Cheesy Pork Cutlets

Thin pork cutlets are quickly becoming one of my favorite midweek meals, and these cheesy pork cutlets are the perfect way to use them.

4.80 from 5 votes

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Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 1

Servings:

Calories: 588kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Pork chops:

1 pound ½-thick boneless pork chops (about 6 pork chops total)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
⅔ cup Wondra (or all-purpose flour, I prefer Wondra)
1½ tablespoons Italian seasoning (see Note 1)
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
6 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese (you’ll need about 1 tablespoon per pork chop but you can use more or less as you like)
Salt and pepper

Pasta and sauce:

24- ounce jar arrabbiata sauce (or marinara sauce)
½ cup Parmesan cheese (freshly grated, plus more for serving)
8 ounces penne (dry)
12 basil leaves (torn)
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Warm the tomato sauce and cook the pasta:

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Pour the tomato sauce into a 9x13" baking dish. If your chops are bigger, use a larger baking dish. Cover with foil and transfer to the oven to warm it. See note 2.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water and drain the pasta. Set aside.

Fry the pork chops:

Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or wide pot over medium heat.
As the oil heats, dredge the pork chops.
Combine the flour, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper in a bowl. Dip each chop into the flour mixture and shake off the excess. Transfer the pork to the skillet and cook in batches for 3 minutes per side until nearly cooked through and crispy on each side. Transfer to a cooling rack.

Finish the pork chops:

Remove the baking dish of sauce from the oven and turn on the broiler. Arrange the pork chops on top of the sauce and add 1 tablespoon mozzarella on top of each chop. Transfer to the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes until the chops are cooked through, and the mozzarella is browned and bubbly.

Finish the pasta:

Remove the baking dish from the oven. Transfer the pork chops to a serving platter with a few spoonfuls of sauce.
Add the pasta cooking water to the sauce in the baking dish with ½ cup grated Parmesan and stir until the cheese melts. Add the cooked pasta. Toss to coat. Taste and season.
Pour the pasta and sauce onto a large serving platter.

To serve:

Spoon the pasta into shallow bowls and serve with a pork chop on the side. Finish with more grated Parmesan and basil leaves on top. Enjoy!

Notes

Note 1: My Italian seasoning has dehydrated pecorino Romano cheese in it. If your Italian seasoning has just herbs, you may want to add a tablespoon or two of freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese, but that is totally optional!

Note 2: If you prefer, you can use the skillet to warm the sauce for the pork chops. Wipe out the skillet after you fry the pork chops, add the sauce, and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, arrange the pork chops on top with mozzarella, and then broil. I prefer the baking dish as I can fit all the pork chops evenly without as much overlap as the skillet.

Nutrition

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