Baked Pork Chops in Mushroom Sauce

My Mom used to make pork chops in mushroom sauce (aka mushroom soup) for us all the time when we were growing up. We loved it! It brings back great childhood memories for me so of course, I made it all the time for my own kids when they were growing up. I put my own stamp on the dish by adding the sliced mushrooms which Mom never did. If you don’t like mushrooms, you can certainly leave them out but if you don’t like mushrooms, then you probably don’t like mushroom soup so I guess this wouldn’t be the recipe for you.

This recipe comes together pretty quickly. What takes the most time is frying the pork chops but I really wouldn’t skip that step. The frying enhances the flavor of the chops and it’s what gives the sauce that nice brown gravy color. I often serve these pork chops with rice because my kids love eating the sauce over rice. In fact, my kids always ask me to make extra sauce for their rice so sometimes I’ll actually use two cans of mushroom soup and make lots of sauce.

BAKED PORK CHOPS IN MUSHROOM SAUCE

• 1 can (10¾ ozs.) condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can (4 ozs.) sliced mushrooms, undrained
• 4-6 pork chops
• salt and pepper to taste
• canola oil for frying

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Empty the can of mushroom soup into a rectangular baking pan and add half a can of water.
3. Add the can of sliced mushrooms with its juice and whisk all together with a wire whisk until well combined; then set pan aside.
4. Lightly season pork chops with salt and pepper on both sides, if desired.
5. In a little oil, fry the pork chops in a skillet over medium-high heat until well browned on both sides.
6. Place cooked pork chops in baking pan, turning a few times to coat with sauce.
7. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour.

Advertisement

Slow Cooker Pork Chops with Creamy Hash Browns

This pork chop recipe is one that’s been around for years. If you just Google “slow cooker pork chops and hash browns,” you’re bound to come across a few variations of it. You can make it with cream of mushroom soup, O’Brien style potatoes, a different kind of cheese, the possibilities are many and varied.

This version was given to me by one of my officemates years ago and I’ve fixed it this way ever since. It’s easy and delicious. The best part is I have one of those slow cookers that lets you brown the meat right in it so I don’t have to dirty a separate skillet. Toss together a green salad and dinner’s ready in 2 shakes of a leg…. or 2 shakes of a dressing bottle.

SLOW COOKER PORK CHOPS WITH CREAMY HASH BROWNS

• 6 pork chops
• 1 tbsp. canola oil
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 pkg. (30 oz.) frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 2 cans (2.8 oz) French-fried onions
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. Season pork chops with salt and pepper.
2. In a large skillet, brown chops in oil on both sides and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the soup, milk, sour cream and 1 cup of cheese.
4. Stir in the hash browns and one can of onions; season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Transfer hash brown mixture to a greased slow cooker and lay pork chops on top.
6. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours.
7. Sprinkle top with remaining onions and cheese.
8. Cover and cook 15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

 

Grilled Brined Pork Chops

I decided to brine some pork chops to serve over the Cheddar Grits I was planning to make. Brining lean meats like pork chops, chicken breasts, fish fillets, and shrimp is a great way to keep them moist and juicy after they’re cooked. Brining is really easy. It’s simply marinating your meat in a solution of salt and water before cooking. How long you brine your meat depends on what you’re brining. Small, thin pieces like fish fillets and shrimp should be brined for no more than 30 minutes or less. A large turkey can be brined overnight.

This chart is from one of my early issues of Fine Cooking magazine and gives you a good idea of the ratio of salt to water for each of the different meats and how long to brine them. Make enough brining liquid to completely submerge the amount of meat you plan to cook.

The chart above gives salt concentration and brining time for various foods. Concentrations listed are for Diamond Crystal kosher salt. For table salt, cut salt amounts by 1/2; for Mortons kosher salt, cut amounts by 1/4.

You can add different herbs like rosemary, thyme, garlic, etc., to your brine. You can also change the brining liquid to broth or apple cider. You can even add sugar. All these additions are flavor enhancers, but the main ingredient in a brine is salt. You can’t have a brine without it. Make sure that whatever you’re brining is completely submerged in the liquid and keep it in the refrigerator for the required period of time. After the required brining time, remove the meat and rinse it under cold water so that it won’t be too salty.

GRILLED BRINED PORK CHOPS

• 6 pork chops
• 1 quart apple cider
• ½ cup salt

1. Mix apple cider and salt in a plastic baking bag or a ziploc bag.
2. Add the pork chops and seal the bag partway, pressing to remove all the air you can before sealing the bag completely so the pork chops are fully submerged.
3. Place bag in refrigerator and allow pork chops to sit in brine for 4 hours.
4. After 4 hours, remove pork chops from brining liquid and discard the liquid.
5. Rinse the pork chops under cool running water and pat them dry with paper towels.
6. Grill or pan fry to desired doneness.

Note:  I served the pork chops over a bed of polenta with roasted butternut squash.

EASY ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

• 1 large butternut squash (about 3 lbs.)
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. garam masala
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. Peel squash, remove seeds, and cut into 1-inch chunks.
2. Place squash in a rimmed baking sheet.
3. Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with garam masala, salt and pepper.
4. Toss all together well.
5. Bake at 400°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until squash is tender when pierced with a fork.