My grandmother made this every Sunday during the lean years and it's still the most comforting meal I know. Just 3 ingredients and the meat falls apart.

This is the kind of dish that carried a lot of Midwestern families through the lean years: a pan of pork chops baked low and slow under a blanket of condensed tomato soup until the meat practically falls off the bone. My grandmother made this every Sunday, stretching a small package of chops into a deeply comforting meal with just three ingredients and a little patience. The soup reduces into a thick, tangy, slightly sweet sauce that clings to the meat and caramelizes around the edges of the casserole dish. It’s humble, budget-friendly, and wonderfully hands-off—perfect for busy evenings when you want something that tastes like it’s been in the oven all day.

Serve these tender, tomato-smothered pork chops with a starch that can soak up all that thick, red sauce—mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, or plain white rice are all classic choices. A simple green vegetable on the side, like steamed green beans, peas, or a crisp salad with a light vinaigrette, balances the richness nicely. If you like, add some crusty bread to mop up the caramelized bits from the vintage casserole dish; that’s often the best part.

Servings: 4

4 bone-in pork chops, about 3/4 to 1 inch thick

Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C). Lightly grease a vintage-style glass or Pyrex casserole dish that’s large enough to hold the pork chops in a single layer.

Pat the bone-in pork chops dry with paper towels. Sprinkle both sides evenly with the kosher salt, gently pressing it into the surface of the meat.

Arrange the pork chops in the prepared casserole dish in a single, slightly overlapping layer if needed. This close fit helps keep them moist as they bake.

Open the cans of condensed tomato soup and pour the soup directly over the pork chops. Use a spoon or spatula to spread the soup so each chop is fully coated and the bottom of the dish is covered in a thick layer of soup. Do not dilute the soup with water; it should be thick.

Cover the casserole dish tightly with a lid or a double layer of foil to trap in moisture. Place the dish on the middle rack of the preheated oven.

Bake, covered, for 1 1/2 hours. During this time, the pork chops will slowly braise in the tomato soup, becoming very tender.

After 1 1/2 hours, carefully remove the cover (watch for steam). Spoon some of the tomato sauce over the tops of the chops, then return the uncovered dish to the oven.

Continue baking, uncovered, for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the pork chops are fall-apart tender and the tomato soup has thickened into a rich, red sauce with caramelized edges around the sides of the casserole dish. The internal temperature of the pork should reach at least 145°F (63°C), though for this style, it’s common to cook them beyond that until very tender.

Remove the casserole dish from the oven and let the pork chops rest for about 5 to 10 minutes. The sauce will thicken slightly more as it cools. Serve the pork chops smothered in the thick tomato sauce, scraping up the caramelized bits from the edges of the dish for extra flavor.

Because this recipe is built on just three ingredients, each one does some heavy lifting. You can swap kosher salt for table salt (use a bit less) or a seasoned salt if that’s what your grandmother kept by the stove. Bone-in pork shoulder steaks or country-style ribs also work beautifully; they’re fattier and will become even more tender with the same slow bake. If you prefer a slightly looser sauce, stir 1 to 2 tablespoons of water into the condensed soup before pouring it over the chops; just keep the mixture thick so it can caramelize. For a deeper, slightly smoky flavor that still feels true to the original, you can lightly brown the salted chops in a skillet before baking, then transfer them to the casserole and proceed as written—this isn’t necessary, but it adds another layer of flavor if you have the time. Leftovers reheat very well; store them in the same dish if possible so you can scrape up any remaining caramelized sauce, and warm gently in a low oven or on the stovetop with a spoonful of water if the sauce has become too thick.