Best Lemon Veal Scallopini Recipe with Mushrooms

Create a gourmet meal at home with this easy Veal Scallopini recipe. Thin slices of veal are lightly coated with flour and then quickly sauteed to perfection. Adding lemons and mushrooms creates an extra layer of flavor. The step-by-step instructions and helpful tips will make it easy to recreate one of the best Italian veal dishes.

Serve this easy veal recipe with steamed green beans and pasta without tomato sauce. A gourmet-style meal ready in less than 20 minutes. What can be simpler?

Jump to:

• Introduction
• What does scallopini mean?
• Let’s prep our recipe
• How to make veal scallopini 
• Tips
• FAQ
• What to serve with veal scallopini
• Recipe origins
• Recipe

Introduction

Some of the most popular Italian veal scallopini dishes start with this simple recipe.

It is delicious and a great jumping-off point for making veal marsala, piccata, or saltimbocca.

It all starts with the best-quality veal to get the best results, and more importantly, it needs to be sliced and pounded correctly.

Before getting into those details, let’s define what scallopini is.

What does scallopini mean?

The term “scallopini” (sometimes spelled as scaloppini) comes from the Italian word “scaloppine.” It is a culinary term that refers to any dish made with thinly sliced boneless meat pounded to an even thickness.

The meat can be veal, chicken, turkey, pork, or beef, typically dredged in flour before being sautéed in butter and/or oil until golden brown. Serve this dish plain or with a sauce from cooking juices, wine, stock, lemon juice, capers, or other flavorings.

Let’s prep our recipe

This recipe has few ingredients but moves quickly, so ideally, you will want to prep all of them in advance.

Prep the veal slices: For this recipe, you will need approximately 1 pound. When purchasing from the butcher, request that the meat is from the top round, which is the upper portion of the leg.

Place the veal cutlets on a sturdy surface between two pieces of parchment or wax paper. Allow enough room between the slices for the meat to expand.

Use a meat mallet (or the flat side of a heavy saucepan or rolling pin) to gently pound the veal slices to an even thickness of about ⅛ – ¼ of an inch.

Start pounding from the center of the meat and work your way outward, being careful not to pound too hard, or you may tear the meat. You want to hit it straight down and then slide it outwards, stretching it in one continuous motion.

Pound the meat in all directions until it is an even thickness all the way through.

Prep the mushrooms: Please note that adding mushrooms is optional. If using, quarter about 6 ounces, which is about 2 cups.

How to make veal scallopini 

Now that our veal slices are thin and ready to go, it’s time to start making this delicious scallopini recipe.

Whisk together ¼ cup flour all-purpose, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a shallow bowl or plate. Alternatively, you can season the individual veal slices with salt and pepper before dredging them in the flour. 

Pat each veal slice dry with a paper towel and dredge into the flour mixture until lightly coated on both sides. Shake off any excess flour and set aside in a single layer on a plate. Note: Only dredge enough pieces to fit in the pan to cook at a time so you don’t overcrowd the pan.

Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet or pan and turn the heat to medium-high.

Swirl the pan and add the flour-coated veal slices without overlapping when the butter sizzles. Work in batches if necessary to not overcrowd the pan.

Brown them for 45-60 seconds per side until golden brown.

Transfer to a warming plate.

Repeat with the rest of the veal. (If your pan is large enough, you can cook them all at the same time.)

Add ⅓ cup of white wine off the heat and scrape the bottom of the pan using a wooden spoon to loosen the brown bits.

Return pan on medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (or the juice of half a lemon), bring to a simmer, and whisk until slightly thickened. This should take just a few minutes.

Remove from pan and set aside.

Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the same pan and saute the quartered mushrooms over medium-high heat until golden. Season to taste.

Add the reserved wine/lemon sauce to the mushroom and heat for 30 seconds.

Pour over the veal. Garnish with chopped parsley, serve immediately, and enjoy.

Tips

• Instead of wax or parchment paper, use the plastic bag in cereal boxes to sandwich your veal slices when pounding them, as they remain intact even when hit with a mallet.
• Replace the veal with thin slices of chicken, turkey or pork.
• The use of Italian parsley as a garnish is a must in this recipe. It provides a refreshing flavor that complements the veal perfectly.
• Serve veal scallopini as soon as it is ready. 

FAQ

What to serve with veal scallopini

The best side dishes for veal scallopini balance flavors and textures. Creamy polenta, spinach risotto, or plain noodles are all great accompaniments. Glazed carrots, air fryer eggplant, or roasted cauliflower all pair perfectly with this dish!

Try a simple celery root slaw or a big Italian salad for a refreshing side salad.

The key is to choose side dishes that complement the tender flavor of the veal without overwhelming it.

Recipe origins

My mom often used this simple method of cooking thin cuts of meat, whether veal, chicken, beef or pork. More often than not, it was prepared pizzaiolo. This Italian-style veal scallopini recipe is a classic!

As a butcher, my dad always ensured that the cuts were cut and pounded to perfection. As for my mom, she was the one in charge of giving the delicate slices their final touch – an Italian veal scallopini recipe that was always perfectly done.

I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine does.

★★★★★ If you have made this Italian veal dish,  I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!

Recipe

This post was originally published on February 28, 2015, and republished on February 23, 2023, with updated content and photos. Thanks for sharing!