Italian-seasoned slow cooker pork chops are cooked in a rich, thick tomato sauce for a delicious, easy dinner - great for date night!
Happy mid-week, friends! How are you doing? Are you in the midst of your holiday shopping or are you ahead of the game and already done? Bravo to you if so!
I've done a lot of online ordering... and I'm hoping to get a few things wrapped soon so we have some actual presents underneath the tree.
I also just got my holiday cards so I'm trying to find time to address all of those and get them out. I kind of have a love-hate relationship with Christmas cards - love getting them, kinda dread the sending out part of them
Like I mentioned with my cranberry balsamic pork chops, I’ve been on a pork kick recently here on the blog.
Hope you don’t mind!
Today’s recipe is for saucy Italian slow cooker pork chops. And can we talk about this sauce?
It’s as easy to throw together as simply putting everything in the slow cooker on top of the seared pork chops. That’s all you have to do but oh wow, it comes out SO rich and thick.
The slow cooker does all the work to reduce the sauce until it’s got really deep flavor. You’ll be saying “Mamma Mia!” ( My Italian is rather limited )
You’ll also be eating it with a spoon. Or at least, I do. Seriously delicious folks.
And it perfectly coats the pork chops. Between using bone-in chops and giving them a very quick sear to form a crust and lock in the flavor, you’ll be amazed at how much flavor these have. Light years beyond your standard pork chop.
Serve this deliciousness up on top of some pasta and you are in for an amazing meal that was so simple to prepare. (I especially like having this for a nice little date night!)
Notes on saucy Italian slow cooker pork chops:
- I highly recommend taking the few minutes to sear the pork chops in the pan before you put them in the slow cooker. It really helps lock in the flavor and moisture so the pork doesn’t dry out. And it takes just a few minutes!
- I also recommend cooking this in the slow cooker on low, instead of high. I’ve made in both ways and found it was much more flavorful when cooked on low.
- You can skip using the bell pepper if you want. I’ve made it without and it was just as good.
- I usually make this just for my husband and I, but I still use the full amount of sauce in the recipe below for just 2 pork chops. I like mine extra saucy!
As for serving, these pork chops go great over whole wheat spaghetti or fettuccine noodles. Just add a side salad or steamed veggie and dinner is ready!
Also, a note that while I serve the pork chops whole, you can also remove the meat from the bone and stir it back into the sauce in the slow cooker. If you go this route, you may want to double the sauce so you’ve got enough to keep it good and saucy!
Whether for date night or just any day you need a slow cooker to do your hard work, I hope you give these saucy slow cooker pork chops a try!
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
Saucy Italian slow cooker pork chops
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 bone-in pork chops, 1 to 1 ½ inches thick
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, divided
- 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
- 1 small green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- ½ small onion, chopped (½-2/3 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, (optional)
For serving:
- Cooked spaghetti or fettuccine noodles, grated Parmesan cheese, chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.
- Season pork chops with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Sear pork chops in skillet for 2-3 minutes per side, just to form a crust. Transfer pork chops to slow cooker.
- Add remaining ingredients (including remaining salt and pepper) to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, until pork chops are tender and cooked through.
- Serve over spaghetti or fettuccine noodles with sauce spooned on top, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary
I absolutely love pork chops, so I say keep the fabulous recipes coming, girlfriend! I have actually never made them in the slow cooker before... I know, crazy right?! I kind of forget about the slow cooker when it comes to things other than soup, so thank you for the friendly reminder!! I totally need to get on these chops! LOVE that you seared them first and I am drooling over that saucy tomato deliciousness!! Spoons are absolutely necessary... unlike my blog's name. Ha. LOVE! Pinned! Cheers!
Kathryn
I knew you wouldn't mind 😉 And yes to ALL the saucy tomato deliciousness in this dish! XO
Tom
I made this the other night, and it was soooooo good. I seared the chops as recommended, and I broke the pork apart for the last 1/2 hour on slow cooker. Leftovers tonight, which I am looking forward to!
Kathryn
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it Tom! Thanks so much for sharing!
Christine
Made for dinner tonight...outstanding!!! Great dish for company.
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you loved it! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Kristen Fanger
I actually just made this for this evening! Had some frozen pork chops and looked like a fantastic recipe! I actually had a HUGE jar of Prego sauce, so I defrosted the chops, and put a layer of chopped onion and some sauce between each one. (Had a total of 3). Should be done in about 6 hrs! Thanks for the great recipe!
Kathryn Doherty
Yay, I hope you enjoyed it Kristen! 😊
Natalie
This recipe sounds wonderful! I was planning to make tonight but then could only find boneless chops at my grocery store. Would that work for this dish or will it lack flavor?
Kathryn Doherty
Hi there! I think you will be just fine using boneless pork chops... yes, they don't have quite the same depth of flavor as bone-in, but the sauce in this recipe is so flavorful, you likely won't notice. Just make sure you pay attention to the size of your pork chops and don't overcook them. I hope that helps and I hope you enjoy!
Kenneth Willis
Cooked once before, second try short on some ingredients. Tom paste became tom sauce. One half the onion and garlic, used Giardiniera ( Louie`s) 1T start and t midway after tasted the sauce and 1/4 c white wine. one hour before serving added t spoon of sweet Basil. Your`s better to every one taste this adjustment great to replace lost hair on chest.
Kathryn Doherty
Thanks for sharing those substitutions!