightly coated, shake off any excess.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or frying pan and fry the veal for 1 minute on each side until browned and cooked through, you'll need to do this in batches and add more oil as needed. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.

3. Add the butter to the pan, once melted add the mushrooms and sprinkle with a little salt. Fry the mushrooms for around 5-7 minutes until the excess moisture has been released and they start to cook down.

4. Add the garlic and fry for 1 more minute. Add the marsala and let it simmer until the liquid has reduced by half. Add 1.5 cups (375ml) of chicken stock.

5. Simmer the sauce for 5-7 minutes until it starts to thicken. Add the veal back into the pan to warm through.

6. Serve the veal with a sprinkling of freshly chopped parsley.