Can we talk about how difficult it is to caramelize onions?
Seriously. It’s insane. Ain’t nobody got time to babysit a pan full of low-cooking, thin strips of onions for an hour.
How come nobody has thought of an easier way? Sure, you can cheat by adding a little bit of sugar, but it’s still going to take you a minimum of 30 minutes to get that nice brown caramelization. Why do they have to be so good yet so hard to make?!
I gave up about halfway through caramelizing some onions for this French Onion pork chop dish I made the other night. The recipe didn’t even call for them to be caramelized, but I thought it would add some extra delicious flavor. Boy, was I wrong. Even without the sweet caramel flavor, this dish was still delectable.
I’ve never been a big French onion soup kind of gal. I’ve ordered it once or twice before while out to eat, but it’s neither my favorite nor my go-to soup. I’ve definitely never made it myself.
When I found this recipe, though, I was intrigued. I’m always trying to find new ways to dress up pork (it can be the other boring white meat, if you know what I mean) and I thought all of this would be perfect with a root vegetable mash I was going to make. There’s always a good amount of onions in my cupboard so I knew this dish would work perfectly.
I’m the lone onion fan in my household, and usually the lone onion fan at work. I’m shocked so many people hold a gruge against the ultimate flavor-savior. I would say a good 95% of my recipes contain onion in one form or the other. They’re just so good!
Serve these pork chops with mashed potatoes (or mashed root veggies) and a salad and you’ve got yourself a tasty dinner.
French Onion Pork Chops
Hearty, sweet cast-iron skillet pork chops with a French Onion gravy and cheese.
Ingredients
- 5-6 boneless sirloin pork chops
- 2 onions, peeled and sliced thin
- 3 TBS. butter
- 2 TBS. olive oil
- 1 cup beef broth
- salt & pepper
- 1 tsp. thyme
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 TBS. flour
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile, in a large cast iron skillet, melt butter and 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook for about 8-10 minutes or until tender and translucent. Stir in flour and then add beef broth. Simmer for another 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Season pork with salt, pepper, thyme, and garlic powder. In large skillet, heat remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add pork chops and sear about 2-3 minutes per side.
- Nestle pork chops in onion mixture. Spoon some sauce over the top. Add heaping handful of shredded cheese on top of each chop.
- Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and pork chops read about 145 degrees on a meat thermometer.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile, in a large cast iron skillet, melt butter and 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat.
Add onion and cook for about 8-10 minutes or until tender and translucent.
Stir in flour and then add beef broth. Simmer for another 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Season pork with salt, pepper, thyme, and garlic powder. In large skillet, heat remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add pork chops and sear about 2-3 minutes per side.
Nestle pork chops in onion mixture. Spoon some sauce over the top. Add heaping handful of shredded cheese on top of each chop.
Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and pork chops read about 145 degrees on a meat thermometer.
leencuisine.com 
OMG. YUM. 🌿😜🌱😍🍃
The yummiest!
This looks so good! I’m with you…I add onion to just about everything if I think it will improve it.
Yes!! It gets me in trouble a lot with my husband, who hates onion. “Do you have to add onion to everything?” Um YES!
Holy cos this looks so good.