A favorite dish in our house, especially during cooler weather, are pork chops and applesauce. One of my kids recently decided that applesauce is too mushy so I came up with this variation that has been a big hit with everyone in the family. These baked pork chops and apples are a favorite meal in our home.
Super Simple Steps
Here’s a quick video to show you how simple this is to prepare. You’ll find detailed step-by-step instructions directly below the video. Click here to go directly to the recipe card.
In lieu of applesauce, I slice apples and lay them in the bottom of a casserole dish.
I sprinkle cinnamon on top of the apples and then layer the pork shop on top of them.
Next, I make the sauce and pour it over the pork and apples. In case you don’t make it all the way down to the comments, one reader mentioned that she replaced half of the sugar with honey and was pleased with the result.
Then it goes in the oven for 35-40 minutes and dinner is served! We will usually have sweet potato fries and green beans. The sweet glaze keeps the kids from complaining about vegetables since they feel like they’re getting away with an early dessert. It’s surprising how a little sprinkle of cinnamon and brown sugar can transform a meal into kid-friendly.
Click the button below to find the full recipe.
- St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes - January 24, 2021
- St. Patrick’s Day Meringue Cookies - January 20, 2021
- Lucky Charms Cupcakes - January 19, 2021
Mary says
Making this tonight — as I’m looking at the recipe I’m thinking “this blogger sure looks familiar”…. and then I realize I met you at Focused! Looking forward to using your recipe.
Kris says
Hi I really want to make this for my family tonight, but my wife is allergic to cinnamon. Is there an alternative or would it be okay to just leave it out.
Wondermom Wannabe says
Hi Kris, if you don’t want to sacrifice flavor, you can substitute allspice or nutmeg. Omitting spices entirely though, won’t affect how the dish bakes so if you don’t want to try one of those, feel free to go without. I hope this helps!
Sarah says
I am wanting to make this next week for my family. Do you have to trim that little fat off? Would it mess it up if i left it on?
Wondermom Wannabe says
Hi Sarah, you can leave the fat on, but it will create more liquid in the pan and make your sauce greasy. It doesn’t ruin the dish, it just comes out a little different.
Kelly says
I’m making this tonight! So excited to see how it turns out, no doubt amazingly I’m sure 😉 I love how quick and simple this is to make especially for weeknights when we have school and soccer and who knows what else. Nothing is more satisfying than a homemade dinner. Thank you so much!
Wondermom Wannabe says
Hi Kelly! I hope you enjoyed it! It’s one of my favorites for the same reason – perfect for busy weeknights (plus, the kids actually like it so I don’t have to listen to any complaints). 🙂
Lauren says
What sides would you recommend with this dish?
Wondermom Wannabe says
Hi Lauren, my kids love stuffing (usually I buy Stove Top whole wheat stuffing) and because I always like something green on the plate, we usually have green beans too.
Jocelyn Huff says
I have to say I did not care for this recipe. It was lacking flavor, I didn’t have a glaze, it was more of watery sauce. Everything was bland.
Wondermom Wannabe says
I’m sorry to hear this Jocelyn. I’ve made it many times and never had that problem and it’s one of my family’s favorite meals. Thank you for taking the time to comment and share your opinion. I wish I could pinpoint what might have gone wrong, but perhaps it’s simply a difference in taste.
Tracey says
Has anyone froze this casserole and then baked later? I am trying to make some meals ahead for those busy nights when I just want to pull something from the freezer and this sounds really yummy. Thanks!
Wondermom Wannabe says
I haven’t tried preparing this as a freezer meal before. I’m going to play around with the recipe and post a freezer version if I can make it work. Thanks for the idea Tracey!
RomansMom says
I’m making these for the first time as we speak. I really didn’t want to dirty a saucepan so I opted for a paper bowl to melt butter, add cinnamon and nutmeg then heat again to dissolve sugar. The sugar came out clumpy so I sucked it up and got the saucepan out to do butter/sugar/spice combo only to have it do the same exact thing. The butter is melted but the sugar is sitting in clump type piles on top of the porkchops. Did anybody else encounter this problem? Did I not heat the butter/sugar/spice combo long enough on the stove? Also, I’m cooking this in the oven uncovered since it doesn’t specify whether to cover the dish whjle cooking or not.
Wondermom Wannabe says
I’m sorry you had trouble with the glaze. I haven’t tried it in the microwave but I’ve never had trouble on the stove. My guess is that it needed to cook longer to melt the brown sugar. Don’t worry though, it should break down in the oven. Yes, the dish bakes uncovered. I’ll add that to the recipe now to avoid confusion for others in the future. Thanks for pointing out the omission!
Paul W. Primas says
Made them last night May 19 2016. My wife of over40 years said this is a keeper. Two chops & two apples and the rest of the spices I cut back about 1/2. large chops just melted in our mouth. I will be making it again soon. Paul
Wondermom Wannabe says
Hi Paul, I’m so glad you and your wife liked them (and thanks for sharing your variation so others can tweak to their preferences too). Do you happen to be a retired Marine? If so, ooh-rah and thanks for your service. 🙂
Knzy says
I can’t wait to try this recipe…we love pork chops with applesauce, so I’m sure that this will become a family favorite. How many servings does this make?
Wondermom Wannabe says
This is by far the most popular recipe on my blog so I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and many others do! This recipe makes 4 servings. For my family of 6, I actually double the recipe so my husband and I can have the leftovers for lunch the next day. 🙂
Rebekah says
AAH! I’m halfway through making the recipe, for the bajillionth time(even my kids devour it–they call it “Apple Pie for dinner”) and suddenly the recipe isn’t on your blog! What happened??
Wondermom Wannabe says
Rebekah, there seems to be a glitch in the program I use for my recipes. Working on it now. Thanks for commenting and letting me know!
Sheila says
What do you do with the salt ans pepper? It is in the ingredients but not the recipe.
Wondermom Wannabe says
Thanks for pointing that out Sheila! Looks like I somehow deleted a line from the recipe during one of my edits. I’ve corrected the recipe, but to answer your question – sprinkle the pork with salt and pepper after you’ve placed it on top of the apple slices (and before you top with the glaze).
Debbie says
I tripled the recipe (big eaters) , and I used pork chops on the bone , my question is do you cover them while baking? I know they will need to cook longer but not sure if need to be covered. Recipe didn’t say. Thanks!
Wondermom Wannabe says
Hi Debbie, sorry I didn’t specify. No, I don’t cover mine when I make them. Let me know how yours turn out.
NICOLE M TAYLOR says
How do you make the sauce? Am I missing it?
Corinne Schmitt says
Hi Nicole, you have to click the blue “Next” button at the bottom to get to the recipe card. There you’ll see the directions for the sauce.
Amanda says
Did you have to cover or cook them longer if they were boned?
Wondermom Wannabe says
You shouldn’t need to cover them. The bone-in chops are usually thinner so you shouldn’t need to cook them longer and the extra fat should keep them from being overcooked.
Jen says
What kind of apples do you use? If I half the recipe (2 pork chops) would you recommend halving everything? Thanks so much!
Wondermom Wannabe says
Hi Jen! I use granny smith apples because the tartness adds dimension and keeps the dish from being overly sweet. I have also used Gala, Fuji, and Pink Lady apples though and they all work well. Yes, you should just halve all of the ingredients if you are cooking for two. I actually double the recipe since there are 6 people in my family and two of them are teenage boys. I have to cook mine a little longer though when I double it so you might want to knock 5 minutes off the cooking time to prevent over-cooking the pork.
Amanda Smith says
We enjoyed this recipe. I have cut back on the sugar (about half) and replaced it with honey. Turns out great every time.
Wondermom Wannabe says
Thanks for coming back and letting me know how the recipe worked for you. The tip to replace some of the sugar with honey is really smart! I’m going to add a note within the post to recommend it per your suggestion.
Jennifer says
These turned out really good. Will be making them again.
Wondermom Wannabe says
I’m glad you liked them! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Sarah says
What could you use for a side with these ?
I dont have any sweet potatoes. Would a rice work
Thank you
Wondermom Wannabe says
Yes, rice would work. We’ve also served it with stuffing. For a vegetable, we have used a side salad and also green beans.
Brenda says
Question Cause I don’t know where I can actually leave my own comment. Do you think if I pre- put everything together and covered in foil and keep in fridge to closer to dinner it would still turn out good? I thought out pre-doing everything so my husband only needs to throw in oven 45 mins before I get home so we can eat right then
Corinne Schmitt says
Yes, that should work!
Tim says
Cut apples might brown a bit from being exposed to air but it will work
Ashley @ Dr. Pepper Diva says
This sounds so yummy! I love apples and this sounds like a delicious combo.
Holly @ Coconutheadsurvivalguide says
Hi Corinne – I’m with Cynthia… LOVE the combo of apples and pork chops. This is a great cold weather option when it’s not warm enough outside to make on the grill. Hugs, Holly
Cynthia L says
This recipe looks great! I love the combination of the apples and pork chops. I love eating pork chops, but never really know what to do with them. Now I do!
Carl says
Try applesauce also. A killer!
Chef Carl
Carl says
Glazes*
Consider with a can of crushed pineapple sprinkled with pecan crumbs.
…or even a quality applesauce with the same pecan therapy. ) Enjoy!!
Chef C
Kristen says
Hi there I can tell find the glaze recipe anywhere and the steps to make it would you mind sending it I’d like to make it tonight for the family thank you so much ?
Wondermom Wannabe says
Hi Kristen, if you click the “Next” button above (at the bottom of the post), it will take you to the next page where the full recipe is. Let me know if you have trouble with it.