Sheet pan Cajun pork chops and sweet potatoes
Spicy Cajun pork chops roasted with sweet potatoes, peppers and onion, so the heat and the sweetness land in every bite.
- 50 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $2.78 a serving
- 500 calories
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Most of the time here is hands-off, so you can sit down while it cooks.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 red onion
- 5 tsp Cajun seasoning, divided
- 4 boneless pork chops, boneless, about 1 inch thick
- 2 stalks green onions, sliced (optional)
From your pantry
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
Each serving has about 500 calories, 39 g protein, 31 g carbs and 25 g fat, and costs about $2.78 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No green bell peppers? Red bell peppers or yellow bell peppers work.
- No red onions? White onions or yellow onions work.
- No green onions? Chives work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 425°F.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Cut the sweet potatoes into ¾-inch and the pepper and onion into 1-inch pieces.
Cube. Cubing means cutting food into chunky, even squares, usually three quarters of an inch to an inch. Same-size cubes cook at the same speed and brown on every side.
How you’ll know: Your pieces look like a handful of sugar cubes, a little bigger than diced, all close to the same size.
them on a large with 2 tbsp of the oil, 2 tsp of the Cajun seasoning and the salt, spread them out, and 20 minutes.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
Roast. Roasting means cooking in a hot oven, around 400°F to 450°F, usually spread out on a sheet pan. The dry heat browns the outside and brings out sweetness, especially in vegetables.
How you’ll know: The edges are browned and a little crisp, and a fork slides easily into the thickest piece.
Timer: 20 min
Meanwhile, the chops dry, rub them with the rest of the oil, and season both sides with the rest of the Cajun and the garlic powder.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Season. Seasoning means adding salt, pepper or spices to bring out a food’s flavor. A little at a few stages tastes better than a lot all at the end.
How you’ll know: When you taste it, it tastes bright and like itself, not flat and not salty.
Dolly’s tip: Cajun seasoning is already salty, so the chops don’t need any extra salt.Stir the vegetables, push them to the edges, and lay the chops in the middle.
15 to 18 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender and the middle of a chop reads 145°F.
Roast. Roasting means cooking in a hot oven, around 400°F to 450°F, usually spread out on a sheet pan. The dry heat browns the outside and brings out sweetness, especially in vegetables.
How you’ll know: The edges are browned and a little crisp, and a fork slides easily into the thickest piece.
Timer: 16 min
Food safety: Steak, pork chops and other whole cuts are safe at 145°F in the middle, then let them rest for 3 minutes before cutting.
Let the chops sit 3 minutes, then scatter the green onions over and serve from the pan.
Timer: 3 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
