This one-pan meal is sure to be a hit with your family. The butternut squash is mixed with a lemon caper butter sauce and then lightly roasted before being topped with seasoned thick-cut pork chops and then cooked to perfection. Add some rice, pasta, or salad to this oven-baked dish, and you have the perfect weeknight meal.
I’m on a mission. A mission to find weeknight meal recipes that don’t require a lot of effort, don’t leave me with a sinkful of dreaded dirty dishes, yet still taste absolutely freaking amazing. It’s kind of a lot to ask for, right? Well, thanks to these oven-baked pork chops with diced butternut squash drenched in a lemon caper butter sauce, I now have a new quick-fix weeknight meal that I can add to my list of I don’t really feel like cooking tonight recipes. Now, if I could just convince B.O.B. Bob or Brenna to do the few dishes in the sink afterward, life would pretty much be perfect.
Ingredients:
Butternut Squash:
- Juice of 2 Lemons
- 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Melted
- 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Sea Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1/4 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 2 Teaspoons Capers
- 1 Large Butternut Squash, Peeled, Deseeded, & Diced
Pork Chops:
- 4 Thick-Cut Boneless Pork Chops
- 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Ground Sea Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Paprika
- 2 Teaspoons Capers
Directions:
Butternut Squash:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a 9×13 baking dish, whisk together the lemon juice, melted butter, salt, oregano, onion powder, and black pepper. Add capers and butternut squash; stir to combine.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
Pork Chops:
- While the butternut squash is baking, drizzle the olive oil over the pork chops. Generously season with sea salt, pepper, and paprika. Use your hands to rub the oil and seasoning into the pork chops.
- After the butternut squash has baked for 25 minutes, arrange the pork chops on top And garnish with capers.
- Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the pork chops are cooked through.
Suggestions:
- The length of baking time will depend on how thick your pork chops are.
- Don’t be afraid to generously season the pork chops and make sure to season both sides. Thick-cut pork chops need lots of seasoning.
Improvements:
- Replace the butternut squash with sweet potatoes.
- Add a 1/4 cup of finely chopped green olives to the butternut squash mixture.
- Crumble feta cheese over the pork chops during the last 10 minutes of baking time.
Ingredients:
- Juice of 2 Lemons
- 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Melted
- 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Sea Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1/4 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 2 Teaspoons Capers
- 1 Large Butternut Squash, Peeled, Deseeded, & Diced
- 4 Thick-Cut Boneless Pork Chops
- 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Ground Sea Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Paprika
- 2 Teaspoons Capers
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a 9x13 baking dish, whisk together the lemon juice, melted butter, salt, oregano, onion powder, and black pepper. Add capers and butternut squash; stir to combine.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
- While the butternut squash is baking, drizzle the olive oil over the pork chops. Generously season with sea salt, pepper, and paprika. Use your hands to rub the oil and seasoning into the pork chops.
- After the butternut squash has baked for 25 minutes, arrange the pork chops on top And garnish with capers.
- Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the pork chops are cooked through.
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