Easy Pork Dinner: Mandarin Orange & Red Pepper Pork

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I love meals that come together in under 30 minutes without a lot of effort! This one-pan easy pork chops recipe is one of those recipes. And although it’s nice to cook ahead, freeze, then pull an amazing home cooked (from scratch) meal out of my freezer on an average weeknight, I don’t always have that luxury. I actually do like to spend some of my weekend doing things that don’t involve cooking.

Therefore, I make sure I have meals like this in my arsenal; stuff that’s realistic to throw together when I get home from work and have 2 apparently starving kids pestering me about when dinner will be ready.

I think I would have to say this dish is a  compromise, especially  if you are someone that prefers to cook from scratch. But if you are also short on time, then it’s pretty ideal. This recipe pairs store-bought salad dressing with fresh pork, red pepper, ginger and garlic. It’s quick, easy and tastes completely homemade!

And if you want to keep your ginger fresh for a long time, then store it in your freezer. You can then peel it, grate it right into the dish and pop it back into the freezer. It will last several months. And this little food hack will save you hassle and money!

I came up with this easy pork dinner recipe for a Kraft salad dressing contest.  I never would have thought of making a sauce for pork with salad dressing before I was required to make something unique with salad dressing.  That’s what I love about cooking contests – they inspire me to think outside my narrow little cooking box.

Pork recipes with sauce are perfect for serving over rice. I serve this with a quick Minute Rice that’s ready in 5 minutes, So, if you are looking for easy pork recipes for dinner, this is for you!

Enjoy!

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Mandarin Orange & Red Pepper Pork Recipe

This easy weeknight pork dinner pairs store-bought salad dressing with fresh ingredients such as pork, red pepper, ginger and garlic. 

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 322 kcal

Author Terri Gilson

Ingredients

• 6 boneless pork chops (1.5 lbs)
• 1 cup Mandarin orange with sesame salad dressing (I use Kraft)
• ¼ cup flour
• 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
• ½ cup beef broth
• 1 red pepper , julienned
• 2 cloves garlic , minced
• 1 tsp fresh ginger , minced (See TERRI'S TIP below)
• 1/3 cup plum sauce
• 284 ml can of mandarin oranges

Instructions

1. Heat frying pan on stove top with oil on medium high. Coat pork in flour on both sides and brown for 2-4 minutes on each side.
2. Add dressing, beef broth, plum sauce, red pepper, ginger and garlic then reduce to simmer. Continue to cook over medium for 15 – 20 minutes until meat is cooked through and red pepper is tender.
3. Serve hot over rice or noodles

Recipe Notes

TERRI’S TIP* – keep fresh ginger in a freezer bag in your freezer – it lasts a very long time. Take out what you need, peel it with a vegetable peeler and grate it frozen right into your dish

Nutrition Facts

Mandarin Orange & Red Pepper Pork Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 322 Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 15g 23%

Saturated Fat 4g 20%

Cholesterol 71mg 24%

Sodium 611mg 25%

Potassium 553mg 16%

Total Carbohydrates 17g 6%

Sugars 5g

Protein 26g 52%

Vitamin A 12.7%

Vitamin C 31.3%

Calcium 1.5%

Iron 7.3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.