If tenderizing the veal cutlets, place a piece of wax paper in between the cutlets and the tenderizer. Pound the veal with force, making sure to first use the perforated side to even out the cutlets. You can finish up with the flat side of the tenderizer, so the cutlets are smooth. I cut mine in half because they were too large for the pan! Salt and pepper the cutlets lightly.

Set up your cutlet station: spread out the all purpose flour in a tray and mix in any Italian seasoning if using, mix the eggs and the whole milk together in a bowl, and spread out the breadcrumbs in another tray.

While you heat a thin, even layer of olive oil in a pan over medium heat, dredge your cutlets in flour, then dip both sides into the egg mixture, and finally dredge generously with breadcrumbs. Shake off any excess and set aside.

Lightly fry the cutlets for about 4-5 minutes per side. Make sure the outside is golden brown before setting the cutlets aside.

In the same pan, add a little more olive oil over medium heat. Saute the onion, carrot, and garlic for 4-5 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the white wine, if using. Let the alcohol burn off and stir occasionally for another 5 minutes.

Lower the heat to medium and add in the tomato paste and the tomato puree. You can add about ½ cup of water to the emptied tomato puree jar or can and swish it around. Add the water and any excess puree into the sauce. This way, nothing is wasted and the sauce will be the perfect consistency!

7 Add in salt and any desired seasoning (red pepper flakes, oregano, black pepper), and bring the sauce to a boil. Add in chopped bunch of basil and parmesan cheese. Stir and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring every now and then.

Once the sauce is set aside, preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In the same skillet or pan (or using a baking dish), spoon a little sauce on the bottom and place the breaded veal cutlets. Add more sauce on top, followed by parmesan, and either shredded mozzarella or a slice for each cutlet. Add more parmesan on top and any more sauce around the cutlets that you wish to use.

Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and golden brown. Bake on the broil setting for another few minutes if you prefer your cheese a little darker.

While the veal parmesan is baking, boil water for the pasta and cook the pasta per package instructions. Drain the pasta and add the remaining marinara sauce to the pasta.

Serve veal parmesan with the pasta and add any additional parmesan cheese or fresh basil you like. Buon Appetito!