15 Side Dishes for Pork Chops Busy Families Will Love

Pork chops are a staple American meal because they are tasty, protein-rich, and easy to prepare meat. However, it is always a tough decision what to serve on the side.

Below, we detail various sides for pork chops that are sweet, spicy, and salty. Whether you are searching for a dessert, comfort food, or nutritious alternative, we give you all the best options – with a lot of similarities to tenderloin meals.

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Carrots with Brown Sugar Glaze

Carrots with brown sugar glaze are the perfect crunchy, sweet side dish for pork chops. They are delightfully sticky because of the butter and brown sugar. Your guests or family will enjoy them as a delicious break from the main course.

Brown sugar-glazed carrots can come in multiple sizes. The side is usually served in its longer 3-4-inch form, but you can also glaze the mini carrots. If you want to take it a step further, you can use carrots of multiple colors for advanced aesthetics.

Baked Corn Pudding

The baked corn pudding is the perfect side dish if you serve pork chops for a holiday occasion. Corn pudding is custard-style and tasty for those with a sweet tooth. Pork chops usually require harder chewing, so the baked corn pudding’s soft consistency will be a delightful treat.

To make, you begin with a standard white sauce and then mix in beaten eggs, cream-style corn, and whole kernel corn. Depending on you or your family’s dietary needs, you can also go easy on the sugar.

Sweet Potato Salad

Sweet potato salad is a fresh, nutrient-dense side that pairs well with pork chops (and tuna steak). You can combine many different greens with sweet potatoes, but the best choices are romaine lettuce, kale, or spinach.

When it comes to nuts, the choice lies with the creator. However, you cannot go wrong with almonds, macadamias, pistachios, or sunflower seeds. You can also have bleu cheese, radish salad, cherry tomatoes, and cranberries. Not only is this side dish fresh and healthy, but it touches on the senses with both cold and hot elements.

Fried Apples

Southern-fried apples are a side that can instantly elevate an average pork chops meal into a memorable dinner. Fried apples and pork chops provide a sweet and savory meal combination that you have always been waiting for. When you prepare fried apples, you sauté them for the pork chops or a big breakfast. If you want to go the extra mile, you can also serve this dish with ice cream or whipped cream as dessert.

This dish comes from the south because of its country-style process and ingredients of butter, cornstarch, and sugar. People will also mix in lemon juice to keep the fruit fresh and the flavors balanced. The final addition of the brown sugar will not only give the sauce a dark appearance but also adds to the apples’ unique flavor.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Garlic mashed potatoes add another unique flavor for a neutral pork chop meal (think baked pork chops or grilled pork chops with minimal seasoning). Roasted garlic serves as an excellent appetizer and provides a bolder flavor for vegetables, mayonnaise, and salad dressings. When you combine it with potatoes as a side dish, the sky’s the limit. Not only is this a historically popular side dish, but it also adds a sweet, nutty flavor.

If you want to leave extra texture and color in the potatoes, it would be best to leave the peels on the vegetables. The garlic mashed potatoes are an ideal option for a holiday dinner or a fun family meal.

French Onion Soup

If you are feeling fancy with your pork chop dinner, it is always good to prepare your meal with a french onion soup. This heavy, beefy, and rich side dish will go best with a neutral-flavor pork chop, especially on a colder day or winter month. Cheese lovers will look forward to this side because of the topping, which also includes crispy bread.

As you make the french onion soup, you can adjust the flavor based on the amount of condensed beef that you add. If the broth’s taste is overwhelming, you can also add water based on your judgment. It is also never too late to “taste test” and add the optimal amount of salt.

This dish is something you should not rush, so set aside a big block of time to perfect your recipe. When you caramelize onions to the ideal color and flavor, it could take up to an hour. Although the process is long and elaborate, the soup only requires five ingredients and is very tasty.

Pilaf Rice

Pilaf rice is a suitable side dish option if you are in a time crunch. You first cook chicken broth and rice on the stovetop and then move it over to the oven. While the rice warms up in the oven, you can dedicate your time and energy toward perfecting the rest of the meal.

This dish is also an excellent pair for a skillet pork chop or fried pork chops. When you prepare the pilaf rice, you sauté oil, butter, or minced onions, and pour in the uncooked rice. Once you sense the nutty smell, you can then transfer it over to cook in the oven.

Green Beans with Bacon Bits

Green beans (in any form) are always a reliable side dish, especially for pork chops. You can sauté the green beans in a pan, and they take about a half-hour to prepare. A green bean side can be a simple dish, but they are full of texture and flavor to take your meal to another level.

The magic comes with the extra items added on top. You can add some personality to the green beans by adding cooked bacon bits, breadcrumbs, or caramelized onions. Your guests are sure to be blown away by this fun side dish.

Sauteed Kale and Collard Greens

Sauteed kale and collard greens are another impactful side dish that only requires three main ingredients: olive oil, simple seasonings, and garlic. It only takes an efficient stir-fry preparation within a pan, and then you can add lemon juice for texture, appearance, and flavor. Most people will add salt and black pepper for the seasonings to give it a zing.

Creamed Spinach

Do you have frozen spinach available? If you do, you can combine it with garlic, nutmeg, and parmesan cheese for this amazing (and nutritious) side dish. Your guests will love the creamy, smooth texture with the white sauce. It only takes 20-30 minutes to make, and it is a tasty solution on a night when you are in a time pinch with the pork chops.

Apple Salad

As we’ve seen with the fried apples, the fruit is an excellent combination with pork chops. This proven track record continues with an apple salad. This rejuvenating side dish is a good choice for an appetizer and prelude to pork.

Most people will add in some dried fruit and nuts for the extra ingredients. You cannot go wrong with raisins, cranberries, or dates. For the nut portion, you could choose between pecans, almonds, and sunflower seeds. The family or guests of the meal will enjoy the sweet crunch and refreshing taste.

Brussels Sprouts with Caramelized Onions and Ham

The brussels sprouts with caramelized onions and ham continue to support the “green vegetable side” theme. With this side dish, you get an enjoyable blend of salty and sweet with the ham and caramelized onions. This dish is best prepared in a larger skillet with medium heat. It would be best to wait until the brussels sprouts are crisp, which should take anywhere between 4-6 minutes.

Homestyle Butter Beans

Get your tasty source of lentils with homestyle butter beans! Not only is the dish simple to make, but it also adds some southern cooking into your pork chops meal. To make it, you need 4-5 slices of bacon, one small onion, brown sugar, and a frozen package of butter beans.

Creamed Corn

Creamed corn is another classic southern comfort food that is sure to make your guests happy. When you add the light color to this side dish, you can add either cream or flour milk. It is a combination of both elaborate cuisine and spicy taste. The dish calls for ingredients like butter, red bell peppers, fresh thyme, whole-kernel corn, reduced-fat milk, kosher salt, and all-purpose flour.

Apple-Cranberry Coleslaw

We already explained how delicious apple salad is, but an apple-cranberry coleslaw will take the meal to another level. The side dish only takes 10-15 minutes to prepare, so it is a good option for a night when you might be in a rush.

The varying flavors within the food will pair well with many foods, including pork chops. This dish brings out tart dried and sweet cherries, gala apples, pecans, and red cabbage. When it comes to the coleslaw dressing, you can go with a bottle option or prepare your homemade version.

Crescent Rolls

If you are looking to prepare a homemade side from scratch, the crescent rolls are a perfect complement to the pork chops. The recipe calls for dry yeast, an all-purpose baking mix, sugar, and garlic if you’d like to add it.

The crescent rolls only require about 30 minutes of hands-on preparation, including another hour in the oven. So, if you want to get the rolls knocked out early, you can prepare and throw them in the oven while you focus on the other sides for pork chops.

Spicy Deviled Eggs

When the guests crave a side with a spicy jolt, then the deviled eggs are the perfect way to go. You can fill these eggs with cilantro, cumin, and pickled jalapenos. The hot flavor is the perfect supporting dish for a medium-flavored pork chop main dish.

The recipe calls for 12 large eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, cumin, salt, jalapeno peppers, and fresh cilantro. This side dish can go a long way for just 15 minutes of preparation time.

Vegetable Kabobs

Not only do vegetable kabobs taste amazing, but they are also fun to eat! With a family including young kids, they will head for the vegetables first thing with this delicious side dish. The world is yours when deciding what to add, but you cannot go wrong with mushrooms, bell peppers, or zucchini. In addition to the vegetables, the recipe also asks for butter or margarine, fresh basil, and garlic powder.

Oven Fries

The homemade oven fries are a family classic that is worth all the effort. Not only do they pair well with a juicy pork chop, but they also go well with burgers or any main barbecue dish. When you prepare, you can customize the flavoring by adding your seasoning.

You start with 1-2 pounds of medium-sized potatoes and then cut them into strips that are a half-inch thick. The recipe also calls for vegetable oil, kosher, table salt, and of course… ketchup!

Baked Beans with Rum

Lastly, we must add another bean side dish into the mix. Rum is the primary driver behind this tasty medley of baked beans. It is also convenient because you can prepare it ahead of time and let it sit while you prepare the other parts of the meal later.

The recipe asks for bacon slices, sweet onions, brown sugar, ketchup, gold rum, and garlic cloves. You will also need baked beans, red kidney beans, and navy beans. You will combine all these items into a large skillet and stir. If you need to serve the dish soon, you will proceed to put it in the oven. Another option would be to refrigerate and throw it in the oven when it is time for dinner.

FAQs About Pork Chop Sides

Here are a few FAQs about Pork Chop Sides.

Final Wrap Up

As you can see, there are all types of sides for pork chops. If you wish to add comfort food to the mix, you can easily prepare rolls, fried apples, or baked corn pudding.

For health-conscious meals, you could prepare apple salad or roasted vegetables or butternut squash. No matter what side you choose, all options are sure to compliment your pork chops and add meaningful flavor to the menu.