The Scoop
These pork chops have absolutely no interest in being boring!
They get a quick sear, a bath in a tangy tomato-and-balsamic sauce, and a pressure-cooker treatment that turns dinner into something suspiciously impressive for the amount of effort involved.
With zucchini, mushrooms, onions, garlic, and Italian seasoning joining the party, the sauce is practically a meal of its own. And because everything happens in the pressure cooker, you get tender, juicy pork without spending your evening hovering over the stove. Basically, the pork chop finally got the Italian vacation it deserved.
Chef's Tip: Don't skip scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pressure cooker after searing the pork. That's where a serious amount of flavor is hiding.
Ingredients
- 6 pork chops, boneless
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more, to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, plus more, to taste
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium zucchinis, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
- 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
- 2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- fresh parsley, to taste, optional, chopped, for garnish
Directions
- Season the pork chops to taste with the salt and the pepper and 2 teaspoons of the garlic powder.
- Turn on the pressure cooker and select "sauté" mode and adjust the heat to "more."
- When the pressure cooker is hot, add the oil.
- Add the pork chops to the oil and sear on both sides until lightly golden. Transfer the pork chops to a plate.
- Add the broth to the pressure cooker and use a wooden utensil with a flat head to scrape all the stuck bits off the bottom of the pot.
- Return the pork chops to the pressure cooker.
- Add the onion, the minced garlic, the zucchinis, the mushrooms, the diced tomatoes, the balsamic vinegar, the Italian seasoning, the bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper to the pork chops. Do not mix.
- Secure the lid on the pressure cooker and close the pressure release valve.
- Select "pressure cook" and adjust the cooking time to 2 minutes.
- Let the pressure release on its own for 8 minutes.
- Carefully turn the vent to "venting," to release any extra pressure that might still be in the pressure cooker.
- Press "cancel," remove the lid, and discard the bay leaf from the pork chop mixture.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chops to a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.
- Mix the cornstarch with the cold water in a small bowl.
- Select "sauté" on the pressure cooker and adjust to "normal."
- Add the cornstarch mixture to the sauce in the pressure cooker and mix to combine.
- Cook the sauce, stirring occasionally, until it slightly thickens, about 2-3 minutes.
- Return the chops to the sauce.
- Serve the pork chops and the veggies drizzled with the sauce and garnished with the parsley.
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