Cheesy Pork Chop Casserole
This casserole takes me wayyy back... My mom made pork chop casserole often throughout my childhood. It was a weeknight dinner treat for me because I always looked forward to it and the creamy rice! Mmm! This was the second recipe that I ever learned how to make by myself growing up. Each time I made it I would add my own little twist to it until it became the Cheesy Pork Chop Casserole! This casserole smells and tastes like home to me. I hope this becomes a family dinner favorite in your home as well!
Equipment
- 1 9"x9" Clear Glass Casserole Dish
- 1 Large Frying Pan
- Aluminum Foil - To cover casserole while baking if your casserole dish does not have a glass lid.
- Cooking Tongs - To flip pork chops while browning.
- 1 Large Knife
- 1 Cutting board
Ingredients
- 4 Thin Bone-in Pork Chops
- 2 tbsp Dry White Wine - I recommend a Pinto Grigio.
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Butter - You will need a little extra butter to top the pork chops with before baking.
- 3 cups Beef Bone Broth
- 1 10.5oz Can Cream of Celery
- 1/2 Yellow Onion - Finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups White Rice
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Celery Salt
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese - Thick cut
- 1/4 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese - Topping
- 1/2 tbsp Fresh or Dried Parsley - Topping: If using fresh parsley, be sure to finely chop it.
Instructions
- Set pork chops out to reach room temperature.
- Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly season your room temperature pork chops with, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and dried or fresh parsley.
- Let the seasoned pork chops sit for 15 minutes.
- Drizzle 2 tbps of olive oil into a large frying pan and bring the pan to medium-high heat.
- Once your large frying pan has reached medium-high heat, brown the pork chops on each side, about 30 seconds per side. Place the browned pork chops on a plate and set aside to rest. You do not want to fully cook the pork chops; we are just giving them a nice brown sear on each side.
- Reduce your frying pan heat to medium and add 1 tbsp of butter to your large frying pan.
- Sauté 1/2 finely chopped yellow onion in the frying pan with the pork chop drippings on medium heat. While the onions are cooking add in 2 tbsp of your dry white wine to the pan and continue to cook the onions until they are tender and soft.
- In a 9”x9” glass casserole dish, pour in a 10.5oz can cream of celery, 3 cups beef bone broth, the sautéed yellow onion, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp celery salt, 1/4 tsp salt and whisk together in the casserole dish until all ingredients are fully combined.
- Add 1 1/2 cups of white rice to the casserole dish mixture. Stir until well combined.
- Finally, stir in 1 cup thick cut sharp cheddar cheese.
- Place browned pork chops over rice and cheese mixture within the casserole dish, top each pork chop with a slice of butter, and then sprinkle 1/4 cup thick cut cheddar cheese evenly over the top. Garnish the pork chops with some fresh or dried parsley at this time, if desired.
- Cover the casserole with aluminum foil or a glass lid if your casserole dish has one and pop your casserole in the 350 degree pre-heated oven.
- Let the casserole bake for 1 hour. Your pork chops will finish cooking during this time while adding a lot of flavoring to the casserole.
- Do not lift the casserole cover while it is baking. Allow the rice to fully cook through, uninterrupted. - (I can still hear my grandmother jokingly yelling at me "don't take the lid off of that rice dish!," as a reminder to me. Haha! She always cooked the most beautiful and fluffy rice. I learned from the best!)
- Allow your casserole to rest for 15 minuets before digging in.
Notes
Why use a clear glass casserole dish? I am passing down some advice to you that my mother taught me when I was a little girl. She would tell me that it is best to use a clear glass casserole dish while baking casseroles that include rice so you can see how the rice is absorbing the liquids on the sides of the casserole dish. This will allow you the option of adding more liquid if you think that the rice looks too dry throughout the baking duration. You don't want to take the lid off of the casserole dish if you do not have to while baking rice. It needs all that locked in steam to fully cook through. So this method of monitoring the rice while baking is great! Enjoy, my friends!