Smothered Skillet Pork Chops

Smothered Skillet Pork Chops marinated in Olive Garden signature salad dressing — plus, plenty of peppers & onions! Try this 30 minute weeknight dinner recipe for a change of pace.

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Today’s pork chops skillet recipe is one way to stretch a small pack of pork chops to feed a family — and, to get in your veggies at the same time. Simply incorporate a bunch of onions and peppers into your skillet, both to bulk up the meal and add some juicy flavor. Round out your Smothered Skillet Pork Chops dinner with a filling side, such as the baked potatoes shown here.

Pork, peppers, and onions prove to be a delicious twist on more traditional sausage, peppers, & onions, perfect for a busy weeknight. You just need 30 minutes for the whole recipe, which cooks up easily on your stove top.

This 30 minute weeknight dinner recipe of course gets much of its flavor from an Olive Garden Italian dressing marinade. If you’re looking for additional recipe ideas for the rest of the bottle of dressing, also check out this simple 5 ingredient Olive Garden Dressing sheet pan chicken dinner.

Smothered Skillet Pork Chops

Ingredients

– for the pork chops

1-1.25 lbs center cut boneless pork chops (4 small chops)
Black pepper, to taste
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/3 cup Olive Garden Italian dressing

– for the veggies

1 Tbsp butter
1 medium yellow onion, sliced into half moons
2 sweet bell peppers, sliced into strips (I used red and orange)
2 tsp minced garlic (about 4 cloves)

Directions

Place the pork chops in a dish and season them with Italian seasoning and black pepper. Pour Olive Garden Italian dressing over the chops, then leave them to marinate while you cook up the vegetables.

Cut up the onion, peppers, and garlic (if not using pre-minced).

Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until melted, then swirl to coat the pan.

Add the sliced onion, peppers, and garlic to the pan. Cook the veggies over medium-high heat for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.

Move the onions and peppers out to the edges of the pan, then nestle the pork chops into the middle. Pour any marinade remaining in the dish over the chops.

Cook the pork chops over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes per side, until cooked through to 135 degrees with a meat thermometer. (Meanwhile, continue to stir the veggies occasionally, so that they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.)

Remove pork chops from the skillet and let them rest for 5-10 minutes before serving — allowing the pork to continue to rise to temperature, without drying out.

Serve your Olive Garden skillet pork chops smothered with sauteed onion and peppers.

Note: Don’t worry if some of the dressing blackens onto the bottom of the pan. If you use a nonstick skillet, it should loosen right off with hot water.

Pork chops, peppers, and onions (oh my)

The onions and peppers start to caramelize nicely after their sojourn in the pan, first solo and then with the chops. This adds some lovely browned flavor to this dish, so all you need is a bit of seasoning and garlic (along with the Olive Garden dressing marinade) to create a satisfying pork chops & peppers dinner.

Smothered Skillet Pork Chops, printable recipe

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Smothered Skillet Pork Chops

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Smothered Skillet Pork Chops get their flavor from Olive Garden signature salad dressing, which makes for such a lovely marinade. Try this 30 minute weeknight dinner recipe for a change of pace!

Course dinner

Cuisine pork chops

Keyword 30 minute meals, bell peppers, easy weeknight dinner, olive garden dressing, pork chops, skillet dinner

Prep Time 13 minutes minutes

Cook Time 17 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Rachel Singer

Ingredients

for the pork chops

• 1-1.25 lbs center cut boneless pork chops 4 small chops
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/3 cup Olive Garden Italian dressing

for the veggies

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 medium yellow onion sliced into half moons
• 2 sweet bell peppers sliced into strips (I used red and orange)
• 2 tsp minced garlic about 4 cloves

Instructions

• Place the pork chops in a dish and season them with Italian seasoning and black pepper. Pour Olive Garden Italian dressing over the chops, then leave them to marinate while you cook up the vegetables.
• Cut up the onion, peppers, and garlic (if not using pre-minced).
• Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until melted, then swirl to coat the pan.
• Add the sliced onion, peppers, and garlic to the pan. Cook the veggies over medium-high heat for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
• Move the onions and peppers out to the edges of the pan, then nestle the pork chops into the middle. Pour any marinade remaining in the dish over the chops.
• Cook the pork chops over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes per side, until cooked through to 135 degrees with a meat thermometer. (Meanwhile, continue to stir the veggies occasionally, so that they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.)
• Remove pork chops from the skillet and let them rest for 5-10 minutes before serving — allowing the pork to continue to rise to temperature, without drying out.
• Serve your Olive Garden skillet pork chops smothered with sauteed onion and peppers.

Notes

Don’t worry if some of the dressing blackens onto the bottom of the pan. If you use a nonstick skillet, it should loosen right off with hot water.

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Be sure not to miss the free ALDI meal plans, which show you how to use these easy family recipes to meal plan affordably and realistically for your family. Or, find more recipe ideas with the Recipe Search!

Be sure not to miss the free ALDI meal plans, which show you how to use these easy family recipes to meal plan affordably and realistically for your family. Or, find more recipe ideas with the Recipe Search!