Happy mid-week, friends! How are you doing? Are you in the midst of your holiday shopping or are you ahead of the game and already done? Bravo to you if so! I’ve done a lot of online ordering… and I’m hoping to get a few things wrapped soon so we have some actual presents underneath the tree. I also just got my holiday cards so I’m trying to find time to address all of those and get them out. I kind of have a love-hate relationship with Christmas cards - love getting them, kinda dread the sending out part of them Like I mentioned with my cranberry balsamic pork chops, I’ve been on a pork kick recently here on the blog. Hope you don’t mind!
Today’s recipe is for saucy Italian slow cooker pork chops. And can we talk about this sauce? It’s as easy to throw together as simply putting everything in the slow cooker on top of the seared pork chops. That’s all you have to do but oh wow, it comes out SO rich and thick. The slow cooker does all the work to reduce the sauce until it’s got really deep flavor. You’ll be saying “Mamma Mia!” ( My Italian is rather limited )
You’ll also be eating it with a spoon. Or at least, I do. Seriously delicious folks. And it perfectly coats the pork chops. Between using bone-in chops and giving them a very quick sear to form a crust and lock in the flavor, you’ll be amazed at how much flavor these have. Light years beyond your standard pork chop. Serve this deliciousness up on top of some pasta and you are in for an amazing meal that was so simple to prepare. (I especially like having this for a nice little date night!)
Notes on saucy Italian slow cooker pork chops:
I highly recommend taking the few minutes to sear the pork chops in the pan before you put them in the slow cooker. It really helps lock in the flavor and moisture so the pork doesn’t dry out. And it takes just a few minutes! I also recommend cooking this in the slow cooker on low, instead of high. I’ve made in both ways and found it was much more flavorful when cooked on low. You can skip using the bell pepper if you want. I’ve made it without and it was just as good. I usually make this just for my husband and I, but I still use the full amount of sauce in the recipe below for just 2 pork chops. I like mine extra saucy!
As for serving, these pork chops go great over whole wheat spaghetti or fettuccine noodles. Just add a side salad or steamed veggie and dinner is ready! Also, a note that while I serve the pork chops whole, you can also remove the meat from the bone and stir it back into the sauce in the slow cooker. If you go this route, you may want to double the sauce so you’ve got enough to keep it good and saucy!
Whether for date night or just any day you need a slow cooker to do your hard work, I hope you give these saucy slow cooker pork chops a try! Enjoy! XO, Kathryn
I highly recommend taking the few minutes to sear the pork chops in the pan before you put the in the slow cooker. It really helps lock in the flavor and moisture so the pork doesn’t dry out. I serve the pork chops whole, but you can also remove the meat from the bone and stir it back into the sauce in the slow cooker. If you go this route, you may want to double the sauce so you’ve got enough to keep it good and saucy!
All-Clad Programmable Oval-Shaped Slow Cooker
