Last updated on October 17th, 2020
We’re fond of pork chops, Mr. Fox and I. We love them broiled, baked, or grilled. We also love them roasted on a sheet pan, alongside wedges of red apple and ribbons of green cabbage. This latter preparation is a complete meal that cooks up in just 30 minutes, and oh, man — it’s delicious!
First things first: spray a sheet pan with non-stick vegetable spray. Also, center the oven rack, and heat the oven to 425°F.
Then fetch a medium-size head of cabbage…
And cut it lengthwise in half and remove its tough core.
Slice half or all of the cabbage into ribbons or wedges.
Strew the cabbage about the baking sheet, and, while taking one of the worst pictures of all time, give it a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Toss to coat.
While ignoring your lying eyes, grab just 2 red apples (I used the ‘Gala’ variety)…
And core them. I cored mine with this handy-dandy apple coring gadget.
Cut each apple lengthwise in half, and cut each half into quarters. If you’d like thinner apples wedges, just cut the halves into eighths.
I love doing fractions with you.
Did I ever tell you that I sucked at fractions when I was a school boy? Mrs. Hatch, my 7th grade math teacher, might be very proud of me today. I say “might,” because Mrs. Hatch was a very mean woman. She hated children, teaching, and life in general.
Or maybe she just hated math.
Hi, Mrs. Hatch!
Scatter the apple wedges over the cabbage, and then give them a drizzle of olive oil…
And sprinklings of kosher (or sea) salt and black pepper.
No picture of this next step: Pop the cabbage and apples into the preheated oven for 10 minutes, just to par-cook them.
Then retrieve the pan, and arrange 4, 6, or even 8 pork chops betwixt and between the apple wedges. I used 6 boneless, center-cut chops, approximately 1 inch in thickness for this recipe.
NOTE: You can dust the chops with salt, pepper, and thyme at this point, or season them later, after you’ve added the next ingredient: mustard!
Put a dollop of Dijon mustard atop each chop…
And spread it out with a spoon or your fingers. And for the sake of cleanliness, scoop the mustard from a bowl, not the mustard jar.
If you didn’t season your chops beforehand, dust them now with salt, pepper, and fresh or dried thyme.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a chop reads 145°F. My 1-inch-thick chops were perfectly done in exactly 20 minutes. Let them sit for about 5 minutes, so that their juices can recede.
Serve hot, along with a bottle of chilled Sancerre. Sancerre comes to us from the Loire Valley of France. It’s the ideal pairing for this cold-weather meal.
I think you’ll love this sexy symphony of pork, cabbage, and apples as much as Mr. Fox and I do. Try it out some day, okay?
And if you’re hungry for more good eats, be sure to subscribe to my email updates.
xKevin
Pork chops, cabbage and apples are delicious staples of autumn and winter. Why not cook them all together on a single sheet pan for a fast and elegant dinner?
Ingredients
- 1 medium head of cabbage, cored and sliced into wedges or ribbons
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt, and freshly-ground pepper
- 2 red apples, such as 'Gala'
- 4 or 6 boneless, center-cut pork chops, each approx. 1-inch thick
- Dijon mustard -- 1 generous tablespoon for each pork chop
- Fresh or dried thyme
Instructions
- Spray a large sheet pan with non-stick vegetable spray, and heat the oven to 425°F. Tip the ribbons or wedges of cabbage onto the sheet pan, and drizzle them with olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Core the apples, and cut them lengthwise in half. Then cut each half into quarters or eighths. Scattered the apples over the cabbage, and season them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven, and arrange the pork chops between the apple wedges, and on top of the cabbage. Spread the top of each chop with the Dijon mustard. Then season each chop with salt, pepper, and a generous pinch of thyme. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the thickest part of a chop registers 145°F when poked with a meat thermometer. Don't overcook the chops! Let sit until juices recede -- about 5 minutes.
- Serve hot, along with a bottle of chilled Sancerre.
Judy Hines says
Looks deliciousoso!
Emily P. says
Oh my. Oh my, my, my. These are amazing. I made them for dinner tonight. My husband doesn’t care for dijon, but loves many other mustards, so I substituted horseradish mustard. These were so easy, flexible, and delicious. I love the myriad possible variations of this recipe — just using different apple varieties would have a big effect. I used Honeycrisp tonight, but Gala and Fuji are definitely in my future.
Thank you, Kevin. This is definitely a new fixture in my meal rotation.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Emily – Music to my ears. So glad the recipe worked out for you!
Kathy Ventura says
This looks amazing! I like chicken cooked with fruit as well. Have you tried similar recipes with chicken?
Lynda says
Thanks so much Kevin for this great-sounding recipe. We love pork dishes too and it will be very welcome in our snow-filled, -20 C. degree weather today. Bet your beagle would love them too:-0)
Nancy Bagshaw-Reasoner says
Hi Kevin! This looks yummy. Makes me think of my Mother’s recipe. She would layer sauerkraut, slices of fresh apples and pork shops that are seasoned with poultry seasoning in a large pot and simmer on the stove for an hour or so until the pork is tender. Sometimes you have to add some water. It’s a super good cold weather dinner served with mashed potatoes. I so love your videos and your recipes. And you!
Ellie B says
Wow, Kevin. This pork chop recipe looks so easy but delicious. We will be trying it very soon. I will also jump into the cookie recipe in a few days. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes and life with all of us!
Cate says
Another amazing recipe! So yummy, SO easy! Thank you Kevin!
Kate says
This looks delicious! When I make pork chops, my husband always pulls the dijon from the fridge and adds a dollop to his plate, so I know he’ll love this recipe. And, thanks for the wine pairing, we will be sure to try. Thank you for your wonderful blog!
Celeste says
Kevin, hope your math teacher, Mrs. Hatch, doesn’t see this post. She might be proud of you knowing fractions but looks like whole numbers present a problem! You state “just two apples” then show a picture of three cored apples! LOL and just kidding of course because your recipes are always winners and I LOVE your recipes and gardening tips.
Pam says
Try adding some Gold’s horseraddish to the mustard–even better.
Ardelle says
Looks delicious! Red cabbage, apples and grass fed pork chops in the refrigerator simply waiting for inspiration like this. Like Pam, I prefer horseradish as well. It’s a perfect rainy fall day so, it will be dinner tonight. Thanks. 3 mile walk around the lake at noon so dinner will be especially awesome.
Anne says
You could make S.o.S. sound divine! Love your recipes and your blog. It’s such a joy to receive one of your messages!
Mary Lou reslock says
Off to the store to fetch the ingredients, making this for dinner tonight. Cookbooks will be ordered for family cooks Christmas. All good.
Linda A says
Should Mrs. Hatch have taken up art? Then she could have made hatch marks on
paper instead of “F’s.” Or at least smiley faces in recipe books.
I know I’ll be making some in your new cookbook!
This recipe looks like a winner. Thanks, Kevin.
Casey says
If this is an example of the many great & wholesomely delicious recipes to be found in your upcoming cookbook, I can’t wait!
Trudi says
Ok It’s our turn tonight. . He will be finished with his business by 8 and we can enjoy this I won’t tell him it has mustard on it. He thinks he doesn’t like it (unless he doesn’t know it’s there, then he loves it.) . . maybe even our son will stay for dinner.!
Christine says
Genius!!!!!
NorseArcher says
Hi! Making this now but splitting bt a cookie sheet and a small roasting pan. What kind and size roasting sheet are you using? Thanks so much and happy Saturday!
Trudi says
Yup…. they liked it. Even after i left it in theoven a hair too long and the chops were not tender. they were delicious! Thanks
Patricia Panuccio says
Thank you for another wonderful recipe.
Cynthia says
Caught my husband at the market in time to pickup ,cabbage and pork chops!
Guess what we’re having tonight?
We too love pork. I might add a thinly sliced onion to this but probably leave it alone, as you intended!
Thanks Kevin, you are the best.
Cynthia says
sorry my apples autocorrected to a different planet!
xxx
Kip Morrissette says
Oh this looks delicious and I’m starving.
I THINK I will add a little fresh fennel to the cabbage. A friend said he’d eaten at a local ‘home cook’en’ type restaurant and they served their cabbage with something that tasted a little like licorice but they wouldn’t give him their recipe. What do ya think? Think I’d mess up this recipe?
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Kip – Fennel and cabbage go together like love and marriage.
Elaine R says
It’s in the oven right now with a side of potatoes as my husband still eats like a teen!
By the way I have a lovely gadget that cores and divides the apple at the same time, this does 12 wedges but the one that my offspring made off with only did 6 or 8 wedges. It doesn’t peel them though,alas.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Elaine – The corer-wedger is a great gadget, too. Mercifully no need to peel the apples for the above recipe. Hope you enjoy your dinner!
Tammy says
Kevin- I love your posts. This dinner looks delish! I’m thinking of making it with chicken breasts?? Most of all, I love your comments about Mrs. Hatch! Keep up your humor.
Julie R says
I will be trying this soon, as it looks like one that my whole family would go for. I never thought to put Dijon on pork chops, but it sounds good. I’m all for trying new things.
About Mrs. Hatch, probably many of us have had a teacher like her at some point, I know I have.
Marcia Zerance says
Kevin my whole family loved this dish tonight! I used bone in center cut pork chops as that’s all I had, but they were thinner than an inch, and I cooked them 25 min and they were nicely done. My other change was using honey dijon mustard, as again thats all I had. Delicious, and soooooooo easy! I had a full office day today (working from home, ) I only had to stop briefly to get this in the oven. For me this was a great “comfort food” dish!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Marcia – I’m so glad this sheet pan dinner worked out for you!
Catherine Caskey says
Hi Kevin,
Made this last night and had leftovers today!!! Really tasty and easy!!!
I used 3 apples instead of 2, as we love baked apples. I drizzled everything with maple syrup and cider. Also put a dab of horseradish
on each chop. Gave it a slight sweetness and a zing!!!!
Thanks again,
Catherine
Darla says
This is now our all time favorite sheet pan meal! Thank you for such an easy, delicious recipe, we enjoyed it last night, and with company coming for dinner today, we are going to have it again.
Jeri Moulder says
Have you ever tried this with purple cabbage (my favorite!) ?
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Jeri – I made this with purple cabbage and green apples the other night. ‘Twas wonderful.
Jan in CA says
I made this last week with Granny Smith apples from my tree. It wasn’t as pretty as using red apples would be, but it tasted great!! My whole family loved it, even my son who doesn’t like pork very much.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Jan in CA – I love Granny Smith apples. Glad the dish worked out for you!
Sue says
This is delicious. The cabbage is so sweet after roasting. Also good with pears. Thank you.
Maureen Winkler says
Dearest Kevin…and all the other math phobics out there…. on behalf of math teachers everywhere, I am truly sorry for your terrible math experiences. I, too, had an algebra/trig teacher that gave me bleeding ulcers and forced me into changing high schools half way through junior year…..and I enjoyed math! Fortunately, my new trig teacher was the opposite….enthusiastic, engaging, encouraging of questions, and the first one cognizant of my dyslexia (no special ed in the early 70s)….a whole new world opened up to me. I ended up taking more math classes, getting my degree in mathematics and education, then spending the next 22 years teaching math phobics. Loved it. I still tutor and teach students how to take standardized tests, so if you (or any of your readers) have a question, please feel free to contact me. I know what it’s like to struggle and wrestle with a math problem. But I also know the glorious feeling when that light bulb clicks on. I can tell how bright and inquisitive you are, Kevin, and I’ll bet you would sail through math with the right teacher. I’m sorry you didn’t have that opportunity.
Mary Bloxham says
I am going to try this tomorrow. We already ate!
Isabelle says
Kevin I have read all the glowing comments of the pork receipe. Sounds delicious. Thank you so much for your free printables. I enjoy reading all you posts. I will be making this sheet pan pork today. By the way I also did your molasses cookies. Absolutely my favorite! You are a gem.
Carole says
My partner hats a dirty oven so cooks most meat on the grill. The recipe looks so good. Will I need to do a lot of oven cleaning when they’re done?