Pork Chop Dinner with Bacon & Cider Gravy

This weeknight pork chop dinner gets everything on the plate in 35 minutes: golden-browned chops, egg noodles, green beans, and a cider gravy loaded with crumbled bacon. The gravy builds right in the same skillet where the chops cooked, so all that browned flavor goes straight into the sauce.

Apple cider braising liquid is the move that ties the whole plate together. As the chops simmer in the cider with honey mustard and thyme, the liquid reduces and concentrates into something fruity, tangy, and savory all at once. A quick cornstarch slurry at the end thickens it into a proper gravy that coats the noodles and beans.

Cooking the noodles and green beans together in the same pot (beans go in during the last four minutes) keeps the cleanup minimal and the timing tight. By the time the chops are done, everything else is ready to plate.

Pro Tips

• Brown the chops in the skillet after cooking the bacon, even though you’ve wiped the fat. The residual flavor in the pan seasons the meat.
• Don’t skip the honey mustard. It adds a subtle sweetness and tang to the gravy that plain mustard can’t match.
• Mix the cornstarch with cold water before adding to the hot skillet. Dumping cornstarch directly into hot liquid creates lumps.
• Let the gravy boil for a full minute after thickening. Cornstarch needs sustained heat to lose its raw, starchy taste.

Variations

• Hard cider version: Use alcoholic hard cider instead of regular apple cider for a deeper, more complex gravy.
• Smoked chops: Swap boneless loin chops for smoked pork chops and reduce the cooking time since they’re already cooked through.