Pork Chops and Sauerkraut
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An all-in-one dinner full of sauerkraut, bacon and pork chops is perfect for any day!
This pork chops and sauerkraut recipe combines chopped bacon, dried herbs, and tangy sauerkraut to create a flavorful base that’s topped with pork. Together they’re baked in the oven for a wonderful German-inspired meal.
This recipe features herb flavors of dried thyme, basil, and oregano that are combined with dried mustard. All mixed together in zesty sauerkraut that is lightly sweetened with brown sugar. So yum!
A German-Inspired Dinner
- Rich, tangy and slightly sweet, this is a wonderful change from usual flavors.
- Thick or thin pork chops can be used here – just cook more or less time depending.
- With a bit of pre-cooking, everything is then assembled in one casserole dish and baked.
- Use canned sauerkraut for a quick, budget-friendly ingredient.
- Dried herbs, dried mustard and brown sugar are mixed into sauekraut to create incredible flavor!
- This is a low carb dish. You can easily eat this on its own (it’s quite rich) or you can add rice, quinoa or pasta if you’d prefer.
Recipe Ingredients
The recipe uses four pork chops and bacon.
- BACON: The bacon needs to be cooked in advance. I like to bake the bacon in the oven when using it for recipes like this one. You’ll need one half a package of bacon for the recipe which is about ½ lb.
- PORK CHOPS: The cooking time will vary depending on thickness of pork chops you choose. Mine were quite thin (The thin ones tend to be more budget-friendly). I used four pork chops but this recipe could easily be used with six if you’ve got a hungry family.
FLAVORS: You’ll taste wonderful herbs like thyme, basil and oregano. Dried mustard, applesauce and brown sugar are also mixed in for that perfect Scandinavian taste.
SAUERKRAUT: Choose non-fermented sauerkraut for this recipe. I used a canned version. Fermented is typically more expensive and all the beneficial bacteria will die off during the baking process anyways. So save your money and buy the canned version instead.
How To Make Pork Chops and Sauerkraut
- Cook bacon either by baking or pan frying. Chop into pieces.
- Sear the pork chops for 30 seconds on each side in frying pan.
- Add sauerkraut ingredients to a large bowl according to the recipe below.
- Pour mixture into bottom of casserole dish. Top with pork chops.
- Cover and bake 20-30 minutes, or until pork chops are cooked and juices run clear.
How Long To Cook Pork Chops
Cooking pork chops at 350°F will take 20-30 minutes depending on these factors:
- Thickness of pork chop.
- Bone-in or not.
- Covered in foil or not.
Cooking 1-inch thick boneless pork chops will take 20-25 minutes. A thicker cut will take up to 30 minutes.
You can tell when pork chops are cooked by using a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat. When it reaches 145°F, the meat is cooked. Your pork chop can be juicy with a little pink in the center, according to the USDA.
For example, I used thin pork chops with very little bone on the edge. I also covered mine with foil, so I cooked for 25 minutes.
How To Keep Pork Chops From Drying Out In This Recipe
The best way to keep pork chops for drying out is to sear them quickly in a hot frying pan with a bit of oil. You only need to do 30 seconds on each side. Then add them to the sauerkraut in casserole dish and straight into the oven. Pork chops only need to be baked 20-30 minutes, depending on the thickness. Any longer will dry out the pork.
Storing Leftovers
This recipe stores well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Any leftover sauerkraut mixture can be used as a side dish for other dinners. It’s so tasty you’ll definitely want to save the leftovers!
More Main Dish Recipes
Save these other recipes for future dinner plans:
- Shrimp Asparagus Pasta is so delicious and cooked in one pot.
- Ground Turkey Zucchini Chickpea Skillet is healthy and budget-friendly. All cooked in one frying pan.
- Sweet and Sour Chicken Bites are ooey gooey and delicious! Served on a bed of rice.
- Salmon Loaf is inexpensive one our family faves!
- Spaghetti Squash Bolognese is low carb and really good.
Did you love this pork chop recipe? Be sure to leave a rating below!
Sauerkraut Bacon Pork Chops
Ingredients
- ½ lb bacon
- 3 cups sauerkraut - drained
- 2 cups applesauce
- ½ cup broth - water or sauerkraut juice
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar - or coconut sugar
- 1 Tbsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried mustard
- ½ tsp salt and pepper
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil
- 4 pork chops
Instructions
- Bake or pan fry the bacon until it's crispy. Blot with paper towel and chop bacon into small pieces.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.Add cooked chopped bacon, drained sauerkraut, applesauce, broth, brown sugar, thyme, basil, oregano, mustard, salt and pepper to a large bowl. Mix together.
- Pour mixture into a casserole dish in an even layer.
- Heat a frying pan with a bit of cooking oil. Once pan is very hot, sear each side of the pork chop for only 30 seconds.
- Add pork chops to the top of the casserole dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Pork is done when it reaches 145°F with meat thermometer.
- Scoop sauerkraut mixture and one pork chop onto plates. Serve an enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
- Leftovers: This recipe stores well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Any leftover sauerkraut mixture can be used as a side dish for other dinners. It’s so tasty you’ll want to save the leftovers!
- Cooking 1-inch thick boneless pork chops will take 20-25 minutes. A thicker cut will take up to 30 minutes.
- You can tell when pork chops are cooked by using a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat. When it reaches 145°F, the meat is cooked. Your pork chop can be juicy with a little pink in the center, according to the USDA.
