I love meals that come together in under 30 minutes with minimal fuss. This one-pan Mandarin Orange and Red Pepper pork chops recipe is exactly that: quick, flavorful, and perfect for a busy weeknight.
I enjoy prepping and freezing meals when I can, but I don’t always have time to cook in advance. Some weekends I want to do things that don’t involve spending hours in the kitchen. That’s why I keep simple, reliable recipes like this one in my repertoire. They are realistic to pull together after work when hungry kids are asking, “Is dinner ready yet?”
🥘 Ingredients
This dish is a practical compromise for cooks short on time who still want a homemade taste. It combines a store-bought Mandarin orange sesame salad dressing with fresh pork, red pepper, garlic and ginger to create a tasty pan sauce. If you’re looking for pork chop ideas that are quick and satisfying, this recipe checks all the boxes.
If you want fresh ginger on hand for longer, store unpeeled ginger in a freezer bag. When you need it, shave the skin with a vegetable peeler and grate the frozen piece directly into the dish. It keeps for months and saves time on busy nights.
I originally developed this idea for a dressing-based recipe challenge. Using a bottled dressing as the base for a pork sauce was new to me then, and it turned out to be a delicious, fast solution. Sauced pork is ideal over rice or noodles, and this dish pairs especially well with a quick pre-cooked rice that’s ready in minutes.
Serve the finished pork and sauce over rice or noodles, garnish with the mandarin segments or a sprinkle of green onion if you like, and enjoy a meal that tastes like you spent more time on it than you actually did.
Mandarin Orange & Red Pepper Pork Recipe
A simple weeknight pork dish that uses a bottled Mandarin orange sesame dressing to create a quick, flavorful pan sauce with pork, red pepper, ginger and garlic.
Course: dinner
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 464 kcal per serving
Author: Terri Gilson
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 6 boneless pork chops (about 1.5 lbs)
- 1 cup Mandarin orange with sesame salad dressing (store-bought)
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1–2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1 red pepper, julienned
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced (see Terri’s tip)
- 1/3 cup plum sauce
- 1 can mandarin oranges (284 ml), drained
Instructions
- Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and add the oil.
- Lightly coat the pork chops with flour on both sides. Brown the chops in the hot pan for 2–4 minutes per side until golden.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the Mandarin orange sesame dressing, beef broth, plum sauce, julienned red pepper, minced ginger and garlic. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Continue cooking for 15–20 minutes, turning the pork occasionally, until the pork is cooked through and the red pepper is tender. Add the drained mandarin oranges near the end of cooking to warm them through without breaking them up too much.
- Serve the pork and sauce over rice or noodles. Spoon extra sauce over the top and garnish as desired.
Notes
TERRI’S TIP: Keep fresh ginger in a freezer bag in the freezer. When you need some, peel it with a vegetable peeler and grate it while still frozen right into your dish. It stores well and makes quick weeknight cooking easier.
Nutrition
Per serving: Calories: 464 kcal | Carbohydrates: 19 g | Protein: 26 g | Fat: 32 g | Saturated Fat: 7 g | Sodium: 222 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 6 g
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Serve hot and enjoy a quick, comforting dinner that feels homemade without a lot of fuss. This recipe works well as written, and it’s forgiving if you need to adjust quantities or swap ingredients based on what you have on hand. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator and reheat nicely over rice or noodles for an easy next-day meal.