This slow cooker 3-ingredient Amish celery pork chops recipe is the kind of humble Sunday supper my grandmother would make when money was tight but love was plentiful. Thick bone-in pork chops simmer low and slow in a simple celery gravy until they’re so tender they practically fall off the bone. The recipe comes from old farmhouse church cookbooks and Amish neighbors who believed in stretching pantry staples into real comfort food. With only three ingredients and a crockpot, you can have a cozy, creamy, stick-to-your-ribs dinner that tastes like it’s been passed down through generations.
Serve these pork chops right in their creamy celery gravy, spooned generously over mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, or plain white rice so all that rich sauce has something to soak into. A side of buttered peas, green beans, or glazed carrots keeps the meal feeling like a true Sunday dinner. Warm dinner rolls or a slice of soft white bread are perfect for mopping up the last of the gravy, and if you like, a simple lettuce salad with a tangy dressing balances out the richness.
Slow Cooker 3-Ingredient Amish Celery Pork ChopsServings: 4
Ingredients
4 thick-cut bone-in pork chops (about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds total)
2 (10.5-ounce) cans condensed cream of celery soup
1 1/2 cups finely chopped celery (about 3–4 ribs, leaves included if tender)
Directions
Pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel so they brown and cook more evenly. Trim off any large, loose pieces of fat, but leave a bit for flavor.
Spread the chopped celery evenly over the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker to make a bed for the pork chops.
Lay the pork chops on top of the celery in a single layer as best you can. If you need to overlap a little, place the thicker chops on the bottom.
Spoon the condensed cream of celery soup over the pork chops, spreading it gently with the back of the spoon so all the meat is covered. Do not add water; the pork and celery will release enough liquid to thin the soup into a creamy gravy.
Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours, or on HIGH for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, until the pork chops are very tender and the meat is starting to fall away from the bone. Avoid lifting the lid too often so the heat stays in.
Once cooked, carefully lift the pork chops from the slow cooker with a wide spatula or tongs—they will be very tender. Stir the celery and the now-thinned cream of celery soup together in the slow cooker to form a smooth, pale yellow celery gravy with soft green bits of celery throughout.
Return the pork chops to the gravy in the slow cooker or transfer them to a serving dish and ladle the gravy over the top. Serve piping hot, spooning extra celery gravy over each chop at the table.
Variations & Tips
If you like a little more body to the gravy, you can remove the cooked pork chops at the end, whisk 1 to 2 tablespoons of instant mashed potato flakes into the hot gravy right in the slow cooker, then nestle the chops back in. For a slightly deeper flavor, brown the pork chops in a skillet for a few minutes per side before adding them to the slow cooker, though my grandmother usually skipped this step on busy Sundays. If you can’t find cream of celery soup, you can use one can of cream of mushroom and one can of cream of chicken, then add an extra rib of chopped celery to keep that old-fashioned celery flavor. To stretch the meal for more people, tuck a few quartered potatoes or thick-sliced carrots under the celery layer at the bottom of the slow cooker; they’ll soak up the gravy as they cook. Leftovers reheat well on the stovetop over low heat—if the gravy gets too thick, stir in a splash of water or milk to loosen it. For a touch of brightness, sprinkle chopped fresh parsley over the finished dish just before serving, though the recipe is meant to be simple and comforting just as it is.
