Whenever the weather is cold, dreary, rainy and generally miserable, I like to put together a ‘comfort food’ meal that won’t require us to wear XXL sweatpants for the next 2 days.

I found what seemed like an ‘easy’ pork chop recipe from an old Good Housekeeping mag and thought I’d give it a try. (I first had to figure out what cremini mushrooms looked like, but after that it was a breeze!)

INGREDIENTS*

• 1 cup (ish) wide egg noodles (original recipe calls for wild rice, you can use the grain of your choice or omit completely if you’re only in this for the protein.)
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 6 oz. bone-in pork chops (the package I bought had 3, original recipe called for 4 – the only difference was having some extra gravy!)
• 12 ounces fresh cremini mushrooms, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices (I went WAY overboard at the grocery store and ended up with extra mushrooms. For future reference 12 medium caps = about 12 oz.)
• 1.5 cups reduced sodium chicken stock (in the same aisle as broth, but apparently a different thing)
• 1 tbsp fresh finely chopped rosemary (dried rosemary can be used, 1 tsp as substitute)
• 1/2 medium white onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp flour (might require a bit more or a tsp of cornstarch to thicken the gravy, if desired.)
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf (not curly!) parsley
• 2 tbsp fat free sour cream (can be omitted if you’re not a fan.)

*Executing this recipe was made 10x easier and faster by having all my ingredients in the correct portions before hand. I’ve been relying very heavily this 10 piece set of nesting bowls from Crate & Barrel. 

1. Add butter to a large, semi-deep skillet over medium-high heat.Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper.

2.  Add chops to the pan and brown. (2 minutes on each side should be sufficient, you don’t want to dry them out and they will cook more in the sauce later.) Transfer to a plate.

3. Add mushrooms, onions, and rosemary to the same pan. Cook for about 8 minutes. (No need to add any additional butter or non-stick spray, mushrooms create quite a bit of moisture when cooked.)  Sprinkle mushrooms with flour and toss to coat. (This will absorb the water and be the base for a thicker gravy.)

At this point you should start making your grain. Egg noodles generally cook pretty quickly and will stick together once drained, so you don’t want to start them too early.

4. Add in the wine and chicken stock, scraping pan to loosen bits.Return the pork chops to the pan, cover and simmer about 10 minutes, or until it’s done enough for you. (I think 10 min would be the max, depending on how thin the chops are. I sorta overcooked mine.)

5. Plate pork chops on a serving platter (or individual plates if it’s just you and your hubs on a weeknight) and let sauce simmer for another 2 minutes.

6. Add parsley, S&P to taste, and a small pad of butter to your egg noodles. Plate with chops.

7. Remove gravy from heat and add sour cream (after eating this meal I think it only helps with consistency and color but won’t impact the flavor of your meal.)

I threw in a side of steamed brocolli and carrots ’cause vegetables are important! Next time, I’d use a wee bit more salt and add some cornstarch to the gravy. We’ll update this post with a review of how this meal holds up once re-heated.