How this all started...

So the dinner I made last night was so good, that my hubby asked me to make it again so he could take it to work for lunch the next day. It was love at first bite. I used to make pork chops coated in bread crumbs and it was ehhhh. When I saw this I thought it would be similar, but its much better!!! Neither of us have ever had Risotto so we figured it was as good night to give it a try!

Oven-Fried Pork Chops & Risotto
(both courtesy of Betty Crocker)

Pork chops
2 pork chops
2 tbsp melted butter
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup herb seasoned stuffing mix, finely crushed.

Crush stuffing mix, I did this with a Ziploc bag and a can. Combine egg, milk, and pepper. Trim fat, dip chops in egg mix, then into stuffing mix, making sure to coat both sides.  Use melted butter to coat the bottom of baking pan (I used an 8x8 glass Pyrex, fit perfectly). Put chops in pan, cook @ 425 for 10 min, flip then 10-15 more min.

The recipe originally called for 4 pork chops, so there is enough mix to do more if you wanted. Not everything can be cut in half. If there was more chops though, there would be less crumbs on each, and that was the best part. So if you like it crumby, maybe crush more!

Risotto
1 medium onion chopped (1/2 cup)
1 glove garlic minced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 cup uncooked arborio rice
2 14oz cans chicken broth
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan or asiago
1/8 tsp black pepper

In a large saucepan, cook onion and garlic in oil and 1 tbsp of the butter, until tender. Add rice, cook and stir over medium until rice begins to brown. Slowly add 1 cup of the broth, stirring constantly. When liquid absorbs add 1/2 cup broth, still stirring constantly. After liquid is absorbed add another 1/2 cup of broth, and keep adding 1/2 at a time until broth is gone. Stir in remaining butter, cheese and pepper.
*Start to finish the Risotto took about 15 min so it was perfect with the chops timing!


I like buying frozen diced onion because it is perfect in cases like this where you don't need the whole onion, that way you can use just what you need. Or if you buy a fresh onion, dice the whole thing and freeze the rest, then it doesn't get wasted :) I also used bouillon cubes to make my own broth instead of store bought chicken broth, I already had it so why buy more? It worked just as good! I also used a grated Parmesan and Romano cheese mix (from Trader Joe's) because that is what I had, and because its so delicious!