Pork Chops with a Tomato Cream Sauce

This recipe is absolutely delightful! In fact, it’s one of our owner’s (Dave Dewey) favorite recipes of mine. It is man approved and in fact, legends of this recipe actually sent a woman into labor the next day after eating it! Super easy and sure to be a crowd pleaser.. Afterall, who doesn’t love pork chops!?This recipe is perfect for a hearty eater of a man and a woman, but it can easily be doubled, tripled, whatever to food a larger crowd.

Now, if you are one of those people who tends to always overcook pork, do yourself a favor and get an instant read meat thermometer. We sell them at our shop or you can find them at the grocery store, Target, Wal Mart, where ever! A meat thermometer takes the guess work out of “if it’s done” or not. And you will be guaranteed moist, juicy pork every time!

For the pork chops, you can use bone-in chops or boneless. I use boneless, makes it easier not having to fight around a bone. Whatever you do though, make sure they are thick cut. 1″ thick at least. If you try and use pork chops that are 3/4″ or 5/8″ for this recipe, they will end up dry and overcooked, unless you adjust the cooking time.

If you can’t get your hands on pork chops that are already thick cut, cut them yourself! Buy a boneless pork loin and cut the chops however thick you want them! You can do it!

So now that we’ve got our chops, we are ready to begin. And of course, here is the ingredients needed for this lovely meal!

First preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then start off by pouring the flour into a plate or shallow bowl. I use paper plates because it means less dishes and easy clean up. If you’re feeling fancy, use a plate or bowl. Season the flour with a bit of paprika (about 1/2 tsp.), garlic powder (1 tsp.), salt, and pepper.Take a fork and mix  this together.

Next crack two eggs into a bowl and beat together with the milk. Then grab another plate or shallow bowl and pour in the breadcrumbs. If you are using plain breadcrumbs like me, season with salt and pepper. Once you are done, these three things should be much like an assembly line, sitting one next to the other. From left to right: Flour, egg/milk, and breadcrumbs.

** Please not in the photo, your flour probably won’t look as full as mine. I usually don’t measure when cooking so I always end up with too much! 😉 And like I said last time with the stew, a little bit too much here or there won’t hurt. This is another recipe where being precise isn’t crucial.

Next take your pork chops, one at a time, and first dredge them in the flour. Make sure to coat all sides with flour. Then move it to the egg/milk mixture making sure to coat all sides again. Finally roll it around  and cover it with breadcrumbs. What we are doing here is breading these pork chops so they will have a nice crispy crust on them.

Set them aside on a clean surface while you finish up the rest. I use tin foil for easy clean up and so that I don’t get raw pork juices all over. Once the pork chops are breaded, they should look like this…

Heat up a fry pan over medium high heat. Add olive oil. And butter for good measure. Although the butter can be omitted.

Once the pan is good and hot, throw in the pork chops and brown them on both sides until they are a nice golden brown. And much like with the stew last week, the pork chops will not be cooked all the way through.The point is not to cook them, but simply to brown them. Once they are browned, remove them from the pan to a baking sheet. Look at how pretty golden brown they are and pop them into the preheated oven!

Bake the pork chops for about 15-20 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 155 degrees. Safe internal temperature for pork has been lowered to 145 degrees so you can pull them at 145 degrees if you like them extra juicy. Although juices flowing out of pork often times freaks people out, so I pull mine at 155 to appeal to everyone.

While the pork chops are baking, heat up 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream in a saucepan on the stove. Simmer the cream for about 8-10 minutes or until it starts to thicken. You can even let it get to a boil, but be careful not to burn it.

Once the cream has thickened up a bit, add in 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and 1 tablespoon of spicy brown mustard. I forgot to photograph the mustard, whoops! But don’t forget to add it in!

Once you whisk it all together, the sauce should be a nice orange-y color, like this…

Now to counteract the acidity of the tomatoes, I usually add a dash of sugar to my sauce. This is optional. Taste the sauce and if you like it the way it is then leave it. Or if you wish, add the sugar. I usually always add cracked black pepper to mine as well. If you think it needs more tomato sauce, add it. If you think it needs a bit more mustard, add it. Or if it’s too harsh for your taste, add a bit more cream! Remember when I said precise wasn’t crucial…?

Now about the time you finish the sauce, your pork chops should be just about done in the oven. Pull them out and plate them. Pour some of the creamy, delicious sauce over the top, garnish with a bit of fresh chopped parsley or cracked black pepper! ENJOY!

As  you can see, I usually accompany this meal with potatoes, but you can use rice, pasta, or no starch what-so-ever. Whatever you fancy, these pork chops go great with anything!

And of course, I included a printable recipe! Please let us know how this recipe turned out for you!