Instant Pot Smothered Pork Chops

Pork chops. Mmmmm.. saucy, mushroomy, savory, yummy! This is Instant Pot Smothered Pork Chops. Grab a coffee because this is what we are talking about today!

 

Why Make This Is the Instant Pot Instead of Stovetop?

A few reasons. The stovetop, while a good method, takes a lot longer. Second, if you prep this meal as a freezer meal, and then make it in the instant pot, it’s SOOO easy! No standing and watching that it doesn’t burn, just set it and basically forget it until it beeps at you, ready for the next step!

Directions For How To Assemble The Instant Smothered Pork Chops Freezer Meal: 

1. In a large bowl, combine the cubed pork, minced garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Mix all ingredients together, and transfer to an 8 x 7-inch freezer bag. Seal the bag removing as much air as possible.
2. Using a mandoline, or a sharp knife, carefully slice the onions into thin slices. Separate into rings.
3. Open the two cans of mushroom soup and the can of mushrooms. Drain the mushrooms.
4. Mix ONE can of mushroom soup with the onions and mushrooms. Place into another 8 x 7 freezer bag. Seal the bag.
5. Pour the second can of mushroom soup into another freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible and seal. 
5. Group together all the smaller freezer bags and place into a larger gallon-sized freezer bag. Add the printed recipe into the bag as well for reference. 
6. Freeze for up to 3 months. 

I recommend printing out the recipe so you can easily put it in the large freezer bag. This will make your life so much easier when it’s time to make it because it will be right there. 

 

Directions for Cooking This Pork Dish From Fresh

Add the cubed pork along with the onions to the instant pot bowl. Press ‘saute’ and add a tablespoon or so of oil. Saute the mixture until there’s some color on the pork and the onions are translucent. 
Add the can of drained mushrooms. 
Add the one can of mushroom soup and the cooking liquid. Mix well.
Turn the vent to the sealing setting. 
Cook on manual high pressure for 5 minutes. Do a quick release to remove any steam.  Add the second can of mushroom soup. Stir.
If you’d like the mixture thicker, add the cornstarch slurry. Stir till the liquids are thickened.
Serve and enjoy! 

Directions for Cooking Instant Pot Smothered Pork Dinner from Frozen

Remove the frozen pork from the bag as well as the onions and mushroom mixture. Place both in the instant pot insert and add one cup of cooking liquid.
Place the lid on, and move the toggle switch to seal. 
Press ‘manual’ high pressure for 5 minutes.
After the cooking time is complete, do a quick release.
Remove the lid and add the last can of mushroom soup
Cover, move the toggle switch to ‘seal’ and press ‘steam’ for 1 minute. When the time is complete, do a quick release.
If you want the sauce thicker, press ‘saute’ and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch slurry and stir until thickened. 
Enjoy!
**Note: When cooking frozen food and meats it will take longer to come to pressure and begin cooking. This is completely normal. 

 

Directions for Cooking Instant Pot Smothered Pork With Mushrooms In The Slow Cooker

Thaw the bags of ingredients in the fridge the night before.
Add all ingredients to the slow cooker bowl. Cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 7- 8. (Internal temperature of pork should be 145 degrees Fahrenheit)
Thicken the sauce at the end of the cooking time by turning the pot on ‘high’ and adding the cornstarch slurry. Cover and let cook another 15 – 20 minutes until thickened. 

How Long Will This Pork Chop Dish Be Good For In The Freezer?

As long as the ingredients are placed in quality freezer bags or containers, the meals will last up to 3 months!

What Else Can I Use As The Pressure Cooking Liquid For This Instant Pot Dish?

You could use chicken broth, veggie broth, and pork broth.  They will all add extra flavor but water works well too. I would not use beef broth as the beef flavors may overtake the delicate pork flavors in this dish. 

Tips and Tricks For Making This Recipe For Smothered Pork Chops Even Better!

A good tip is to double the recipe ingredients and make TWO separate freezer meals at one time, or freeze one meal and make the other for dinner that night!
Adding extra ingredients such as sliced carrots, celery and peas can stretch the servings (and nutrition aspect) of this dish.

Can I Use Fresh Mushrooms Instead Of Canned?

Sure, that wouldn’t be a problem. The only thing I would do though is to saute the mushrooms in a dry pan over fairly high heat to get some caramelization color on them and to help evaporate some of the water content in the mushrooms.  This isn’t a necessary step, but just something I would do. I find that fresh mushrooms can sometimes turn a funny dark color when just put fresh into the instant pot or slow cooker appliances. 

What Side Dishes Can I Serve With The Pork Chops?

Amazing Rosemary Bacon Roasted Potatoes 
Smoky Bacon Hassleback Potatoes with Cream Sauce
Instant Pot Mashed Sweet Potatoes Would be a really nice contrast to the savory pork flavors.
Parmesan Peas with Shallots and Bacon A great flavor pairing for the pork.
Shredded Carrot Salad Super easy to make and has sweet cranberries that would go well with pork.

How Can I Make This Pork Recipe Low Carb? 

It’s a bit tricky, but not impossible. I would use a low carb cream of mushroom soup (or make your own with this recipe) so you can control the carb count. I would serve it on riced cauliflower or a cauliflower mashed fauxtatoes. 

Can I Refreeze The Cooked Leftovers?

You can freeze the leftovers for to a month in the freezer, and that would be fine. This only applies to leftovers. Please do not thaw the RAW frozen meal, and then refreeze. 

This Instant Pot pork chop dish is one of a series of Instant Pot dishes that I made with time-saving, freezer meal applications in mind. Here are a few others that I’ve made in that collection for you to take a peek at! 

Instant Pot Hearty Beef Stew
BBQ Instant Pot Sausages and Peppers On Buns
Instant Pot Campfire Chili
Instant Pot Garlic and Honey Chicken 

I sincerely hope you like this recipe for Instant Pot Smothered Porkchops so much that you put it into your regular meal rotation. Also, if you made any changes to the recipe or directions, I’d LOVE to hear your switch-ups! Thanks so much for stopping by The Salty Pot today and I hope you have a wonderful day!

 

**DON’T FORGET TO PIN THIS INSTANT POT SMOTHERED PORK CHOPS RECIPE TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD TO USE FOR LATER!!**