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Betty Crocker
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Adapting Pork Chop Back for Make Ahead

Hello, 


I was wondering if anyone could tell me whether the Pork Chop Bake could be successfully adapted as a make ahead casserole. I figure you can brown the pork chops ahead of time and combine the potatos, soup, broccoli, and onion as directed and store both (in separate containers) overnight. I would then cook as directed (i.e., cook the casserole component, add the chops, and bake for additional time).


I'm concerned about the effect this will have on both the flavor (will the onions become overpowering?) and the cooking time (the hash browns will be thawed). 


I hate to be the doesn't-follow-the-recipe-at-all person, but I also would like to substitute fresh broccoli for frozen and eliminate the sour cream. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. 


 


 

"Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." ~ Mark Twain
6/20/2011 3:49 PM
6 Replies to Adapting Pork Chop Back for Make Ahead

Recipes were made to be tweaked, lol.  I think what you want to do will work perfectly - prepare and refrigerate overnight in separate containers, omit sour cream and use fresh broccoli.  I don't think 1/2 cup of onions would overpower even when mixed overnight, especially if you use Vidalias that are in season now, since they are sweet and mild.  And even though the recipe calls for refrigerated cooked hash browns, I think frozen would work just fine since they will be thawed and will bake for an hour.

6/20/2011 6:49 PM

Here is the feedback from one of our Kitchen Experts, Sherri:

This recipe is not recommended for making portions of it the night before since it will affect the flavor and texture.  However, the fresh broccoli can definitely be replaced with frozen broccoli as long as it is thawed and drained.  It's also not recommended to eliminate the sour cream, but it could be replaced with light sour cream or delete the sour cream and increase the milk amount to 1 cup.  These liquid amounts help reconstitute the condensed soup in order to create a sauce for the vegetables and pork chops.

Hope this helps. Sincerely, Cate

6/21/2011 10:37 AM

Thank you, Cate especially for the advice on adding milk. My husband and I both dislike sour cream, so even going light isn't really an option. I'll try making the two components in the morning (so at least its not overnight) and popping it in the oven in the evening. I'll be sure to report back how it turns out! 

"Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." ~ Mark Twain
6/21/2011 6:01 PM

Thanks AlabamaCooker, especially for the onion advice. I'll be sure to update this thread and report how it works out. 

"Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." ~ Mark Twain
6/21/2011 4:43 PM

Well ladies, I tried it! 


To make the assembly a bit quicker and easier, I cooked the pork chops, diced the onions, thawed the broccoli, and put the frozen hash browns in the fridge to thaw the night before. The next morning, I combined the casserole ingredients (using 1 cup of Land O'Lakes Fat Free Half and Half to compensate for the creaminess of sour cream) and that evening my hubby put it in the oven and baked as directed. 


It turned out fine, although I would reccommend "burying" the pork chops as they got a tad dry. Also, we ended up adding some salt, pepper and Worcestire sauce to the casserole. Other than that, its a pretty good recipe, though not one of my favorites. 


Thanks again both of your for your responses. Happy cooking/baking! 

"Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." ~ Mark Twain
6/26/2011 1:40 PM

Thanks so much for returning and telling us about the results Shutzie27. Good to know!

Sincerely, Cate

6/27/2011 12:16 PM

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