Cajun Style Smothered Pork Chops

CAJUN STYLE SMOTHERED PORK CHOPS IN MUSHROOM AND FRENCH ONION GRAVY

This is a particularly delicious, Cajun meal that I grew up eating. My mom used to make this at least once a week. We just couldn’t get enough of it.

My parents weren’t the wealthiest on the block by any means, and my dad was and still is, a very frugal shopper. He always got the basics for us, which included packs of pork chops, and things like ground beef and other staples that my mom could make dinner quickly with.

Heinens does it right with their meats, and their pork chops are an amazing price! Make sure you get the thinner center loin cuts, because the thinner they are, the more “fall-apart” they will be when you eat them.

The classic Cajun pot is a Magnolite pot. I don’t think they make them anymore, but I got one close to it!

I decided it was time to make some, and get Brandon to try it because he hasn’t had pork chops in decades, and quite frankly, I hadn’t had these in decades either. I think I made them in college over 15 years ago, but haven’t since.

But first, I wanted to change up the recipe just a smidge. I added chopped bella mushrooms and sprinkled some french fried onions for garnish to get that delicious green bean casserole flavor with the cream of mushroom soup that is used. It ain’t Cajun if there isn’t some sort of cream soup or velveeta cheese involved.

I also wanted to liven up the plate, since let’s face it - pork chops in mushroom sauce is a lot of brown. So I sautéed baby carrots and green beans to go with some grilled cherry vine tomatoes.

Don’t put too many french fried onions on top, there’s already onions cooked in the base sauce!

CAJUN STYLE SMOTHERED PORK CHOPS IN MUSHROOM AND FRENCH ONION GRAVY

Ingredients

• 5-6 thin cut center loin pork chops

• 1 onion, diced

• 8 oz baby bella mushrooms, chopped thick

• 1, 8 oz can cream of mushroom soup, low sodium if possible

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tablespoon Tabasco hot sauce

• salt, black pepper, cayenne to taste

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/4 cup chicken stock for browning pork chops

• 1/2 cup French’s fried onions for topping

Instructions

You’ll need a large pot for the pork chops, because for searing/browning you will need to have all chops touching the heated surface together. My pot is a very large, oval shape.

Drizzle a bit of olive oil to cover all chops. Season at your taste, with the seasonings listed In the ingredients, sans the Worcestershire and Tabasco.

On medium-high heat, pour in the chicken stock, and then sear/brown pork chops on each side for about 20 minutes. Flipping occasionally throughout so that the browning occurs on both sides.

Remove chops from heat and set aside while you cook the chopped onions and mushrooms.

Set oven to 375°F.

On the same medium high heat, cook the onions, garlic and mushrooms in the pork chop juice that is there for 10 minutes.

Add in cream of mushroom soup, and stir until you have fully incorporated the juice and onions and mushrooms.

Add in Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco to the soup mixture.

Remove the soup mixture from the pot and add in a medium bowl off to the side. Placing the pork chops where the soup was back in the large pot.

Grab the bowl of soup mixture, and begin to ladle over all chops to where it is distributed pretty evenly.

Assuming your oven is now preheated to 375°F, add pot to oven with a foil lid over the pot and not the pot lid.

Bake for 35 minutes.

Remove from oven, and plate with your sides that you made for this dish.

Garnish those chops with the fried onion pieces, and serve!