Guest Author - Jill Valente

As my pregnancy winds down (only 3 weeks to go!), I am finally done working and along with setting up our nursery, washing all the new baby clothes and waddling around the city, I have extra time to spend in the kitchen. Lately I have been working on meals that can be prepared quickly and easily and my recipe for Sautéed Peppers, Pork Chops and Pasta is a good example of this. Bell peppers are an excellent source of vitamins C and A, boneless center cut pork chops are a good source of lean protein and rounding out the meal with high fiber whole wheat pasta makes it hearty and satisfying. Using jarred tomato sauce saves times and adds a ton of flavor without a lot of added fat. A favorite jarred sauce of mine is Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce and although it’s a bit more expensive then the others I think it’s definitely worth it. It is all-natural and blends sweet tomatoes from Italy, imported olive oil, onions, fresh basil, garlic and oregano and salt and pepper. It is so tasty that it’s hard to justify the effort of making your own although obviously homemade sauce can be used in this recipe.

Sautéed Peppers, Pork Chops and Pasta

Ingredients
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 3 bell peppers, orange and red, thinly sliced
• 4 boneless center cut pork chops
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 lb whole wheat penne
• 32 oz jar of tomato sauce

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add sliced onions and peppers and sauté for 10 minutes until soft. Place pepper mixture off to one side of the sauté pan. Season pork chops with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Sear on each side for about 3 minutes and then add the jar of tomato sauce. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the pork is tender. While the sauce is simmering, boil a pot of water and prepare whole wheat penne according to the instructions. Combine cooked pasta with pork, peppers and sauce and serve. Makes 4 servings.