Pork Chop Dinner – Easy Meals for 2 for Under $5

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Pork Chop Dinner

It’s amazing how cheap a huge meal can be when you make it at home.  I have been working on ways to help reduce my family’s food budget every month.  This is one of our series on cheap eats.  Every week, we will post a recipe that can be made for under $5.  When I look for recipes that look delicious, I often find that I need to run to the store to get an ingredient that I never use for anything else.  Cooking for less is often about using what you already have and making the most of every item.  I kept that in mind while making this dinner.  Feel free to substitute ingredients for whatever you happen to have in your fridge!  You don’t have cheddar?  Don’t go buy some, just use American or mozzarella.  You don’t have cheese at all?  Use some sour cream.  The goal of this meal is to be delicious, easy and cheap.  I spent about $2.13 for each person for dinner.  The pork chops were $1.29/lb.  Potatoes were $.99/3 lbs.  Imperial spread is $.99/1 lb.  Spinach was $1.59 for 5 oz and mushrooms were $1.50/8 oz.

Many people have trouble getting all of their dishes to be completed at the same time.  This step by step set of instructions should help you finish this meal within a few minutes.

Ingredients:

  • 2 bone in pork chops
  • 3 oz milk
  • 1 oz spinach
  • 2 oz mushrooms
  • ½ of a small onion
  • 1 lb of potatoes
  • ¼ lb margarine
  • 2 oz shredded cheddar
  • Salt & pepper
  • Garlic
  • Season salt

The meal is a pork chop, mashed potatoes, potato skins and garlic fried vegetables.  I made this meal because I had made baked potatoes the night before with the intention of making a potato salad.  The event we were going to was canceled, so I needed something to do with those potatoes.  If you’re making this dinner, the first thing you need to do is get the potatoes in the oven.

  1. Scrub your potatoes. Poke a few holes in the skins and pop them in the oven or toaster oven at 400 degrees for about 50 minutes.
  2. Wash all of your other vegetables.
  3. Prepare your onions and mushrooms. Slice both vegetables into bite sized pieces.  You do not need to do anything else until the potatoes are finished.
  4. Remove the potatoes from the oven and let them cool until you can touch them with your hands.
  5. Preheat your oven, toaster oven or air fryer to 400. I use the air fryer for my potato skins.
  6. While the potatoes are cooling, preheat your griddle or frying pan. Put a little oil or margarine in the bottom and turn it on to medium high heat.
  7. Place your pork chops onto the griddle. Season the top side of your pork chops.  I just use a sprinkle of salt and pepper.  You are going to leave them on one side until they are about 60% done.  My pork chops took about 8 minutes on one side with my griddle on 400.
  8. Put another skillet on the stovetop. Put 1T butter in the pan and allow it to melt over medium heat.
  9. Add onions, garlic and mushrooms to butter in skillet.
  10. Slice your potatoes in half. Using a tablespoon, scoop out the insides of the potatoes.  Try to leave about 1/8th of an inch of potato attached to the potato skin.
  11. Stir your vegetables.
  12. Put cheese inside your potato skins. Add season salt and toss them into your oven.  Set a timer for 8 minutes.
  13. Check on your pork chops. It is probably time to flip them.  Do not press them down; you want the juice to stay inside.  Add salt and pepper to other side of pork chops.
  14. When your mushrooms and onions look like they are mostly done, add spinach and stir it into the butter.
  15. Put the insides of the potatoes into a bowl or mixer. Add 2T butter and a sprinkle of salt.  Pour 3 oz milk into the potatoes and mash by hand or turn on the mixer for about 60 seconds.
  16. Stir your vegetables. If the spinach looks like it is evenly wilted, lift the veggies onto your plate.
  17. Spoon your mashed potatoes onto your plate.
  18. Check your pork chops and your potato skins. The potato skins should be crispy and the cheese should be melted.  The pork chops should be golden brown.  The juices should run clear and they should have an internal temperature of 145.
  19. Plate your meal and enjoy!