My grandmother made this every Sunday after church and the smell alone brings back so many memories

This oven baked 5-ingredient smothered pork chop pasta is the kind of dish that makes a house feel like home. My grandmother made a pan of this every Sunday after church, and you could smell the onions and pork drifting down the driveway before you even opened the door. It’s simple, humble Midwestern comfort: tender pork chops baked low and slow in a creamy onion gravy, all tucked around soft egg noodles. With only a handful of pantry staples and one big baking dish, it’s a practical, no-fuss meal that still feels like a special Sunday supper.

This is a full meal in one pan, but it’s lovely with a simple green side to cut through the richness—steamed green beans, a tossed salad, or a plate of sliced cucumbers and tomatoes with a little vinegar and salt. Warm dinner rolls or buttered white bread are perfect for soaking up the extra onion gravy. A dish of applesauce on the table brings that old-fashioned Sunday feel, and for dessert, something simple like brownies or a fruit crisp keeps the whole meal feeling homey and familiar.

Servings: 6

6 bone-in pork chops, about 1/2–3/4 inch thick

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a deep 9x13-inch ceramic baking dish or similar casserole.

Season both sides of the pork chops with about 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, sear the pork chops in batches, 2–3 minutes per side, until nicely browned. They do not need to be cooked through at this stage. Transfer browned chops to a plate and set aside.

In the same skillet, add the sliced onion. Cook over medium heat, stirring often and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, until the onions are soft and starting to caramelize around the edges, about 8–10 minutes. Turn off the heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream of mushroom soup, cream of onion soup, water (or broth), remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon black pepper until smooth.

Spread the uncooked egg noodles evenly in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Scatter the cooked onions over the noodles.

Pour the soup mixture evenly over the noodles and onions, making sure all the noodles are moistened. Use the back of a spoon to gently press down any noodles that are sticking up so they’re mostly submerged in the sauce.

Nestle the browned pork chops on top of the noodles and gravy, overlapping slightly if needed but keeping them in a single layer as much as possible. Spoon a little of the sauce over the tops of the chops so they don’t dry out.

Cover the baking dish tightly with foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, carefully remove the foil and check the noodles for tenderness. If they still have a bit of bite and the sauce seems thin, re-cover and bake another 10–15 minutes. If the noodles are tender, leave the foil off and bake an additional 10–15 minutes to lightly brown the top and let the gravy thicken and bubble around the edges.

When done, the pork should be very tender and reach at least 145°F in the thickest part, and the noodles should be soft and coated in creamy onion gravy. Let the dish rest 10 minutes before serving so the sauce can settle and thicken.

To serve, use a large spoon to scoop up a pork chop along with plenty of noodles and gravy. Spoon any extra caramelized onion gravy from the pan over the top of each portion.

If you grew up with a slightly different Sunday version, this recipe is easy to bend toward your own memories. For extra onion flavor, you can add a packet of dry onion soup mix to the soup mixture and reduce the added salt. If you don’t have cream of onion soup, use cream of chicken or extra cream of mushroom and add an extra half onion to the skillet. Boneless pork chops or thick-cut pork loin slices will also work; just keep an eye on them during baking so they don’t overcook and dry out. You can swap the egg noodles for another short pasta, like rotini or penne, but you may need to add a splash more water or broth if the pasta seems to be soaking up too much liquid. For a little color, sprinkle chopped fresh parsley over the finished dish, or add a handful of frozen peas in the last 15 minutes of baking. Food safety tips: Always sear the pork over medium-high heat, not scorching hot, so the outside browns without burning. Use a clean plate for the browned pork chops—never put them back on the plate that held them raw. Bake until the pork reaches at least 145°F in the thickest part, then let it rest in the hot pan for several minutes before serving. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow containers, and reheat thoroughly until steaming hot before eating. Discard any leftovers that have been left at room temperature more than 2 hours.