Jarred Pasta Sauce Is All You Need To Take Pork Chops From Boring To Bold

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

With apologies to those purists who'll contend that store-bought pasta sauce will never beat a made-from-scratch Italian-American Sunday gravy, home cooks shouldn't dismiss these ready-made options. Quite apart from their inherent convenience, a good jarred pasta sauce can be the secret to elevating pork chops from boring to bold.

There are myriad ways these two comfort foods can be combined, so you may want to start with something intuitive. The introduction of pork chops is no reason to exclude the pasta your jarred sauce was intended for, and anyone who's ever enjoyed a classic chicken parmesan or found their mouth watering when Cher serves Nicolas Cage steak and spaghetti in "Moonstruck" will know pasta can be a perfect accompaniment to a hearty slab of meat. One appropriately Italian approach would be to follow chef Jonathan Waxman's recipe for Pork Chop alla Milanese, and serve the breaded, fried chop with a side of sauced pasta. 

Alternatively, you could take the advice of the jarred pasta sauce brand Ragù and try braised pork chops in tomato sauce, which requires only a few additional ingredients and takes less than 25 minutes to prepare. Similarly, using jarred sauce would cut down on the prep time for a porky take on the Neapolitan classic carne alla pizzaiola.

If you prefer not to stand over a stove, baking pork chops with a mixture of jarred sauces is one easy and indulgent possibility. In a baking dish or tray, season four to six chops with salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder before pouring in a jar each of tomato sauce and Alfredo sauce. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, remove and sprinkle liberally with cheddar or Colby Jack cheese, then return to a slightly hotter oven until the cheese has melted.  

Of course, there is the question of what brand of jarred pasta sauce you should use. If you take a glance at Tasting Table's ranking of 15 popular pasta sauce brands, you'll find that our taste tester confidently asserted that they will "be buying Rao's for life." Rao's also enjoys the added benefit of having an extensive range of sauces to choose from, from vodka arrabbiata to roasted garlic Alfredo, so you can pick the one that best serves your own palate and the recipe in question.

It is also worth noting that, just as with jarred pasta sauce, store-bought salsa can effortlessly transform a pork chop. Utilizing salsa as a marinade is an effective way of both infusing meat with the salsa's complementary flavors and keeping the chop juicy while cooking. But if you prefer to keep things separate and enjoy the pairing of hot and cold, salsa also works well as a topping — grilled, honey-glazed pork chops with pineapple salsa, for example, would be an appropriate sweet and fruity dinner idea now that summer has arrived. As you consider your options, take a look at what 7 pro chefs named as their favorite jarred salsas, a range that includes Whole Foods Mango Salsa and Xilli Salsa Taquera, which employs Xilli's own mystery blend of herbs and spices.