andrejthechef
ArgentinaSteakDinner

Milanesa a la Napolitana

A breaded beef cutlet topped with tomato sauce, ham and melted cheese, usually served with a proper pile of fries.

prep
25 min
cook
20 min
total
45 min
serves
4
level
medium
Milanesa a la Napolitana, a dish from Buenos Aires and across Argentina

Despite the name, this has only a loose connection to Naples. The story told most often in Buenos Aires traces it to a local restaurant called Nápoli that topped a milanesa with whatever was on hand one busy night, and the combination stuck as a menu staple across the country.

Fry the cutlet fully crisp before anything else goes on top. Everything that follows, tomato sauce, ham, melted cheese, adds weight and moisture, so the base needs to be properly cooked through first.

Part of our 20 best Argentine recipes list.

method

  1. Season the cutlets with salt and pepper. Set up three shallow dishes: flour, beaten egg, and breadcrumbs.

  2. Coat each cutlet in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, pressing gently so the crumb sticks well all over.

  3. Heat the oil in a wide pan to about 180°C (355°F). Fry the cutlets for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels.

  4. Preheat the broiler. Arrange the fried cutlets on a baking tray.

  5. Spoon tomato sauce over each cutlet, lay a slice of ham on top, then cover with mozzarella and a pinch of oregano.

  6. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and starting to bubble and brown in spots.

  7. Serve immediately with fries and a simple salad.

chef's tips

  • Fry the cutlet properly crisp first. It has to hold its structure under the sauce, ham and cheese, so a soggy base at this stage only gets worse under the broiler.
  • The name "napolitana" has nothing to do with Naples in the usual telling. The story most often repeated in Buenos Aires credits a restaurant called Nápoli that improvised the topping one night when it ran short of regular milanesa orders.
  • Keep the tomato sauce light and not too wet, or the breaded cutlet underneath loses its crunch fast.
  • Fries are not a side suggestion here, they are the standard pairing on nearly every menu that serves this dish.