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Pork Chop with cheese melted on top over carrots and kale on top of quinoa on plate on counter with casserole dish in background. Smothered Pork Chop Casserole is a true midwestern comfort dish with layers of vegetables and meaty pork chops smothered in a creamy sauce and cheese.  The pork chops in this delicious casserole are left whole so that you get an entire portion dripping in goodness in one scoop.

Pork Chop Casserole

Smothered Pork Chop Casserole is a true midwestern comfort dish with layers of vegetables and meaty pork chops smothered in a creamy sauce and cheese.  The pork chops in this delicious casserole are left whole so that you get an entire portion dripping in goodness in one scoop.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword casserole, pork, pork chop
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4 servings
Author Carrie Tyler

Ingredients

Vegetables

  • 2 cups Carrots, sliced
  • 1 cup Onion, diced
  • 1 clove Garlic, Minced
  • 10 cups Kale, chopped

Cooking Pork Chops

  • 4 Pork Chops, boneless 1" thick
  • 1 Tbls Salt (enough to sprinkle on pork)
  • 1 Tbls Fresh Ground Pepper (enough to sprinkle on pork)
  • 4 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (2 teaspoon for Kale, 2 teaspoon for pork)

Sauce and Casserole

  • 2 Tbls Corn Starch
  • ¼ cup Milk (Skim, 1% or 2% are all fine)
  • 2 cups Chicken Broth
  • 8 oz Gruyere, finely shredded
  • Salt, to taste
  • Fresh Ground Pepper, to taste

Instructions

Prep Ahead - Vegetables

  1. Peel and slice Carrots into quarter size disks.  If the carrot diameter is larger, just cut slices in half.

  2. Dice Onion.  Mince Garlic.

  3. Rince, pat dry, then roughly chop the Kale.  You will need roughly 9-10 cups to cook down to enough for 4 servings.  It will look like a TON, but trust me, it will cook down.

Make your Casserole

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.

  2. Preheat a medium-large skillet (large enough to fit 4 pork chops) on high.  Add 2 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil to the skillet to coat.  Then add the Kale in batches until it is all cooked down.  Turn the kale so that it all gets access to heat and starts to cook down.  Add a couple tablespoons of water to help it wilt if needed with each additional batch of kale, but just make sure that the liquid cooks off.

  3. Once all kale is cooked, transfer it from the skillet to a 9x9 casserole dish.  

    Sauteed Kale is added to the bottom layer of the casserole dish first. Smothered Pork Chop Casserole is a true midwestern comfort dish with layers of vegetables and meaty pork chops smothered in a creamy sauce and cheese.  The pork chops in this delicious casserole are left whole so that you get an entire portion dripping in goodness in one scoop.
  4. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper on both sides liberally.  Make the sure the skillet is back on high heat and add another 2 teaspoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil to the skillet to coat and then add the pork chops to sear.  Leave cooking without moving for 4-5 minutes.  When they easily lift, flip the chops over to sear the other side for another 4 minutes.  

    4 Seared pork chops in skillet. Smothered Pork Chop Casserole is a true midwestern comfort dish with layers of vegetables and meaty pork chops smothered in a creamy sauce and cheese.  The pork chops in this delicious casserole are left whole so that you get an entire portion dripping in goodness in one scoop.
  5. Transfer the pork chops to the casserole dish laying them directly on top of the Kale in a single layer.

  6. To the same pan with the pork chop drippings, add the onion, the minced garlic, and the carrots.  Stir and cook for 5-8 minutes until the carrots are starting to soften and the onions are getting translucent.  

    Carrot slices added to onions in skillet. Smothered Pork Chop Casserole is a true midwestern comfort dish with layers of vegetables and meaty pork chops smothered in a creamy sauce and cheese.  The pork chops in this delicious casserole are left whole so that you get an entire portion dripping in goodness in one scoop.
  7. While the veggies are cooking, make the cornstarch slurry by adding 2 tbls of cornstarch to ¼ cup cold milk in a small mixing bowl.  Stir to dissolve.

  8. Add 2 cups of chicken broth to the carrots, onions, and garlic while keeping the heat on high.  Stir to combine. 

    Chicken Broth being poured over carrots and onions in skillet. Smothered Pork Chop Casserole is a true midwestern comfort dish with layers of vegetables and meaty pork chops smothered in a creamy sauce and cheese.  The pork chops in this delicious casserole are left whole so that you get an entire portion dripping in goodness in one scoop.
  9. Add the cornstarch slurry to the broth and veggies and whisk it in as it comes up to a simmer and begins to thicken.  

    Cornstarch slurry being poured over broth with carrots and onions. Smothered Pork Chop Casserole is a true midwestern comfort dish with layers of vegetables and meaty pork chops smothered in a creamy sauce and cheese.  The pork chops in this delicious casserole are left whole so that you get an entire portion dripping in goodness in one scoop.
  10. Once thickened, pour the sauce and veggies over the pork chops in the casserole dish. Spread the carrots and sauce around evenly.
    Carrots and Sauce being poured from skillet to casserole dish over pork chops. Smothered Pork Chop Casserole is a true midwestern comfort dish with layers of vegetables and meaty pork chops smothered in a creamy sauce and cheese.  The pork chops in this delicious casserole are left whole so that you get an entire portion dripping in goodness in one scoop.
  11. Final step!  Sprink the top of all this goodness with CHEESE!  I prefer the finely shredded Gruyere as I think it is just delicious with Pork in this dish and it melts so nicely.  

    Hand sprinkling shredded mozzarella cheese over carrots, sauce, and pork in casserole dish. Smothered Pork Chop Casserole is a true midwestern comfort dish with layers of vegetables and meaty pork chops smothered in a creamy sauce and cheese.  The pork chops in this delicious casserole are left whole so that you get an entire portion dripping in goodness in one scoop.
  12. NOW, at this point, you can store the uncooked casserole in the fridge and cook when you are ready to eat it.  If you do this, you need to Bake it in a 350 degree F oven for about 5-10 minutes longer (total 35-40min) covered or until the pork reaches 165 internal temp.  Remove the cover for the last 10 minutes so that the cheese can brown on top.

    If you Bake the casserole immediately, then bake it in a 350 degree oven covered for 30 minutes.  Remove the cover for the last 10 minutes so that the cheese can brown on top.  You can even turn the broiler on for 2-3 minutes at the very end to really brown the top.

    Casserole with melted and browned cheese on top. Smothered Pork Chop Casserole is a true midwestern comfort dish with layers of vegetables and meaty pork chops smothered in a creamy sauce and cheese.  The pork chops in this delicious casserole are left whole so that you get an entire portion dripping in goodness in one scoop.
  13. Serve over rice, quinoa, or potatoes and enjoy!

    Pork Chop with cheese melted on top over carrots and kale on top of quinoa on plate on counter with casserole dish in background. Smothered Pork Chop Casserole is a true midwestern comfort dish with layers of vegetables and meaty pork chops smothered in a creamy sauce and cheese.  The pork chops in this delicious casserole are left whole so that you get an entire portion dripping in goodness in one scoop.

Recipe Notes

  1. I have said that there are 4 servings in this recipe, because there are 4 pork chops.  However, if you split these in half for kids, you can easily get 5-6 servings.
  2. If you cannot find Gruyere Cheese, you can substitute Mozzarella.