Dishes made using condensed canned soups are stereotypical of mid-20th century cuisine. However, there were recipes that called for canned soups long before that. According to Wikipedia, condensed canned soups were first introduced in 1897. And, recipe authors began listing them as an ingredient in the early 20th century. I recently came across a 1926 recipe for Pork Chops with Tomato Sauce that called for condensed tomato soup.
The Pork Chops with Tomato Sauce were easy to make, made a lovely presentation, and were very tasty. The pork chops were seared on the top of the stove, and then slowly baked in the tomato soup.
I’m sure that I’ll make this recipe again. The pork chops were juicy and tender with a lovely, flavorful tomato sauce.
Here’s the original recipe:
This recipe is very flexible. The original recipe called for 6 to 8 pork chops, but I only made two pork chops. My skillet was large so I used the entire can of condensed tomato soup, but I could have easily just used half of the can of soup, and reserved the remainder to make a serving of soup. Similarly, if desired, as indicated in the original recipe, up to 6 to 8 pork chops could be made using one can of soup.
I seared the pork chops on top of the stove before pouring the tomato soup over them. I then placed them in the oven. The old recipe does not explicitly indicate that the pork chops should be seared, but I decided to do it to help seal in the meat juices.
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Pork Chops with Tomato Sauce
2 pork chops*
2 tablespoons cooking oil (avocado oil, canola oil, olive oil)
1/2 can condensed tomato soup*
butter
salt and pepper
* If desired, more than two pork chops may be used, as long as they comfortably fit in the skillet. If additional pork chops are added, or if a large skillet is used, use the entire can of soup.
Step 1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
Step 2. Put the cooking oil in a cast iron skillet (or other heavy oven-proof skillet). On the top of the stove, heat the skillet using medium to medium-high heat. Put the pork chops in the pan and sear for 3 minutes; flip and sear the other side for 3 minutes.
Step 3. Remove from heat and spoon the condensed soup over the pork chops; spread the soup to thickly cover the pork chops. Extra soup should be spooned into the pan.
Step 4. Dot the smothered pork chops with small pieces of butter, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Step 5. Cover skillet (the skillet may be covered with aluminum foil if there is no lid) and place in oven. Bake for 1-2 hours depending on the thickness of the pork chops. (Check pork chops after an hour to make sure that there is still sufficient liquid in the skillet.) (I baked medium thick pork chops for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.)
That sounds like a tasty dish! I’ve never eaten a pork chop/tomato based combo. We try to follow a low-carb eating plan, and I recently discovered that a jar of Rao’s marinara sauce and a half cup of heavy whipping cream heated on the stove makes a wonderful tomato bisque! Easy-peasy!
mmm . . . the Tomato Bisque sounds lovely.
That is an easy dish and sounds really good.
I really enjoyed this recipe. It’s simple to make, and very tasty.
Now you got me thinking what exactly are condensed soups? I never put too much thought into what even condensed milk is!
Condensed soup is soup with much of the liquid removed. The company that makes the soup cooks away much of the liquid using high temperatures which makes a thick and concentrated soup that is then canned. To eat it as soup, milk or water needs to be stirred into the condensed soup before heating. Sometimes condensed soups are used in recipes without adding additional liquid, like in this recipe.
Another win for tomato soup!!! Next the tomato soup cake!!!
🙂 Tomato Soup Cake doesn’t sound good, but I shouldn’t judge it since I’ve ever tasted it. I wonder when that recipe was invented.
Tomato soup cake is a chocolate cake…. You never know until somebody tells you…I just checked and it should come into your 100′ year guide line
I look through hundred-year-old cookbooks and magazines, I’ll have to see if I can find a Tomato Soup Cake recipe. Your comments led me to do an online search about the history of Tomato Soup Cake. I found an article on Campbell’s Soup website about the history of a spice cake made using the soup (which is a little different from the chocolate cake you are familiar with) that you might find interesting:
A Spicy History of Campbell’s Tomato Soup Spice Cake
This sounds like a win/win on a busy day.
Yes, this would be a good recipe for a busy day.
A very interesting combination of ingredients.
It’s interesting how it uses condensed tomato soup.
I don’t use condensed canned soups or any canned soup really but I do remember many years ago ago (🤫about 50 years ago) my mother babysat for a few children, the Moms would also stick a can of that tomato soup to have with cheese sandwiches. It was rather good.
The school I went to served toasted cheese sandwiches and tomato soup from time to time. I think that the soup was made from large cans of the same soup they sell in grocery stores.
My mother would do this with cream of mushroom soup. I think I’d prefer the tomato!! I’m going to have to give it a try!
I think that you’ll like this recipe.
Condensed soups were used in many recipes in my early days as a cook during the 1970s. They were always quite delicious. This recipe sounds very similar. I’m sure it would make very tender pork.
I recently was sorting some of my cookbooks and came across a 1970s Betty Crocker casserole cookbook. I was surprised how many of the recipes called for condensed soup (cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, cream of onion, tomato, etc.). It is amazing how much the foods we make (and the ingredients they typically contain) has changed during our lifetimes. .
Haha.. Sheryl, Betty Crocker – a household name! Yes, those recipes were staples in our Aussie homes too. Cream of almost anything was used in so many of our recipes…