Nana’s Pork Chops in Spaghetti Gravy

I remember my sweet Italian grandmother Nana Sarullo cooking meat three basic ways, frying it in a skillet, broiling it in the oven as in Chicken Parmesan, and cooking it in spaghetti gravy. If you are not Italian, you know it as “spaghetti sauce”, but Italians simply call it “gravy.” Nana cooked beef, chicken, pork, and even wild game such as venison and dove, simply by slow-cooking it in her secret spaghetti sauce. [See her secret recipe revealed here]

It was common, OK everyday, for Nana to have a sauce pan or dutch oven full of gravy bubbling on the stove. So let’s try her simple technique with pork chops.

Ingredients

4 to 5 Pounds – Boneless Pork Chops, cut 3/4 thick
48 Ounces – Spaghetti Sauce (you may cheat and use (2) 26.5 ounce cans of sauce)

I love dishes that have just 2 ingredients!

Preparation

Stack the pork chops in a dutch oven. You may also use an electric crock pot.
Cover pork chops with spaghetti sauce (gravy), using just enough to cover them. Hold back at least 12 ounces of the sauce for later.
Turn to medium heat until liquid begins to boil.
Cover
Turn to Low-Low or Warn, so liquid is barely simmering
Cook for 3 hours until meat is tender and breaks apart easily.

Dinner Preparation

Cook (1) 16 oz. package of your favorite pasta. Bow-tie pasta works fine.
Have some extra sauce on hand for the pasta. The cooking process will thin the sauce somewhat.
Choose a complementary side dish like steamed broccoli, carrots and cauliflower.
Add a fresh salad such as this one.
The main course took you 5 minutes to prepare, so enjoy your family this afternoon!