There are a lot of noises coming from inside and outside of my apartment.
It’s a busy morning in the city. Workers are hard at work building new patios on my neighboring apartments. A table saw buzzes in the distance. Bolo, my frisky Siamese cat, is sitting by the window cleaning his foot. The slurping noise he makes as he cleans between his toes is unnerving. A fan in the hallway hums as it circulates cool air into our living room.
I’m still half asleep and the city is fully awake. I don’t think I’ll ever understand how people can operate before 9 a.m. I’m already one cup of coffee down and still not ready to take on the world.
It’s hard enough drumming up the energy to write this blog post…and I LOVE writing blog posts. My mind is still hazy from the whacky dreams I had last night. My mind is also half taken up right now by worrying about buying a house. I’ve found one that I love, but I’m afraid it will sell before we have a chance to even look at it.
What’s been powering me through this entire week is my lunch. I’ve eaten a pork chop a day now, along with a big heaping of sauerkraut, potatoes, and stewed tomatoes. It may not sound like the tastiest thing to eat for lunch, but it’s been pretty darn good for me.
I dredged up this recipe from a Taste of Home Casseroles cookbook. I rely on this cookbook heavily in between shopping trips. Now that’s I’m only grocery shopping once every 3-4 weeks, the final week before my grocery trip is usually all casseroles all the time. I ran out of fresh produce long ago and now I’m using what I have in the freezer and pantry.
This casserole is hearty and filling. The porkchops ended up tender (that’s always a plus!) and very versatile. You can season them any which way you like; I seasoned mine with a spice blend from Colorado my Aunt Teresa gave me.
Enjoy!
Bavarian Pork Chop Bake
A hearty casserole with sauerkraut, seasoned pork chops, potatoes and tomatoes.
Ingredients
- 5-6 medium red potatoes, sliced thin (but not peeled)
- 4-6 pork chops (thick, boneless)
- 2 TBS. olive oil
- 1 (32 oz) jar of sauerkraut, drained
- 1 (14 oz) can stewed tomateos, drained
- 1 tsp. caraway seeds
- 1 tsp. fresh dill
- salt & pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season pork chops to your liking (garlic powder, lemon pepper blend, steakhouse blend, etc.). Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add pork chops and sear until browned on both sides but not cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from heat.
- Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Add potato slices and boil until slightly tender, about 5-6 minutes. Drain.
- Spray a 13×9″ baking dish with cooking spray. Add sauerkraut to the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle caraway seeds on top of sauerkraut. Top with pork chops. Add potatoes on top. Season with salt and pepper and fresh dill. Top with stewed tomatoes.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30-35 minutes.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season pork chops to your liking (garlic powder, lemon pepper blend, steakhouse blend, etc.). Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add pork chops and sear until browned on both sides but not cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from heat. Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Add potato slices and boil until slightly tender, about 5-6 minutes. Drain.
Spray a 13×9″ baking dish with cooking spray. Add sauerkraut to the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle caraway seeds on top of sauerkraut. Top with pork chops.
Add potatoes on top. Season with salt and pepper and fresh dill.
Top with stewed tomatoes. Cover with foil and bake for 30-35 minutes. 
leencuisine.com 