Pork Pizzaioli
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I’m a girl who loves Italian food. Maybe it’s because of my Italian roots (my great-grandma came from Sicily), or maybe it’s just that I know good food when I taste it. You can’t go wrong with pasta and a good sauce! One of these days I will share my mom’s spaghetti sauce recipe and her lasagna recipe; our family is known for our lasagna!! I daresay it’s one of the best I’ve tasted.
But we aren’t here for lasagna today. We are here for porkchops! This Italian recipe doesn’t even use pasta, which is good news for those watching their carbs (you can make pasta on the side if you’d like). You can still enjoy Italian food while watching your carb count!
I came across this recipe in a magazine years ago and it’s become one our family favorites. I made a few changes to the original recipe because I felt like there were a couple of things missing. I also like to use the thinly cut porkchops. The original recipe calls for thick porkchops but I feel like when the chops are too thick, you don’t get the full flavor of the sauce and mozzarella. It’s personal preference. Try both and decide what works for you! This is what I use.
The recipe calls for pork, but you could substitute it for chicken. I think the pork gives it more flavor, and I’m not even a big porkchops fan. This is hands down my favorite pork chop recipe.
Here’s what you’ll need:
You can either use one large (28 oz.) can of diced tomatoes, or two 15 oz. cans. I use the smaller cans because I like “petite” diced tomatoes and it’s hard to find them in the large cans. I’m putting two cans of petite diced on the recipe, but know that you can use whatever you want.
To start with, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan on medium-high heat. I use either avocado or coconut oil (LouAna’s brand is the best for sauteing veggies; it doesn’t taste like coconut). Coconut and avocado oils are the safest to cook with at high temps.
Put your pork chops in and cook them until they are no longer pink on the inside and the outsides are nice and brown. For thin porkchops, it takes about 4 minutes on each side.
Once your pork chops are cooked, put them on a plate lined with a paper towel (to absorb the excess oil) and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside while you make your sauce. Reduce the heat to medium and add garlic to the pan, cooking until it is fragrant (about 30-45 seconds). Add tomatoes (in their juice), oregano, basil and a pinch of salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook it for about 15 minutes, or until it slightly thickens.
When your sauce is thickened, return your pork chops to the pan and heat them all the way through. Add slices of mozzarella on top of the chops, turn off the heat and put a lid on top for just a few minutes for the cheese to melt.
Serve the porkchops on a plate and top with plenty of the tomato sauce mixture. Yum!
You can also boil some pasta to serve with this and top it with the extra tomato sauce. I’ve done that on many occasions!
Try it now, or pin it and try it later! Make sure to come back and tell me what you think!
If you’re wondering about the cute plates, they came from The Pioneer Woman!
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 25 minutes |
| Servings |
pork chops
|
- 1 to 1 1/2 pounds pork chops, thinly sliced
- 2 15 oz. cans petite diced tomatoes
- 1 TB oil, avocado or coconut
- 2 TB minced garlic
- 2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 6 slices mozarella cheese
- salt and pepper, to taste
Ingredients
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|
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan on medium-high heat. Put your porkchops in and cook them until they are no longer pink on the inside and the outsides are nice and brown; about 4 minutes on each side.
- Once your pork chops are cooked, put them on a plate lined with a paper towel (to absorb the excess oil) and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside while you make your sauce.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add garlic to the pan, cooking until it is fragrant (about 30-45 seconds). Add tomatoes (in their juice), oregano, basil and a pinch of salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook it for about 15 minutes, or until it slightly thickens.
- When your sauce is thickened, return your pork chops to the pan and heat them all the way through. Add slices of mozzarella on top of the chops, turn off the lid and put a lid on top for just a few minutes for the cheese to melt.
- Serve the porkchops on a plate and top with plenty of the tomato sauce mixture.
