This Spanish Pork Chops recipe is an easy weeknight recipe with a great homeschool lesson behind it. This post is sponsored by The ; all opinions are our own.
SPANISH PORK CHOPS – MADRID STYLE MEAL
When I partnered with the for their Pork as a Passport campaign, I knew this would be a great themed dinner for our homeschool kids.
Pork is a staple in many cultures worldwide, and we use it in quite a few ways in our own kitchen. For this special meal, I decided to make Pork Chops a la Madrid for the family.
Learning Through Food
As a homeschool family, we take every chance we can get to learn something new in our day-to-day.
As I cooked these Spanish Pork Chops, I had the kids research the importance of pork in Spain and the origin of these Pork Chops Madrid.
WHAT THE KIDS LEARNED ABOUT PORK IN SPAIN
When they did their research, the kids found out that pork is one of the most popular foods in Spain, and it is often paired with potatoes.
Since Spain has more mountains than pastures, it’s easier for farmers to raise pigs than it is to raise other animals.
Because of the vast amount of pig farmers, we get to enjoy many different types of Spanish pork items and recipes, including these Spanish Pork Chops. This recipe is especially popular in Madrid, the capital of Spain.
We did decide to pair these with Spanish style yellow potatoes, after reading all of the facts about Spain and Madrid.
CONNECTING EDUCATION AND QUALITY TIME
We make a point of spending as much time around the dinner table as possible.
According to a survey by The National Pork Board, more families have connected during the pandemic through shared dinners at home and even meal prep time in the kitchen. 85% of families surveyed said they’ll continue eating together post-coronavirus.
We can attest to these moments meaning so much to all kinds of families, especially our own.
How To Make Spanish Pork Chops
This is a very simple recipe. We used bone-in pork chops, minced garlic, parsley, onion, paprika, and olive oil.
If you can find it, using Spanish paprika will take this easy dinner to another level.
Chop Mix and Cover The Pork Chops
The most laborious part of this recipe is chopping the medium onion. The parsley is roughly chopped, and the garlic is easily minced.
Once you get everything prepped, place it all in a large bowl and stir. Add the pork chops and toss them with your mixture.
Bake and Eat
The hands-off approach of this Spanish Pork Chops recipe makes it another go-to meal for our busy family.
I decided to bake them in our cast iron skillet to ensure they would be delightful. You can easily just add the pork chops to a sheet pan.
If using the cast iron skillet, be sure to heat it up first before adding the pork chops. I left the cast iron skillet in the oven as it was pre-heating. It’s a great hack for those of us that love cast iron!
While I provide cook times below, it is important to not overcook your chops! Pork chops are done when the internal temperature reads 145 degrees F, followed by a three-minute rest out of the oven. Tip: the easiest way to determine doneness is a digital meat thermometer.
The Full Pork Chops Recipe
Now that you have an idea of how simple this is to make, here is the full recipe.
Madrid-Style Spanish Pork Chops
Ingredients:
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4th cup chopped parsley
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon sweet or smoked paprika
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 bone-in pork chops
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Add garlic, parsley, onion, and paprika to a large bowl. Stir together.
- Add salt and pepper, then slowly add in the olive oil, until the consistency looks like a loose paste (you may not use all of the tablespoons of olive oil).
- Place pork chops in the large bowl, and coat with the mixture.
- Grease a sheet pan, and place the pork chops on the pan. If using a cast-iron skillet, preheat it in the oven, then place the pork chops inside.
- Place pork chops in the oven, and bake for 12 minutes.
- After 12 minutes, turn the pork chops over, and roast for another 10 to 12 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chops reaches 145 degrees F.
- Serve with your side dish of choice (we chose Spanish-style roasted potatoes). Enjoy!
I grew up eating chorizo and eggs (not the healthiest I know) and it’s the only pork meal my whole family likes. My husband will eat pork chops but I’m not a fan, once in a while we’ll do a tenderloin from a meal box, but the girls don’t like it. So frying up the pork chorizo then added eggs to scramble in will end up as burritos for a weekend breakfast.
This looks like a delicious variation to try for our next pork chop night.
As a child, I remember Dad making his Pork Chops and Fried Macaroni. There’s no exact recipe. Basically you season the chops with paprika (heavy on this), salt, pepper, garlic, and cayenne (if you are feeling frisky.) Fry them up in a cast iron skillet with enough oil until done to your liking. Meanwhile, boil and drain some elbow macaroni. When the chops are cooked, pull them out of the skillet. Pour the drained macaroni into the warm skillet with all the yummy drippings. Turn off the heat. Splash on Worcestershire sauce to your heart’s content. Stir to coat. Serve. Applesauce is my usual side dish for this.
These sound yummy! I usually default to sausage for pork, and we like sausage spinach skillet, which is a one pot meal and super easy.