Recipe of the Week:
This may be my new favorite quick and easy way to prepare pork chops! I “pinched” the recipe from Just a Pinch and contributor Janet Crow. Yum!
Parmesan Baked Pork Chops
Ingredients:
– 4 boneless pork chops, 1/2 thick (mine were those amazing Costco 1″ thick chops and they worked just fine.
– 1 T olive oil
– 1 cup grated parmesan cheese (since I was making only 2 chops, I halved the cheese and bread crumbs and didn’t even need that much)
– 1 cup Italian flavored bread crumbs
– 1 tsp black pepper
– 1 tsp garlic powder
Directions:
– Combine the last 4 ingredients on a plate.
– Rub the chops with olive oil and then dip (coat) each one in the mixture. (my note: You could dip in egg if you prefer, but this worked really well). Make sure the chops are well coated.
– Line a pan with tin foil and spray with cooking spray. (I was out of foil, so I just gave my pan a swipe with olive oil. Cleaned up easily later).
– Place the chops in the pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. (I’d check them at 35. I cook chops to no more than 145 degrees so they’re still juicy and tender but the cooties are killed. My 1-inch chops only took 40 minutes. They were not terribly brown though–see the picture–so I gave them a zap under the broiler. Still not very brown. Janet’s were beautifully brown. Check out the picture on the Just Pinched site. What do you think made the difference?)
Enjoy!
First thing I did with this recipe was scanned the ingredients. Uh oh! “Italian flavored breadcrumbs”. Hmmm now that’s great if you have some. Is it a pre-packaged item? Where do I get it? A simple recipe then becomes a hassle. I have to either go out and find some (and given the simplicity of the end product is it really worth it?) or make it myself. The latter involves a google search and is more trouble than it’s worth. I’m guessing it’s a case of making some fresh breadcrumbs and adding some typically Italian herbs like basil.
An overly simple meal idea that, for me at least, was spoiled with a mystery ingredients I’m not familiar with.
Thanks for this recipe Diane. So easy & yummy.
Jennifer, I used a package of Krafts “Fresh Taste” – comes in a neat package with parmesan cheese and bread crumbs all ready in a bag to mix and dip in. Found it in the cheese/butter section.
I had four chops but had lots of the mixture left – so I think I’ll just take out half and mix it separately next time.
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/kraftcheese/freshtake.aspx
I didn’t think the chops were coated with enough breading. So, I dipped the in egg and coated them again. (Still threw away a lot of breading mixture.) They are in the oven now. I’ll let you know how it works. I think 45 min is way too long though.
I agree on 45 minutes being too long. I’ve completely changed the way I make thick chops now. I just use s & p, sear on the stove top 5 minutes a side, then put in the oven for about 7 minutes/ inch. check the temperature and they are delicious.
That’s often the case at my house too–not having the ingredients on hand. I usually have a container of bread crumbs, though, and it’s easy to toss in some dried Italian herbs. In this case, I had a container of Progresso Italian flavored bread crumbs, which are pretty common where I live. No Google search necessary!