Pork Chops with Loaded Vegetable Rice

Delicately flavored pork chops bake right on top of this loaded vegetable rice medley. This rice is definitely the star of this show!

Anyone who is a regular reader knows how much in love I am with one-dish meals. Well, here’s another one!

While it does take another pot–namely a frying pan–maybe technically it’s a “two-dish” meal, but anyway, this is one you shouldn’t miss.

The rice is the showstopper here; the pork chops are incidental. In fact, you could even substitute chicken for the pork if you wanted to do that. If you do, then I strongly recommend chicken WITH the skin on so it doesn’t dry out.

This rice contains so many vegetables it could be a meal in itself. You could even make this without any meat roasting on top. It is absolutley vegetarian and with the omission of the cheese, it’s totally vegan! This recipe is nothing if not versatile!

The vegetable stock that is used must be flavorful. I don’t recommend buying the cans or boxes of vegetable “broth” because it just lacks the flavor. I used Knorr concentrated stock–the vegetable variety that’s just packed with flavor. However, this doesn’t seem to be readily available anymore. If you are lucky enough to find it in your store, I suggest stocking up. Another option that is excellent is to use a vegetable variety of Better Than Bouillon. The mushroom flavor would be perfect here. If all else fails, use a good rich chicken stock. Of course it won’t be vegetarian then. Again my suggestions are Better Than Bouillon chicken flavor or College Inn Bold Rotisserie Chicken. If you do homemade for either, more the better.

This contains quite a bit of mushrooms. For those who don’t like them, just make up the difference with more bell pepper, green onion or tomatoes.

There’s a few ways you can do the rice to change up the character of this dish. I used fire roasted tomatoes, but you could use Italian flavored diced tomatoes to give it an Italian flair or use Rotel tomatoes (and a bit of frozen corn tossed in) to give it a Mexican flair.

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Pork Chops with Loaded Vegetable Rice

Delicately flavored pork chops bake right on top of this loaded vegetable rice medley. This rice is definitely the star of this show!

Prep Time25 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time1 hr 10 mins

Course: Comfort Foods, Everyday Meals, Pork, side dishes, vegetarian dishes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: casserole recipe, pork chops, RICE, rice cooker recipe, side dishes, vegetarian

Servings: 4

Calories: 510kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 4 pork chops boneless or bone-in about 1/2-inch thick
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt optional
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 14.5 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
• 1/4 cup green bell pepper diced
• 1/4 cup orange bell pepper diced
• 1/4 cup yellow bell pepper diced
• 8 oz fresh mushrooms sliced
• 1/2 cup green onion scallions chopped
• 1 cup rice uncooked
• 14 oz rich vegetable stock see NOTES
• 3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 13x9-inch baking pan.
• Mix the salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Rub into pork chops.
• Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute for 3 minutes. Add pork chops and brown about 3 minutes each side; remove from pan and set aside.
• Add the stock and rice to the same pan you browned the chops in; bring to a boil. Add all the vegetables to the pan, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add the vegetable/rice mixture to the prepared baking dish. Stir in Parmesan cheese.
• Place chops on top of rice mixture, cover (you can use aluminum foil) and cook 30-45 minutes (see NOTES).

Notes

See post for explanation of which stock I used and what is a good substitute.

I cooked mine 45 minutes since I like very soft rice. Check for doneness after 30 minutes.

Omit the meat for a vegetarian meal.

Omit the meat and Parmesan cheese for a vegan meal.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 510kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 976mg | Potassium: 823mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1266IU | Vitamin C: 42mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 2mg

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