EASY VEAL (or chicken) PARMESAN
Like veal (or chicken) parmesan but not the work? Miss eating it because it doesn’t complement your dietary considerations? Why not give this version a try? It’s easy and best of all, delicious!
Servings: 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes - 1 hour
Skill level: Easy
INGREDIENTS
4 VEAL LOIN CHOPS (with or without bone) > or < 4 CHICKEN BREASTS, pounded or sliced 1/2 thickness
Preferred seasonings such as SALT, PEPPER, ONION POWDER, GARLIC POWDER
Preferred PASTA, cooked with 1/2 cup cooking liquid reserved
4-6 cloves GARLIC (depending on size and how much you like garlic), minced
1 small ONION, chopped
OLIVE OIL
2 - 14 oz cans diced FIRE ROASTED TOMATOES
1 - 6 oz can TOMATO PASTE
2 teaspoons BALSAMIC VINEGAR
6 - 8 oz PARMESAN CHEESE, shredded, more for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Set oven to broil.
Cook pasta according to package directions, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Drain, rinse, and add a little olive oil to coat the noodles. Lightly sprinkle with garlic powder. Mix and keep warm.
Season meat with preferred seasonings, to taste, on both sides.
In an oven safe pan, heat a few tablespoons of oil on the stove over medium heat.
Add meat to pan and brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to plate to rest and keep warm. No need to cook all the way through, the internal temperature will continue to rise as they rest and they will finish cooking in the oven.
In the same pan, add the minced garlic and chopped onion, adding a little more oil - if needed. Season lightly with salt, if desired. Sauté until fragrant.
Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, and about 1/4 cup the reserved pasta water. Simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining liquid, gradually - as, and only if, needed. Sauce should be slightly thick - not watery and not pasty.
Add the meat back to the pan and turn over, spooning with sauce to coat.
Cover meat/sauce with shredded cheese.
Place under broiler, watching closely, for about 4-6 minutes or until cheese is melted, meat has finished cooking, top is slightly golden, and sauce is bubbling.
Let rest 10 minutes before serving with pasta. Use additional grated cheese for garnish, if desired
Refrigerate any leftovers
NOTES/VARIATIONS
If you don’t have a pan that transfers from stove top to oven, prepare the meat and sauce in a skillet and transfer to an oven-safe casserole dish or other bakeware that is broiler safe.
Omit the garlic and onions if they are bothersome but increase if you like them and want more of that flavor in your sauce.
Pork chops would work well in place of the veal or chicken. Take care not to over cook them, either.
For those who can’t “do” traditional pasta, gluten free versions will work, including the cooking liquid when called for. A few tricks to making gluten free noodles taste better in dishes like this is to rinse them after cooking and, when it compliments a recipes (such as this one), mix in olive oil (and/or butter) along with a dash of garlic powder. Even folks who say they don’t like gluten free anything will go for seconds - it’s that good!
Butter is an excellent substitute or companion to the olive oil.
There are a variety of goat and raw dairy cheeses, as well as aged cheeses such as parmesan, asiago, and Romano that are tolerated very well by those who normally can’t manage regular dairy. You may have to shred or grate them by hand but it is well worth it for the flavor and nutritional value.
If you are able to enjoy any type of dairy, consider using a blend of cheeses such as mozzarella, provolone, and/or fontina. Pre-shredded will save time but be careful to select a brand that doesn’t have a lot of additives and other “junk”.
If you absolutely cannot tolerate any dairy, you can substitute your favorite dairy free cheese or nutritional yeast. As you may already know, some cheeses in this category are better than others. My latest favorite is Violife. Pretty darn tasty as far as alternative cheeses go!
As articulated in the What’s for Dinner article, always aim for the highest quality ingredients.
CREDITS/REFERENCES
Thumbnail photo credit: Pin by Caffee Lane on One Cow Hill | Animals, Cute baby animals, Pets
This recipe is my own creation with a bit of inspiration from a “Bucatini all’Amatriciana Pasta Sauce” recipe a dear friend shared with me many moons ago along with this “Skillet Parmesan” recipe from MarleySpoon.