Pork chop and applesauce gravy with sides of whipped cauliflower and sauteed spinach, October 2013
Nowadays frozen dinners come in all different shaped and sized containers, but in my younger years they were “TV dinners” with standard sectioned-out trays. When I first took the cover off these pork chops with apple gravy, it reminded me of peeling back the foil from one of my favorite TV dinners, pork with baked apples. The heavenly aroma, then and now, clearly told me, “Get ready for comfort food.”
Typical 1950s TV dinner.
This recipe pairs pork chops with the applesauce you may have canned from the summer’s bumper crop. If you don’t have home-canned applesauce, you can make a small batch just for this dish. For a little more than enough for this recipe, peel, core, and chop two medium apples. Place apple pieces in a small saucepan and add about 2 tablespoons water. No added sugar or seasonings are needed. Cook over medium heat until soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir and mash with a potato masher or fork until smooth.
If the homemade or purchased applesauce you have hand is chunky style, just mash or process it until smooth.
Arrowroot powder is used to thicken the gravy in this recipe. If you don’t have arrowroot powder, cornstarch will thicken in a similar way. An advantage of arrowroot-based sauces is that they remain stable when frozen; cornstarch-based sauces can break down and become thin when frozen.
| Baked Pork Chops with Apple-Thyme Gravy | Print |
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 4 medium pork chops, boneless or bone-in
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 3/4 cup applesauce
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Place oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chops and sear until browned, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove pan from heat.
- Layer browned chops in a casserole dish with a cover or in a baking pan you can cover with foil.
- In a pint-sized jar or small bowl, shake or whisk the arrowroot powder (or corn starch) and water until well-combined.
- Place skillet (the same one used to brown the chops) over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for a moment, just until fragrant. Pour the water-starch mixture into the skillet and cook and whisk until thickened and bubbly, about 2 to 5 minutes. As you whisk, scrape any browned bits off of the bottom of the pan. Add the salt, thyme, applesauce, and lemon juice and stir until heated through and well-combined.
- Pour gravy over chops. Cover and bake for about 1 hour 15 minutes or until tender. Check partway through and baste or rearrange chops if necessary to make sure they’re still covered with gravy.
Shared at:
- Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays
- The Gluten-Free Homemaker Gluten-Free Wednesdays
- Poor and Gluten-Free Waste Not Want Not Wednesday
- Tessa the Domestic Diva Allergy Free Wednesday
- Real Food, Allergy-Free Allergy Free Wednesday (Featured!)
- Phoenix Helix Paleo AIP Roundtable
I’m going to make this for dinner tonight. Didn’t think cornstarch was part of the AIP! I’ll just use the arrowroot starch anyway as corn is a definite no-no for me. Looking forward to more recipes from your site and your newsletter. Thank you for this recipe!
Thanks, Louise. Hope you liked the soup!
Thank you about the information always wanted to know the difference with arrowroot and corn starch. makes the mouth water reading the recipe off to get some pork chops.
Thanks for linking up at the Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable. You always have my favorite kind of recipe: simple & delicious. I hope you’ll join us again this week: http://www.phoenixhelix.com/2013/11/06/paleo-aip-recipe-roundtable-2/
Likewise, Eileen L–I always enjoy your innovative recipes, thorough research, and beautiful photos. I expect to be a regular at your Roundup!
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Thank you, RealFoodAllergyFree, for featuring my pork chops with applesauce thyme gravy!
This sounds heavenly. Thanks.
I’d like to invite you to “Like” my new Facebook fan page for The Gluten Free Homestead. https://www.facebook.com/TheGlutenFreeHomestead
I’d be extremely blessed by your participation and promotion of joyful gluten free living.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving your kind words! I have Liked your page. All the best!
Eileen,
A wonderful comfort memory from yesterday and today. Will definitely try your version this season. Thanks for the tasty, healthy suggestions, great writing and new ideas.
Debbie Wesslund
Thanks, Debbie! It’s always a treat to have you stop by and comment!