Laurie's Pork Chops & Gravy

I’m really not a big pork chop fan. Generally, I think they are tough and bland. But, these pork chops (my mother’s recipe) are tender and full of flavor! They cook for so long, they literally fall apart when taken out of the oven- no knife required! The “gravy” is really just a can of cream of mushroom soup (please use regular ol' Campbell’s condensed!) & water that thickens as it cooks for hours in the oven. I have tweaked this recipe ever so slightly by adding butter, garlic and carrots; I'm confident my mother would approve!

Mom made these a lot for us growing up. If you ask my brothers and me, we would all say this is definitely one of our favorite meals Mom makes!

4 pork chops
flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 Tbl butter
2 tsp. dried thyme (divided)
1 Tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 c. onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 c. carrots, cut into rounds
1 c. CAMPBELL’S cream of mushroom soup (condensed)
1/2 to 1 can of water

1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. Put butter & oil in a large frying pan over medium heat (make sure the frying pan you use is oven-safe)
3. Place two heaping tablespoons of flour in a shallow dish. Add salt, pepper and 1 tsp dried thyme to the flour and mix with a fork. Place the pork chops in flour mixture making sure all of the chop is covered in a thin layer.

4. Put the pork chops in the pan. Fry for about 5 minutes, till nice and browned, and then flip chops to the other side. After the flip, scatter the onions, garlic, carrots and remaining 1 tsp of thyme in the pan around the chops. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring the onions, garlic & carrots occasionally.

5. Add the whole can of mushroom soup to the chops. Fill the soup can half way with water and add to pan. Stir. Put a lid on the pan and put it straight into the oven.

6.Cook on 350F for one hour, then check the chops. If you feel the gravy is too thick, add another 1/2 can of water. Lower the over temperature to 300F and cook for another three to four hours, until fork tender.

I serve these pork chops with *mashed potatoes & roasted green beans with almonds. I ladle the gravy all over the chops and potatoes. Good ol' comfort food! Yum!

*I have found that Alexia makes the most incredible frozen mashed potatoes that you cook in the bag in the microwave! I mean, how easy is that!? I promise you they are delicious! Give them a try and give yourself a break from boiling water!