Sicilian Steak: Italian Dining at Home

Coated in Italian bread crumbs and sauteed in olive oil, Sicilian Steak is a tasty but simple entrée.  You can even use bargain round steak!

SIcilian Steak

When I look back at the fine dining in my youth, there are a couple of Italian restaurants that come to mind.  There, amid the wine, pasta and glowing candles, a favorite entrée was Sicilian Steak, also known as Steak Siciliano. 

Now a breaded steak may not sound like gourmet fare.  But perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection, it was a tender flavorful delight!

Now, this was long enough ago that I’m not sure what cut of steak was used.  But given the quality of the establishment my guess is that it was tenderloin.

Alas, for home dining,… my annual quarter of grass-fed beef doesn’t even include tenderloin.  So it was a happy discovery that round steak is delightful in this too!  

Sicilian Steak

Why You’ll Love This!

Tasty.  What’s not to love about savory Italian bread crumbs surrounding tender steak, all sauteed in olive oil .  Yum!

Easy.  You simply bread the steak in beaten eggs and Italian bread crumbs, then sautee in a large skillet.  How easy is that!

Frugal.  This will turn less expensive cuts like round steak into a tasty entrée that’s actually worthy of fine dining!

SIcilian Steak closeup

What You’ll Need

Ingredient Notes

  • Steak. I used round steak but see the discussion below for other options.
  • Eggs.  Eggs will help the breadcrumbs adhere.
  • Italian breadcrumbs.  These add great Italian flavor.
  • Finely grated parmesan cheese.  This adds more flavor.
  • Garlic powder to taste (optional).  If you’re a garlic lover, you can add extra to the breadcrumbs if you’d like.
  • Salt, pepper.  For flavor.
  • Olive oil.  For sauteeing the breaded steaks

Special Tools

  • No special tools are needed.

Step by Step Directions

Mix breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese & extra garlic powder if using. 

Breadcrumb mixtue and steaks

Season steaks with salt & pepper, then coat each piece of steak in breadcrumb mixture,

coat in breadcrumbs

followed by beaten egg, then breadcrumbs again.  Set aside.

dip in beaten eggs

Heat olive oil in a large skillet.  Sautee breaded steaks on both sides until golden, then continue cooking to the desired doneness—I recommend using an instant read thermometer to test.

sautee until golden

Serve hot.

What cuts of beef can I use? 

Ideally, you’ll want to use a boneless cut of steak, and one that can be well trimmed before you bread it.  And while I love a good tenderloin, Sicilian Steak is so good, even with a cheaper cut like round steak, I think I’d save the tenderloin for other purposes! 

Now once, in my student days, a friend even made this using the much more frugal ground round.  And it was delicious!  So if your budget is very tight, don’t let that stop you!
SIcilian Steak served

How to Serve

This dinner entrée is nice enough to serve to company, and quick enough for a weeknight meal!  Consider adding a cooked vegetable, green salad and pasta in garlic butter!

Candles optional!

Leftovers

You’re not likely to have leftovers, but if you do, seal them up, refrigerate and eat within a couple days.  Treat it like your restaurant doggy bag!  And when it comes time to eat, leftover Sicilian Steak is delicious reheated or cold!

A bite of Sicilian Steak

Tips & FAQs

You can use this recipe for Italian breadcrumbs to make your own, using bread and dried herbs.  Or if you have plain breadcrumbs, you can just add the herbs to give them the perfect flavor for this.

If your cheese is shredded rather than finely grated, you can chop it finer in a blender or food processor so it will combine better with bread crumbs.

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SIcilian Steak

Sicilian Steak

Coated in Italian bread crumbs and sauteed in olive oil,Sicilian Steak is a tasty but simple entrée. You can even use bargain round steak!
Author: Inger
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 4 6-8 ounce pieces of steak trimmed of fat
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • Extra garlic powder to taste optional
  • Salt, pepper
  • 2-3 Tablespoons Olive oil for sautéing

Instructions
 

  • Mix breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese & extra garlic powder if using.
  • Season steaks with salt & pepper, then coat each piece of steak in breadcrumb mixture, followed by beaten egg, then breadcrumbs again. Set aside.
  • Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Sautee breaded steaks on both sides until golden, then continue cooking to the desired doneness—I recommend using an instant read thermometer to test.
  • Serve hot.

Notes

If you are using a very thick piece of meat, you can transfer it to a 375 degree preheated oven and cook to the desired temperature there.  If your frying pan is oven-safe you put it directly in the oven; otherwise you will need to transfer to another pan.
If you have shredded versus finely grated cheese, you can chop it finer in a blender or food processor so it will combine better with bread crumbs.
You can use this recipe for Italian breadcrumbs to make your own, using bread and dried herbs. 
I am not a health professional and nutrition data is calculated programatically. Accuracy may vary with product selection, calculator accuracy, etc. Consult a professional for the best information.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

29 thoughts on “Sicilian Steak: Italian Dining at Home

  1. David Scott Allen

    You know, I am sure that most Sicilians didn’t use the tenderloin this way. The breading and frying was the way to use tougher meats (often pounded). I will definitely make this, Inger (sans garlic, of course) – and follow your lead on the steak choice!

  2. Beth

    I still make some of the recipes I learned back in my early days of marriage when we were trying to save money. It’s surprising how well they hold up!

  3. Erica

    Supper clubs remind me of growing up and dinners out with my family and grandparents. I should try this italian twist on steak and since I do not eat much red meat, I like the idea of using a thinner round steak.

    1. Inger Wilkerson

      I found that with the richness of the breading it seemed to go a lot further. I started with just over 8 oz per person and we had leftovers. Not that I’m complaining about leftover steak 😉

      1. Erica

        Hi Inger, we made this recipe last week. We had the butcher at Sendiks slice a filet for us to make it thinner. We both loved it and will be making it again!!

  4. cakewhiz

    according to my husband, nothing is as staisfying as dining on a good juicy steak at the end of the day…lol. he would go crazy for this 😛

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