Pork Chops with Italian Gravy

I am not a huge fan of pork products.  Oh yes, I do like bacon, and I like pulled pork, but pork is not my meat of choice for many dinners, just because I don't have a lot of recipes for pork.  I had a few recipes from Pinterest that I thought I might try someday, and those recipes called for packets of Italian dressing mix.  I picked up a box of the store brand dressing mix a while back with the intention of making something pork-related someday using the dressing mix somehow, and yesterday was that day.  I had picked up a package of boneless pork chops on sale (you know, where they need to sell the package soon because the date on it is about to pass, so they mark it down with giant orange stickers--I have no shame, I'll get any marked-down package of meat and throw it in the freezer.  If you can find them, it's usually a good deal!), and decided to accept the pork challenge.

My recipe was based off of a Pinterest pin that's been floating around the boards for as long as I can remember.  It was originally a Crock Pot recipe, but I didn't see a reason that it couldn't be adapted to use in a pan.  Hence my creation, Pork Chops with Italian Gravy!

Ingredients:

1 package of pork chops (can be boneless or bone-in)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 can cream of chicken soup (~10 oz.)
1 packet of Italian dressing mix
1 can water OR milk (using the can from the soup mix)
Salt, pepper, seasonings to taste

Directions:
Heat the oil in a deep skillet, and add the pork chops.  Season the pork chops with salt and pepper (and other spices, if you want).  Brown them on each side.  In a separate bowl, while the pork chops are browning, mix the soup, Italian dressing mix, and water OR milk together.  Once the chops are brown, remove them and add the soup mixture to the pan.  Stir around and scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pan.  Place the pork chops back in the skillet, and bring the mixture to a simmer.  Allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the pork chops are completely cooked through.

We had these with some mashed potatoes and buttered peas.  It was really easy, too--dinner was ready in around 45 minutes from start to finish (and that included peeling and cutting up the potatoes!), and if you chose simple side dishes, you can have this ready in 30 minutes.  Hubs kept saying how much he loved the gravy.  If he raves, then I'm happy!