I’ve been wanting to make this Milanesa Napolitana recipe for a while now, and I am finally able to get around to it! Steak Milanesa is a classic South American dish that combines pan-fried steak that has been coated in seasonings, egg wash, and bread crumbs. I changed it up by stuffing this steak with ham and cheese, then dredging and frying it up. Finally, I finished with a layer of tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and basil on top for a killer centerpiece meal.
It was first created in a Buenos Aires restaurant by Jorge La Grotta, and quickly became a favorite dish for many! In only 30 minutes of prep and 45 minutes of cook time, you’ll be ready to serve four people.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love Milanesa Napolitana
- Argentine Milanesa Ingredients
- How to Make Milanesa Napolitana
- More Fried, Fire Foods
- Tips and Tricks for Milanesa Napolitana
- How to Store Leftovers & Reheat
- What to Serve with milanesa napoletana
- Milanesa Napolitana Recipe FAQ’s
- Flavor X Fire & FOOD X Fire
- Milanesa Napolitana Recipe
Why You’ll Love Milanesa Napolitana
This recipe is very popular in Argentine cuisine, for very good reason. It is similar to steak milanese or chicken-fried steak. It’s also like building a pizza, using a breaded fried steak as the crust!
The key for this recipe is getting a thinly-cut piece of meat like a butterflied flank steak, skirt steak, flatiron steak, or even thin-cut sirloin. The dredging process is pretty straightforward, but make sure to add enough bread crumbs so that they don’t all crumble off. Once you taste it, you’ll be adding this recipe to your rotating dinner menu for sure.
Want to try more Argentina-inspired dishes? Try Lamb al Asador, Smoked Picanha with Spicy Smoked Chimichurri, or a Reverse-Seared Steak.
Argentine Milanesa Ingredients
Now, let’s talk about how you can take a trip to South America by cooking this recipe. First, you’ll start out with 2 flank steaks, a few whipped eggs, bread crumbs, GLD FYR Hot Sauce, chopped parsley, minced garlic, Smoked Garlic Jalapeno Lager Rub, and beef tallow.
Then, you’ll turn it into a delicious pizza with some marinara sauce, ham slices, provolone cheese slices, shredded mozzarella cheese, basil leaves, and olive oil.
How to Make Milanesa Napolitana
The Prep
The first thing you need to do is carefully butterfly the flank steaks open. Then, using a mallet, hammer the flank steaks to thin them out.
Place 2-3 thin slices of ham and 2-3 slices of provolone cheese on one side of the thin steak, and then fold the other side over the top to encase the meat and cheese. Hammer around the outside edges to create a “seal” for the steak.
Repeat this for both flank steaks, then place in the fridge to set for 30 minutes.
Heat your grill at high heat (around 450F) for direct cooking. Add a large cast iron skillet with beef tallow to the grill to preheat.
Pull the steaks out of the fridge so we can get going on this Milanesa Napolitana recipe. Slather some of the GLD FYR Hot Sauce on the outside of the flank steak. Season with the Smoked Garlic Jalapeno Lager, then add the chopped parsley and minced garlic to the outside as well.
Beat your eggs and lather the steaks with an egg wash (I did this with a brush, but put a decent layer of the egg wash it on). Finally, completely cover with bread crumbs. Flip the steak over and repeat, also repeating on the other flank steak.
More Fried, Fire Foods
The Cook
Once the skillet is hot, add the steaks to the skillet to cook for about 8-10 minutes or until it has developed a golden brown, crispy crust on the outside of the steak.
Flip the steak over and allow the other side to cook. While it’s cooking, add some marinara sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese and fresh basil leaves to the top half of the steak milanesa napoletana.
Melt the cheese using charcoal or a torch. When the steak has hit 130F internal, pull it off and let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Slice the steak up, serve and enjoy!
Tips and Tricks for Milanesa Napolitana
To make sure the cheese melts properly, start with your blowtorch 1-2 inches away from the cheese, then slowly and evenly hover it over the entire dish. If your cheese gets dark brown in a spot, move it away quickly to ensure your cheese doesn’t burn.
If you’d like to avoid excess oil on that delicious crispy texture, when you take each steak off the grill, place it on some paper towels and let the extra juice drip off.
How to Store Leftovers & Reheat
If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Warm them up on a baking sheet, first warming them at a low temp to ensure they whole steak is warm. Then use your oven broiler for optimum flavor and texture.
What to Serve with milanesa napoletana
Because of the Italian flavors in this dish, I love to enjoy this Milanesa Napolitana with a crunchy salad with Italian dressing on the side. If you’d like to add some extra flavor, serve up some french fries.
Milanesa Napolitana Recipe FAQ’s
You can totally make a chicken variation of this recipe with chicken breast or chicken cutlets instead of steak. Chicken milanesa napolitana is similar to chicken parmesan, so if you love food with Italian influences, it may be the best choice for you!
You could also try it with veal cutlets or thin-sliced cutlets of any meat. Some people even make vegetarian versions, although that’s a bit out of our scope.
If you don’t have a mallet, you can definitely get creative. A meat tenderizer or even a rolling pin could work as long as the steak gets flattened out thoroughly enough.
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Flavor X Fire & FOOD X Fire
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Milanesa Napolitana
Ingredients
Steak:
- 2 Flank Steaks
- 3-4 Fresh Eggs whipped
- 4 cups Bread Crumbs
- 3 tbsp GLD FYR Hot Sauce
- 3 tbsp Chopped Parsley
- 3 tbsp Minced Garlic
- 2.5 tbsp Smoked Garlic Jalapeno Lager Rub
- Beef Tallow as needed
Pizza:
- 6-8 Ham Slices
- 6-8 Provolone Cheese Slices
- 2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- Oregano Leaves for garnish
- Olive Oil for garnish
Instructions
- Begin by carefully butterflying the flank steaks open.
- Using a mallet, hammer the flank steaks to thin them out.
- Place 2-3 slices of ham and 2-3 slices of provolone cheese on one side of the flank steak and then fold the other side over the top to encase the meat and cheese.
- Hammer around the outside edges to create a “seal” for the steak.
- Repeat this for both flank steaks, then place in the fridge to set for 30 minutes.
- Heat your grill at high heat (around 450F) for direct cooking. Add a large cast iron skillet with beef tallow to the grill to preheat.
- Pull the steaks out of the fridge.
- Slather some of the GLD FYR Hot Sauce on the outside of a flank steak.
- Season with the Smoked Garlic Jalapeno Lager, then add the chopped parsley and minced garlic to the outside as well.
- Beat your eggs and lather the steaks with an egg wash.
- Finally, completely cover with bread crumbs.
- Flip the steak over and repeat, then repeat on the other flank steak.
- Once the skillet is hot, add the steaks to the skillet to cook for about 8-10 minutes or until it has developed a dark golden brown crust on the outside of the steak.
- Flip the steak over, then add to the top of the steak some marinara sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese and basil leaves.
- Melt the cheese using charcoal or a torch.
- When the steak has hit 130F internal, pull it off and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Slice the steak up, serve and enjoy!
