If you like pork chops with apples, you'll love Pork Chops with Cinnamon Apples and Butternut Squash! It's an easy, healthy, one skillet dinner that is full of fall flavors!
One skillet meals are great! And this Pork Chops with Cinnamon Apples and Butternut Squash is a good one.
When I was growing up, we almost always had homemade applesauce with our pork chops. So, the combo is a natural one to me, and I added some butternut squash for a little extra nutritional oopmh.
I love savory and sweet dishes! Dinners like Slow Cooker Sweet Balsamic Pork are favorites at my house.
These pork chops were a big hit with the whole family. My two year-old is sick and has been picking at her food, but she loved this.
So, if you're looking for an easy dish that's sure to please, give this a try!
If you’ve tried this pork chops with cinnamon apples and butternut squash recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below. I love to hear from people who've made my recipes! You can SUBSCRIBE to receive my latest recipe newsletters or FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for even more delicious food.
Pork Chops with Cinnamon Apples and Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium butternut squash
- 2 medium baking apples*
- 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar (depending on desired sweetness)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch or two of salt
- 4 bone-in pork loin chops
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat butter over medium-low heat.
- Meanwhile, peel butternut squash and apples. You can also leave the peel on the apples if you prefer.
- Cut squash and apples into ½-inch cubes.
- Place in pan, and stir to coat with butter.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Turn heat to medium.
- Add brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Cook for another 10 minutes or so, stirring regularly, until tender.
- Remove to plate.
- Add pork chops, and season with rosemary, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook about 10 minutes on each side, or until a thermometer reads 145 F.
- Return apples and squash to pan and toss to warm.
Carin
I tried to follow the times but I found my squash to be a bit hard still. Is it meant to be a harder squash texture? I’m still new to cooking squash and am used to the more mushy roasted texture. I ended up cooking my squash longer with the lid on to get the right cook on it. Thanks for a yummy recipe!
Kate
No, it shouldn't be hard. Sounds like you found a good work around! =) Glad it came out well!
Angela Feeney
Love this dish!! Second time making it my family loves it the only thing I added was Vidalia onion.
Kate
Thank you! Sounds like a delicious addition. Thanks for commenting!
Lori
Really good. I put a lid on the skillet after browning pork chops on both sides to speed cooking
Kate
Thank you! Thanks for the tip! It's always helpful to hear the things that have worked for other people. =)
Lisa
I thought this was a great recipe and easy to make all in 1 pan. However, it was too dry for my family because we like food with a little sauce. I added some chicken broth and water to the pan and it made a nice brown sauce with the drippings from the pork. Made it with some stuffing on the side and it was good. Thanks for the recipe!
Kate
Thanks! Glad that you were able to make it work for your family. =) Thanks for coming back to comment!
Stacey
Simple, fast, and delicious. Loved this healthy, sweet-savory recipe. Thank you!
Kate
Thank you! I'm so glad that you liked it. =) Thanks for commenting!
Amy Williams Clark
I have a bunch of acorn squash.
Can I substitute butternut squash for Acorn Squash?
Kate
You should be able to! Acorn squash and butternut squash are similar enough in consistency and flavor that you should be able to use acorn squash in this recipe. I'm not sure whether you'll need to adjust the cooking time, but, otherwise, I think it should be a fine substitute.
Trent Alston
I made this meal for my wife since she has gotten on a better diet for improved health, and she has been talking about this meal for the last two days. Thanks a million
Kate
Yay!! I'm so glad that she liked it! Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment! =)
Angelina
Looking to make this recipe and wondering what a good side would be with it? Rice? Mashed potatoes? I like my carbs.. :]
Kate
Well, we would get along just fine! =) Mashed potatoes would go well with this dish.
Angelina
Thank you! Just made it tonight and it’s delicious:]
Kate
I'm so glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to come back to comment! =)
Patty Guido
Hi Kate my name is patty. I was wondering for the pork chops w/ cinn app recipe,can I substitute the butter for something else ? Thanks so much and have a wonderful day ! ?
Kate
Hi, Patty! Yes, you could use olive oil, coconut oil, or a similar oil in place of the butter. =)
Tara
This is one of my favorite recipes for the fall. Do you think there is a way to make this with a large roast in the oven? I'd love to make it for a family gathering
Kate
Thanks! I'm so glad to hear that you like it! I've never tried to make this recipe as a roast, so I'm afraid that I'm not able to be much help with that.
Tara
Okay I am going to give it a whirl and see how it comes out!
Kate
Good luck!
Ariana
Would I be able to use boneless pork chops for this recipe ? I hope so!
Kate
I would guess that you could. You'll just want to watch the cooking time because boneless pork chops will cook faster than bone-in. Good luck! =)
Bz
I was looking for a quick and easy squash and pork chop recipe and this was it!! I didn't have baking apples, so I just did squash and the pork and added a tiny bit of chili powder to the squash while it cooked for a tiny kick. I was worried about cooking the squash on the stove as I normally roast it but, it cooked perfectly in the amount of time indicated in the recipe. I loved it and so did my family and the best part was the simple clean up because it was cooked in one skillet.
Kate
So glad that you liked it! Fewer dishes to clean is always nice. =) Thanks for taking the time to come back and comment!
Linda Ray
Great one dish meal!! My mom did the browned pork chops with the sliced apples cooked in the brownings from the pork chops in the skillet with a little butter and brown sugar. She never peeled the apples, which gave a little "crunch" Adding the squash is a great addition. I did a shortcut, as I found the butternut squash in the freezer section of Costco already peeled and chopped. It is a tiny bit precooked which really cuts down the cooking time. This will become one of my favorites!! thanks os much.
Kate
I'm so glad that you liked it! I'm all for using shortcuts like the butternut squash to make the meal even faster. Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Kathy Arner
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I didn't have squash on hand but did sweet potato instead and it was sooo good! I am now trying to do the WW points for it. I did use the Splenda brown sugar blend and just a little. Very tasty! My hubby thought it was great too!
Kate
Thank you! I'm so glad that you enjoyed it! Sweet potato would be a great substitute for the squash. Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Mrs. Quick
Made this for dinner tonight. Believe it or not I had never had squash before.... it was delicious! Such a simple meal, perfect for fall. Thank you for sharing this. Who ever left that first comment is absolutely ccrazy!
Kate
Yay for trying something new, and I'm so glad that you liked it! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment. =)
Sandal
We tried this tonight. I don't think I would make it again. The squash did not cook even leaving it in the pan while the pork chops were cooking. Because I left he squash in to cook with the pork shops, the apples were over cooked. The pork was also over cooked even though I cooked it the time indicated in the recipe. If you can peel and chop the squash in 10 minutes, you are amazing! And if someone actually put the butter in the pan and melted it while prepping the squash and apples, it will burn! Melting the hitter should be step 2, not step 1. The flavor was delicious just the wrong times on everything else.
Kate
Normally, if someone has trouble with a recipe, I apologize and offer to troubleshoot. However, it doesn't sound like you followed the directions. Even so, I'm going to make some suggestions in the hope that this explanation will help someone in the future.
I suggest both a time and a temperature to cook the pork to because pork chops can vary in thickness and "medium" can mean different things on different ranges. Cooking the pork to temperature will not result in overcooked pork.
Also, you say that you left the apples in longer than directed and then were upset that they overcooked. Even with an extended cooking time, this shouldn't have happened with baking apples. They can stand up to extended cooking times without turning to mush, which is why it's important to use the correct type of apple.
I write recipes based on how long it takes me to prep it and cook it. I would suggest that, when following any recipe, you adjust accordingly if you think that it will take you longer than indicated to complete a step. Better luck in the future!
Chuck
Why didn’t you parboil the squash. In cooking, like life, everything is timing...
Renee T
Very tasty. I used sweet potato, though, because I did not have butternut squash. I also added slices viladia onion. I would make this recipe again.
Kate
Those sound like tasty swaps! I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it. Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Val
I know this is an older recipe, and I'm just wondering how you don't have more comments on here? I made this for dinner tonight, and it is so good! Such a delicious, easy, perfect fall mean. It's like comfort food. My mom often made porkchops and acorn squash baked and filled with applesauce. It was one of my favorites, and this recipe is a hit as well. Thanks!
Kate
Thank you!! I am so glad that you liked it! I always enjoy hearing from people who have made my recipes. Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment! =)
Matea
What an easy dish to make for dinner! Could I substitute sweet potatoes for the butternut squash?
Kate
Thank you! I haven't tried this with sweet potatoes, but the flavors would certainly work together. =)