Easy Baked Pork Chops with Creamy Tomato Sauce
Tender and juicy bone-in pork chops are smothered in mouthwatering creamy tomato sauce then baked to perfection in this simple yet mouthwatering weeknight favorite.
Equipment
- 1 9x13, or larger, baking pan
Ingredients
- 4 to 6 Bone-in Pork chops see note
- 1 teaspoon salt I prefer pink Himalayan salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 24 oz. jar pasta sauce
- 1 16 oz. jar alfredo sauce
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 ½ cups Colby Jack or sharp cheddar cheese grated
Instructions
- Remove the pork chops from the fridge 20-30 minutes before preparing if time allows. This will help ensure that they cook evenly.
- Heat oven to 400°. Spray a 9x13 baking pan if cooking 4 chops, or an 11x15 pan if cooking 6 chops, with non-stick spray.
- Generously sprinkle both sides of each pork chop with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, then place in the pan.
- Pour the tomato sauce over the chops, followed by the alfredo sauce. Swirl with a spatula to partially combine. Next, sprinkle on the paprika.
- Place the pan on the middle rack of the heated oven, and bake for 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the internal temperature of the pork chops reaches 145°.
- Remove the pan from the oven, and increase the oven temperature to 425°. Sprinkle on the cheese, and put the pan back in the oven. Bake for an additional 5-8 minutes or until the cheese is melted and begins to brown slightly.
- Alternately, if you are using a broiler-safe pan, such as a ceramic pan, you can use the broiler to crisp up the cheese if desired. Instead of heating the oven to 425°, turn off the oven and turn on the broiler. After sprinkling on the cheese, return the pan to the middle rack of the oven. Watching carefully, broil the pork chops for 2-3 minutes or just until the cheese starts to brown.
- Carefully remove the pan from the oven and let the pork chops rest for 10 minutes. Serve with rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes. Enjoy!
Notes
This recipe calls for 4 to 6 pork chops, but the sauce amount remains the same regardless of the number of chops you use. For reference, 4 pork chops plentifully serves my family of six; my younger children share pork chops while my hungry teenage sons can polish off a whole one each. That said, one pork chop is a lot of meat, so if you’re trying to cut back on grocery costs, you can easily make this recipe stretch a little farther by dividing all the pork chops into 2 servings each, and there’s plenty of sauce for at least six servings. If you choose to use 6 chops, you will probably need an 11x15 baking pan to avoid overlapping the chops.