Quarter-Sheet Pan Pork Chop Dinner for Two (with Green Beans and Sweet Potatoes)

Cooking for two or one, to my mind, is indeed a sweet thing. My Quarter-Sheet Pan Dinners make the prep and cooking a no-brainer without a ton of leftovers. 9”x13” quarter-sheet pans are just big enough for dinner for two or dinner for one two nights running and are also useful for warming up a small amount of just about anything. Do buy the thick chops if possible and even better if you get a large pack you can divide for the freezer. If you use the thinner variety, grill them for only 30 seconds on each side before oven-roasting and keep a close eye on them in the oven. See Cook’s Notes for sauce ideas. See blog for ideas about changing up this simple recipe.

Ingredients

Extra virgin olive oil
½ small red onion, peeled and sliced thinly
½- pound green beans
1 sweet potato, peeled and sliced very thinly
½ small apple, cored and sliced thinly (optional)
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 thick, bone-in pork chops (approximately 1.5 pounds total)

Instructions

PREPARATION: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and place rack at center. Line a quarter-sheet pan with foil or parchment paper.
PREP THE VEGETABLES: In a medium bowl, stir together the onion, beans, sweet potato, and apple (if using) along with ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, crushed red pepper, thyme, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Set aside.
PREP + SEAR THE PORK CHOPS ON THE STOVETOP: Heat a small grill pan or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. In the meanwhile, blot dry the chops with a paper towel, drizzle them with a teaspoon of olive oil on each side, and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. When the pan is hot, add the pork chops and sear on each side for 2 minutes or until you see golden brown grill marks.
ROAST THE CHOPS AND THE VEGETABLES IN THE OVEN: Place the seared chops in the middle of the prepared quarter-sheet pan and spoon the reserved vegetable mixture evenly around them. Place pan in oven and roast for about 20 minutes or until chops register 140 degrees F on an instant read thermometer and vegetables are tender-crisp. (Do check on the meat ahead of time if the food seems to be cooking pretty quickly. You can always return the vegetables to the oven if the meat is done first. Your chops may be of a different size than mine.)
REST FOR FIVE MINUTES before serving hot drizzled with juices from the pan or with a sauce (see NOTES).
Store leftovers well-wrapped in the fridge for up to 3 days. Do not freeze. Reheat briefly in greased skillet or grill pan.

Notes

COOKS’ NOTES: If you’d like, serve with BBQ sauce or a quick mustard sauce (1 tablespoon EACH each Dijon-style mustard and prepared horseradish mixed with 1 ½ teaspoons whole grain mustard or mayonnaise.) Another idea would be a quick drizzle of good balsamic vinegar or a tiny pat of salted butter on each chop.