Pork Chop Casserole With Rice, Tomatoes, and Peppers

Pork chops with onions in casserole dish

 gbh007 / Getty Images

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 60 mins
Total: 80 mins
Servings: 4 to 6 servings

One-dish meals come to the rescue on busy weeknights, and this recipe for pork chops with rice and vegetables will become a favorite in the dinner lineup. It is simple to prepare and is full of flavors and textures. Pork chops combine with rice, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, and dried herbs along with beef broth; everything cooks until tender, making a satisfying meal that needs no accompaniment. This recipe is much healthier when compared to many other casseroles as it doesn't call for shredded cheese or canned condensed soup or dried soup mix, both of which can be high in sodium.

To give the chops a nice outer crust, they are first browned in olive oil in a skillet before placing on top of the rice in the casserole dish. Then the sliced onion, green pepper, and canned tomatoes are layered on top, the thyme, marjoram, and salt and pepper are sprinkled over, and then the broth is poured over everything to moisten the ingredients. After one hour in the oven, this pork chop casserole is ready for the table.

You can use almost any type of rice, but make sure to keep the ratio of rice to liquid one-to-two unless adding wild rice, which will need about 2 1/2 parts liquid and a bit longer cooking time. Feel free to play around with the ingredients depending on what you have in your fridge; just be sure to use the tomatoes and broth as they both contribute the liquid needed. Instead of peppers, you can add green beans, broccoli, or celery, and you can swap out the marjoram for oregano or both herbs for an Italian seasoning blend. If you would like to add something to the dinner menu, a simple green salad or roasted Brussels sprouts would be nice on the side, along with some crusty bread.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup uncooked rice

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 6 pork chops, about 1/2-inch thick

  • 1 large onion, sliced into rings

  • 1 medium green bell pepper, sliced into rings

  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can tomatoes

  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

  • 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 dash freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 1/2 cups beef broth

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 F and lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish.

  2. Put the uncooked rice in the bottom of the dish.

  3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat and brown the pork chops on each side. Place the chops over the layer of rice.

  4. On top of the chops, layer the sliced onion, green pepper, and tomatoes, then sprinkle with the seasonings and pour the beef broth over all.

  5. Cover and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until the chops are tender and the rice is done.

  6. Enjoy.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
209 Calories
8g Fat
25g Carbs
10g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 209
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g 10%
Saturated Fat 2g 8%
Cholesterol 22mg 7%
Sodium 628mg 27%
Total Carbohydrate 25g 9%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 10g
Vitamin C 19mg 96%
Calcium 31mg 2%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 275mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)