I told my son what I’m making for dinner tonight and he thinks I’m crazy. LOL
Real simple. In a casserole dish. A layer of apple pie filling and then the pork chops on top and throw in the oven.
Going to top it off with some sharp cheddar cheese at the end.
Tasty or no? (I’m open to some suggestions by the way)
I have zero issues with combining pork and apples, and have a few dishes that combine them (more slow cooker or pressure cooked options).
But.
Apple pie filling is, with some rare (and often pricier) exceptions, faaaaar too sweet for me to use the vast majority of the time. I’d sub for real apples, or applesauce (no sugar added).
I like the ingredients, but wouldn’t necessarily do it as a casserole. I’d grill or bake the chops while heating the apple pie filling in a sauce pan and adding some depth with spices and such. Cheese would be optional except you said “sharp,” which makes it mandatory.
Pork chops and applesauce isn’t just a Brady Bunch catchphrase.
I’m with @ParallelLines that pie filling is likely too sweet. But hey, everything’s worth a try, and maybe the cheese helps offset the sweetness.
I’m usually not into sugary sauces with my meat entree. Your mileage may vary, obviously.
Hmm haven’t actually tried the apple pie filling. Hope it’s not too sweet.
I am a fan of sweet with the meat. But not too sweet.
It doesn’t appeal to me, like others have said it sounds too sweet. A little sweet goes well with pork, but that sounds like too much, but part of the fun of cooking is experimenting.
I usually wet brine my pork chops, apply a dry rub and then smoke them on the grill.
This is where spices are your friend. Counter the sweetness with chili pepper flakes.
I’m a fan of pork and apples together, but I agree the pie filling would be way too sweet. Here’s a recipe I like a lot. It’s a bit more work and I generally use a pork loin roast, but I’m sure pan fried pork chops would work just great.
Pork Loin with Apples and Mushrooms (About 4 generous servings)
1 - 3 lb. boneless pork loin roast
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Splash of dry white vermouth, about 2 TB
1 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup apple cider (or you could use apple jack or apple juice)
1 cup of whipping cream
3 tbs. butter ( divided)
3 small apples - peeled, cored, cut in 1/8 slices (approximately). I use Granny Smith apples.
3/4 lb. fresh sliced mushrooms
Season the pork with the thyme, salt and pepper. Place roast in a lightly greased metal roasting pan. Bake at 450 degrees for approx. 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees and continue baking for 1 hour and 15 minutes (to 160 degrees, if you use a thermometer). Remove the roast to a platter and allow it to rest while you fix the rest of the recipe.
Place the roasting pan over medium heat on stove top and add the cider, stirring to scrape up the drippings. Add the vermouth, broth and cream. Bring to a low boil. Cook 15 minutes on low until thick, stirring often. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
Melt 1 1/2 tbs. butter in a skillet and add the apples. Cook at medium heat until golden, about 10 minutes. Remove apples from skillet and keep them warm in the oven. Melt the remaining butter in the same skillet and add mushrooms, cooking until tender. Stir in the cream mixture. Mix and cook over low heat until heated thoroughly.
Place some nice slices of pork on the plate. Spoon the mushroom sauce over the pork. Serve with the apples.
I agree with other posters that apple pie filling (which is mostly refined sugar) is just going to be way too sweet. However, pork pairs really well with apples, pears, and most stonefruit, which provide enough sweetness to accentuate the slightly sweet flavor of good pork. I would recommend making a reduction of tart apples and caramelized onions, then baking that over the pork chops (or preferably pork loin), or better yet broiling the protein and then finishing with a light sear and topping with the reduction rather than trying to make it all as a casserole. Serve with some smashed red potatoes and roasted roots, or on top of arugula with some currents and walnuts on top. Cheddar is a good topping for apple pie but with a with like this I’d opt for a light topping of grated Asiago or another salty hard cheese.
Stranger
Anyway, I’m slightly curious, the advantage of the dish as described in the OP is that it makes use of easily purchased, pre-prepped materials (pie filling, chops, and probably pre-shredded cheese), combined in one dish and cooked all at once.
Is the emphasis on easy of preparation and cooking? If so, it’s fine.
If the emphasis in on flavor, then, absolutely, most of the suggestions we are making are going to be a help. For a single example, I’d say you’ll get a more even flavor by searing the chops in a hot pan before a slow cooking option, but that’s another pan to wash and more work. Or buying a decent block of sharp cheddar and grating it yourself. Or any other number of options.
One other last minute suggestion, depending on the chops (especially very lean loin chops, and even more so if very thing) they may end up getting dry despite bathing their undersides in pie filling - so you may want to brine (if not pre-brined) or otherwise cover the dish for most of the pre-cheese cooking.
Aside to @Stranger_On_A_Train - We’ve had some very nice Colorado Grown peaches on sale recently, and I’ve immensely enjoyed halving and pitting them, roasting them hot and fast in the air fryer, and plated with pan seared thick porkchops seasoned with sage, rosemary, salt and pepper, with a drizzle of my homemade peach habanero hot sauce.
So yeah, stone fruit (apricots are another fav) and pork is always a win for me as well, despite countless generations of Jewish ancestors cursing me.
It wouldn’t be any harder to sub some store-bought chunky unsweetened applesauce in for the pie filling. Way less sweet and more appropriate for this application, I think.
Agreed, but the pie filling may be something the OP happens to have on hand and be trying to use up. I mentioned using applesauce instead in my first reply as well as a preferable option.
Great minds and so forth. 
I didn’t even know this was a thing. I’m going to have to look for that at the store next time I’m there.
Even though I’m not generally a fan of peaches, that sounds outstanding.!
Stranger
Simply offset the sweetness of the pie filling with chopped onions – or top it (after cooking) with those crispy fried onions that go on green bean casserole.
I have served pork chops with apple gravy made from apple sauce which is pretty sweet. Other than the apple sauce it was a basic country gravy made in the pan drippings. Enough additional ingredients can cut down the sweetness of pie filling although it is often sweeter than apple sauce.
I tired this years ago but IIRC I made the apples into a slightly more savory sauce using sage. I don’t remember my recipe off hand.
Sage is a standard for pork dishes. Lamb too. Sage for lamb dishes that is. Some dishes do mix pork and lamb. The ones occurring to me off hand use ground meat such as Shepherd’s Pie and meat loaf, and those would benefit from sage.
Ugh! Why not just throw in a cup of Miracle Whip and top with thick slices of Velveeta while you’re at it?
Stranger