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🍽️ DINNER
Saltimbocca alla Romana
Thin veal cutlets layered with prosciutto and sage, pan-fried in butter until they "jump into the mouth."
Roman · easy · serves 4
prep 15 min · cook 10 min
~364 cal · 17g protein · 12g carbs · 28g fat · 0g fiber · 0g sugars · 11g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Saltimbocca alla romana is one of the proudest dishes of the Roman kitchen that surrounds and feeds the Vatican, so good, the saying goes, that it jumps into your mouth (salta in bocca). Thin veal cutlets are topped with a slice of prosciutto and a leaf of fresh sage, pinned with a toothpick, and cooked quickly in butter.
The prosciutto crisps and seasons the veal from above while the sage perfumes it, and the pan juices are lifted into a glossy sauce. This alcohol-free version with a little and lemon in place of the customary splash of white wine, keeping the dish light, quick and unmistakably Roman.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally nut- and egg-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
- 8 thin veal cutlets
- 8 slices prosciutto crudo, sliced
- 8 fresh sage leaves
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, for dusting
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/3 cup
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- to taste salt and pepper
Instructions
- 1Pound the veal cutlets thin. Lay a slice of prosciutto and a sage leaf on each and pin with a toothpick. Season the veal side lightly.
- 2Dust only the veal side (not the prosciutto) in flour, shaking off the excess.
- 3Melt the butter with the olive oil in a wide skillet. Add the cutlets prosciutto-side up and cook a few minutes until the underside browns, then flip briefly.✎ Chef’s noteGive the prosciutto only a quick kiss of heat so it stays tender rather than turning tough and over-salty.
- 4Lift the saltimbocca to a platter. Deglaze the pan with the stock and lemon juice, scraping up the bits, and simmer into a glossy sauce.
- 5Spoon the sauce over the saltimbocca and serve at once.
Roman / Vatican table tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Vatican City. The kitchen here is Roman and nothing else, which is the honest thing to say about it. Nothing on the plate is papal by design: the pasta, the pecorino and the seasonal vegetables come from the same markets and the same suppliers as everything on the other side of the wall.
🗺️
Vatican City. The state has no farmland, but the Holy See does. The papal estate at Castel Gandolfo, extraterritorial under the 1929 Lateran Treaty, runs a working farm with a herd of Holsteins, hens, beehives, an olive press and a vegetable garden, and its milk, cheese, eggs, honey and oil are sold in the Vatican's own Annona supermarket.
🌍
Europe. A surprising amount of European cooking is under five hundred years old. Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, maize, beans and chocolate all crossed from the Americas after 1492, and none of them was trusted quickly: the potato took most of the eighteenth century to be accepted as food rather than animal fodder across much of the north.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Vatican City
Fettuccine alla PapalinaA refined Roman pasta of fettuccine with prosciutto, egg, and Parmesan, created for a pope.
Maritozzo con PannaA soft, sweet Roman bun split and filled with a thick cloud of whipped cream.
SupplìFried risotto rice croquettes with a molten mozzarella centre, the Roman street snack found around the Vatican.
Browse all Vatican City recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Skillet or frying pan.
Storing it: Fried food is best eaten fresh while crisp. Re-crisp leftovers in a hot oven or air fryer; the microwave makes them soft.
Make it a Vatican City meal
Crostata di Ricotta e ViscioleDessert
SupplìLunch
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Cuisine
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Frequently asked questions
What is Saltimbocca alla Romana?
Thin veal cutlets layered with prosciutto and sage, pan-fried in butter until they "jump into the mouth."
Where does Saltimbocca alla Romana come from?
Saltimbocca alla Romana is a Roman dish from Vatican City, Vatican City.
Can Saltimbocca alla Romana be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Saltimbocca alla Romana recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Saltimbocca alla Romana safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Saltimbocca alla Romana take to make?
About 25 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 10 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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