Quick Fix: Pork Chop Ragu with Salad
For a quick and easy twist, I decided to prepare this ragu using a whole pork chop, making the process even more convenient without sacrificing taste. To enhance the depth of the sauce, I stirred in a bit of tomato paste. Fresh basil, with its fragrant aroma, not only brightens the dish but also adds a vibrant pop of color, elevating the entire meal.
HELPFUL HINTS:
Any type of low-sodium pasta sauce can be used.
Any type of long cut pasta such as spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccini can be used.
2 tablespoons tomato paste are needed. Freeze and extra for another time.
The salad recipe is given to complete the dinner. Use any type of salad you have on hand.
COUNTDOWN:
Assemble all ingredients.
Place water for pasta on to boil.
Make the pork chop ragu.
While pork cooks, boil pasta.
Assemble salad.
SHOPPING LIST:
To buy: 3/4 pound boneless pork chop about 1-inch thick, 1 bottle balsamic vinegar, 1 jar low-sodium pasta sauce, 1 small can tomato paste, 1 bunch fresh basil, 1/4 pound spaghetti, 1 piece Parmesan cheese, 1 bag washed, ready-to-eat lettuce and 1 bottle reduced fat salad dressing.
Staples: olive oil, onion, garlic.
Pork Chop Ragu
Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer
2 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 pound boneless pork chop, about 1-inch thick
1 cup sliced onion
2 crushed garlic cloves
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2-cups low-sodium pasta sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, divided use
3 ounces spaghetti
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Bring a large saucepan 3/4 filled with water to boil for the spaghetti. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and brown 2 minutes. Turn chops over and brown 2 minutes. Remove chops to a plate. Add the onion to the skillet and saute 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in the balsamic vinegar for 30 seconds. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste and 1/4 cup basil leaves. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and return chops to the skillet. Cover the skillet with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes. A meat thermometer should read 145 degrees. While the pork cooks, add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook 10 minutes or according to package instructions. Drain into a colander and divide between two dinner plates. Spoon the pork and sauce over the spaghetti. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup basil and Parmesan cheese on top.
Yield 2 servings.
Per serving: 583 calories (23 percent from fat), 14.9 g fat (3.3 g saturated, 5.0 g monounsaturated), 104 mg cholesterol, 52.1 g protein, 60.4 g carbohydrates, 6.7 g fiber, 317 mg sodium.
Salad
Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer
4 cups washed, ready-to-eat lettuce
2 tablespoons reduced-fat oil and vinegar dressing
Mx the lettuce and dressing together. Divide into two portions and serve on the plates with the pork ragu.
Yield 2 servings.
Per serving: 27 calories (41 percent from fat), 1.2 g fat (0.1 g saturated, 0.3 g monounsaturated), 1 mg cholesterol, 1.2 g protein, 3.8 g carbohydrates, 2.0 g fiber, 13 mg sodium.
Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
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Business Insider
15 hours ago
- Business Insider
I made over a dozen Ina Garten pasta recipes and ranked them by deliciousness
Ina Garten has published many pasta recipes, and I've made 13 from her repertoire so far. Her mac and cheese is creamy and comforting, while her lemon pasta is ready in 10 minutes. Garten's easy and rich penne alla vodka takes my top spot. From a comforting mac and cheese to the quick pasta, pesto, and peas, you'll find a variety of pasta recipes spread across Ina Garten's 13 cookbooks and her Barefoot Contessa site. I started cooking Garten's recipes after I spent a day following her quarantine routine in May 2020. At the height of the pandemic, I often turned to her pastas for simple but comforting dinners. I've now made over a dozen of Garten's pasta dishes. Some are vegetarian and take almost no prep, while others are loaded with meat or cheese. Here's how they all stack up. In 13th place is Garten's broccoli and bow ties pasta. Garten's broccoli and bow ties recipe was the first Barefoot Contessa pasta I ever made. 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The recipe consists of just pasta, unsalted butter, and the juice and zest of two lemons. Better yet? You'll have dinner on the table in 10 minutes or less. Garten's lemon pasta has a lovely, bright flavor, but it doesn't stand out enough to be the main course. There's not much depth of flavor in Garten's three-ingredient pasta. I whipped up her dish for a dinner party, and my friends agreed that it worked better as a side. "The pasta had me mad at myself for every time I've bought a $20 pasta limon from a restaurant when it's so simple to make," my friend Tyler said. "But if we were just having the pasta on its own, I would have been a little disappointed because it wasn't anything too special." I would serve Garten's lemon pasta alongside her incredible "outrageous" garlic bread, which goes well with just about everything, and would give this meal some more flavor and heft. Garten's spring green spaghetti carbonara takes the 11th spot. 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The recipe is packed with a long list of ingredients — including two types of cheese, red wine, and plenty of veggies — and takes almost two hours to make. Garten's baked rigatoni with lamb ragù is super delicious — but it's a lot of work. The rich sauce has that comforting, traditional Italian taste thanks to the carrots and other vegetables, and the rigatoni noodles are perfect for capturing a nice helping of ragù with every bite. I made this dish for friends who thought the pasta was worth the wait. "The dish reminded me of a cross between Bolognese and a baked ziti!" my friend Sara said. "Definitely a labor of love but, to someone not cooking, highly worth it!" My sous chef, Zach, also loved the taste, although he didn't agree that it was worth the extra effort in the kitchen. "As Prue would say on 'The Great British Bake-off,' it was worth the calories — but I wouldn't say it was worth the time," he said. "While it was definitely fun cooking it, I think you could genuinely make a dish that was 90% as good with just focusing on the ragù and broiling the pasta, versus fully baking it." Next time I make this dish, I'll follow Garten's tip to make the ragù a day in advance — which you can refrigerate before baking and serving. Garten's rigatoni with sausage and fennel takes the ninth spot. On a 2017 episode of "Barefoot Contessa," Garten said this rigatoni with sausage and fennel was one of her "all-time go-to dinners." "You can make the whole thing in one big pot, bring it to the table, and everyone loves it," Garten told her viewers. Garten's recipe is packed with exciting ingredients. In addition to sausage and fennel, the pasta features dry white wine, heavy cream, parsley, tomato paste, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Garten's sausage rigatoni looks beautiful, and it's perfect for cheese lovers. Garten's rigatoni with sausage and fennel has a gorgeous golden color, and there's a richness to it that I didn't expect. The rigatoni noodle perfectly captures the delicious meaty sauce, and I thought the sweetness of the sausage helped balance the saltiness of the Parmesan. While I think this pasta is perfect for cheese lovers, it may be too rich for some. I'd recommend using a quarter cup of Parmesan and tasting the sauce before adding more. But I love that Garten's rigatoni is a one-pot dinner, and I think it's perfect for cold days when you need something super comforting. In eighth place is Garten's "grown-up" mac and cheese. Garten makes her "grown-up" mac and cheese in an early episode of "Barefoot Contessa," calling it a "cozy and comforting dinner for Jeffrey and me." "When it comes to comfort food, I'd say mac and cheese is pretty high on everybody's list," Garten says at the beginning of the episode. She's not wrong! Garten gives the classic dish her "grown-up" twist by adding blue cheese, thick-sliced bacon, freshly chopped basil, and homemade croutons. Garten's "grown-up" mac and cheese is packed with delicious flavors. The velvety cheese sauce, smoky bacon, and satisfying tang of blue cheese make Garten's "grown-up" mac and cheese comforting yet unexpected. It's sure to be a crowd-pleaser on any dinner party or holiday menu. I made Garten's "grown-up" mac and cheese for my family before our last Thanksgiving dinner, and everyone loved this satisfying dish. But surprisingly, this isn't even my favorite mac and cheese from Garten. Taking the seventh spot is Garten's orecchiette pasta with sausage and broccoli rabe. Garten calls her orecchiette pasta with sausage and broccoli rabe, which appears in her cookbook "Foolproof," a "whole dinner in one pot." "It's a terrific thing to make on the weekends because it reheats beautifully for a quick midweek meal," she writes in the description. 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The simple but comforting dish features both Gruyère and sharp white cheddar cheeses, along with heavy cream, breadcrumbs, and cavatappi or elbow macaroni. Garten's mac and cheese will impress your friends and family. Garten's mac and cheese needs just 25 minutes in the oven, and it comes out a beautiful golden-brown color. The dish also stole the show at my Friendsgiving (as did Garten's incredible corn bread). The breadcrumbs gave each bite a nice crunch, and the sauce was creamy and decadent without overpowering the pasta. And since you can make it a day or two ahead, Garten's overnight mac and cheese is perfect for a dinner party where you'll be juggling quite a few things — or a quick but easy dish to delight everyone at a potluck. Garten's favorite weeknight pasta rounds out the top five. Garten shared the recipe for her favorite weeknight pasta in her cookbook, "Go-To Dinners," which was released in October 2022. 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