If you’ve ever rolled home after a long Tuesday and just wanted something that feels like a hug in food form, well, welcome to my world. A few years back, I had this whole grand plan for a fancy roast—spoiler, did not happen. My brain just noped out and I plopped pork chops in a crock pot with almost zero expectation. As it turns out? The result was so much tastier than anything I’d planned. My little brother wandered in, sniffed the air, and said (deadpan), “You finally made something edible!” (Rude. And totally fair.)

Why I’m Kind of Obsessed With This Recipe

I make these crock pot pork chops when I want minimal effort but maximum comfort—all the cozy, literally zero standing over a stove. My family goes bananas for them, especially on cold, drizzly nights. Actually, the sauce is so good, we’ve eaten it straight up on toast before. No shame. The potatoes suck up everything, and if I’m honest, I’ve even made this with mystery freezer pork that was probably a month too old—and nobody noticed! (Don’t judge.)

Oh, and I used to get way stressed about the sauce being too runny or thick. (Been there, yelled at a gravy whisk, got over it.)

What You’ll Need (With Possible Swaps because Life Happens)

4-6 pork chops (bone-in or boneless, whichever is cheapest that day; I sometimes grab the thin-cut ones if I’m in a rush—they cook up faster but get a bit more fall-aparty)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (Campbell’s loyalists, unite!—but honestly, I’ve used generic, or swapped in cream of chicken when the store was wiped out)
1 packet dry onion soup mix (Sometimes I use half, especially if I’m feeling sensitive, heh)
1/2 cup milk or water (or, erm, white wine if you’ve got it open? Adds a little depth. Or, just skip it—I forget half the time anyway)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (optional but tasty—Grandma always side-eyed me if I forgot)
Fresh cracked black pepper (as much as your heart says yes to)
A handful of sliced mushrooms (optional; these get all melty—weird looking, but divine)
(Optional) Chopped parsley for serving, mostly for Instagram photos if we’re honest

Here’s How I Usually Do It—No Stress

Lay the pork chops straight in your crock pot. (You can brown them first for fancier vibes, but—eh, who has time? Sometimes I do it, sometimes not.)
In a bowl, dump the soup, dry onion mix, milk or whatever liquid, Worcestershire, and a good grind of black pepper. Stir it up; if it looks kind of gloopy, that’s right. If it splashes on your shirt—now you’re cooking like me.
Pour this wonderfully questionable mixture right over the pork.
If using, toss in mushrooms now. They shrink so don’t panic if it seems like a lot. They will basically vanish, trust me.
Put the lid on and set to low for 6-7 hours, or high for 3-4 hours if you’re running late (I usually forget to start it early, so—high 9 times out of 10 for me).
This is when I usually sneak a spoonful of sauce (hot, careful!) about halfway through, to check the seasoning. Actually, I do it mostly out of impatience, let’s be honest.
When it smells ridiculously good and the pork is falling apart, they’re done. Give it a gentle stir; don’t worry if the sauce looks split at first, it comes together after a minute (or don’t stir, if you like it messy!).

Notes—What I’ve Learned (Sometimes the Hard Way)

The sauce thickens as it cools. If it’s too runny, I take the lid off and let it bubble for a bit; too thick, I chuck in a splash of milk or even water. Did that once when I just couldn’t be fussed with exact measuring.
If your pork is super lean, it can get a bit dry unless you have more sauce covering it—so pile those saucy bits on top.
Actually, I tend to think this tastes even better the next day—if there’s leftovers. I stash extra sauce just for toast or baked potatoes.
A random tip: once I added frozen peas at the end. It didn’t look great but hey, veg is veg.

If You Wanna Mix It Up—How I’ve Played Around With This Recipe

I swapped in chicken for pork once (thighs work better than breasts). Kinda dry, not my favorite but still edible with enough sauce.
Added a splash of hot sauce when my partner was sick and tastebuds were on vacation—perked everything up!
Once tried adding sour cream but, eh, sauce got weirdly curdled. Maybe don’t try that.

What Equipment? Here’s What I Use (Or Don’t)

A crock pot (obvious, but I used my neighbor’s once when mine broke—borrow, beg, or use an oven-safe dish at super low temp if you must; it’ll work, just takes longer)
Bowl and spoon for mixing. Or a measuring jug. Or honestly, give it a whisk in the crock; less dishes.

Keeping Leftovers (If You Get That Far!)

So, these actually keep in the fridge about 3 days in a covered dish—though honestly, in my house they never last more than a day. I reheat in the microwave, but you could totally do stovetop. It freezes ok, but the sauce gets a bit lumpy on thawing. Not a dealbreaker, just give it a good stir.

Serving Up—What I Like Slapped on the Side

We’re big on mashed potatoes or those frozen potato cubes (tater tots, don’t judge), plus something green so I feel less guilty. My dad piles on extra gravy, then sneaks mustard on his. Odd but…well, to each their own. Sometimes I serve the pork over egg noodles; real stick-to-your-ribs stuff. Here’s the mashed potato recipe I use when I’m not too lazy.

Hard-Won Pro Tips

Don’t rush the cook time—tried that, ended up with rubbery meat. No thanks. Low and slow wins the race.
Browning the chops can give extra flavor but, on second thought, I skip it 90 percent of the time.

Wait, But What About…? (Real FAQ From Friends and Strangers)

Can I use pork loin or tenderloin instead of chops? Yep! Just cut it in thick slices—though pork loin dries faster, so check it a smidge early.
What if I don’t have onion soup mix? No worries, try a little dried onion and celery salt, maybe a sprinkle of garlic powder. Or cheat and grab a seasoned salt like Morton’s. Works for me in a pinch.
Can you double the recipe? Absolutely, I’ve done triple batches for potlucks—the only thing is, don’t stack the chops too thick. Sauce coverage equals happiness.
Can I make this dairy-free? Bet your boots! Use coconut milk (unsweetened), or double water and add a dab of dairy-free butter. It’s not quite the same but, ‘needs must’ and all that.
Will picky kids eat this? Mine do, for what that’s worth! Just don’t tell them there’s mushroom in the sauce if they’re anti-fungi. Works every time.

And because this is just how my brain works—remember that time I tried to balance a measuring cup on a pile of potatoes? Yeah, don’t do that either. For more slow cooker tips and tricks, The Magical Slow Cooker blog is a favorite of mine, and I’m not even being paid to say that (I wish!).

Anyhow, hope these crock pot pork chops warm up your kitchen (and maybe your mood). Let me know if you come up with a sauce twist that actually works. I’m always game to tinker—sometimes on purpose, sometimes not!