Pork Chops Baked with Applesauce

This was another recipe I found on the AllRecipes Australia/New Zealand website and thought we'd give a try! We usually have a few packages of pork chops in our freezer from our meat CSA and I like to find new ways to cook them for my boys. I think pork and anything apple flavored goes together marvelously, so this looked like a great one to try out! I found this dish to be nicely flavored, very mild, but nice. I think it could have used a little bit of a stronger flavor and might suggest added a diced apple to the pan while baking to help infuse more of that flavor into the meat. I also found our pork chops were fairly dry unfortunately. I think the cooking time was probably a little bit too long, and would suggest watching them and trying to pull them out when the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. I found this e-how article on how to keep pork chops from drying out, and will have to keep these tips in mind for future pork chop baking attempts! :)

We served this with steamed vegetables, pasta salad, and some Texas toast for a tasty, and filling dinner. My 14 year old fixed this one pretty much completely by himself. He is getting to be a very handy helper in the kitchen and really enjoys getting to try out all these new recipes. He is going to be one well-prepared bachelor. No ramen noodles and pop tarts for him (or a mom can hope)! :)

Pork Chops Baked with Applesauce from SHMOOPSY AllRecipes AU

Ingredients

1 cup (scant) unsweetened applesauce

1 cup chicken broth

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon chili powder (or to taste)

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 large bay leaf

4 pork chops

salt and pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix applesauce, chicken broth, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili powder, garlic and bay leaf in large bowl and set aside. Season the chops with salt and pepper.
3. Heat oil over medium heat in a large frying pan and sear the chops on both sides. When chops are browned, lay them in a casserole or baking dish. Pour the apple sauce mixture over them, cover with foil and cook in preheated oven for 30-45 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.