Description
Want to make the best crunchy pork cutlets with garlic zucchini pasta? I’ll show you how: let’s go!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 cups cubed zucchini (approx. 1 medium to large zucchini)
- 1 tablespoon garlic, finely diced (3 large cloves)
- 2.5-3 pounds sirloin end pork chops (see notes)
- 1 1/2 cups fresh grated parmesan reggiano cheese, or jarred stuff (plus more for the side)
- 1/2 pound of angel hair pasta
- 2 teaspoons salt (for the pasta water)
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup reserved pasta water
- Lemon wedges for garnish, optional
- Fresh basil garnish, optional
- Peanut oil for frying (or vegetable or canola)
Dredging station
- 3-4 cups of panko bread crumbs (start with 3, add more if needed)
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Would you like to save this?
You'll also be the first to hear about new recipes in my weekly-ish newsletter! :)
Instructions
- Cut one medium to large zucchini in half across the middle. Then cut the halves in half. Cut into thicker strips, then cut into bite-sized cubes. My video shows this well.
- Finely dice the garlic.
- Sirloin end pork chops sometimes come boneless and sometimes have the bone. Mine had the bone. Just use kitchen shears to cut it out – it’s easy. Save the bone pieces to cook another time or use for pork broth. Trim the larger strips of fat from around the pork. Cut the large pieces of pork in half, pound and season. I got 8 cutlets total out of this. Four larger and four smaller ones. I usually put plastic over the pork and pound with a kitchen mallet. You can also use a rolling pin or frying pan to get the pork down to ¼” in thickness.
- Season the pounded-down pork with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Set up dredge station with flour, eggs, panko. Using small sheet pans works or wide-rimmed bowls – whatever you have. Add the salt to the flour and mix with a fork.
- Here’s how the dredge works. Egg > flour > egg > bread crumbs. Dip each cutlet in the egg first, then the flour (coating evenly all over), then the egg a second time, then cover with panko bread crumbs. Set aside on a plate or sheet pan. Do this for all the cutlets.
- Grate fresh cheese if you chose this way. I had some parmesan reggiano on hand and used that. If you can splurge for that – it’s awesome. If not, no biggie. Regular jarred grated parmesan cheese works great too.
- If you’re garnishing with fresh basil, chop that now and same with lemon wedges.
- Plan your time and make sure you have a large pot of water at a boil by the time you are finished cooking the cutlets. Don’t forget to add two teaspoons of salt to your pasta water.
- In a large pan heat oil and get it hot, then add the cutlets and cook for about 4 minutes. Heat should be on medium. You should be able to see them getting golden brown around the edges. Carefully turn them and cook a couple more minutes until cooked through.
- Transfer cooked cutlets to a paper towel lined sheet pan too cool a bit.
- You should drop the angel hair pasta in the boiling water about the same time you start cooking the zucchini. Angel hair only takes about 6 minutes to cook.
- Heat some olive oil in a pan and add the zucchini. Sautee a few minutes on medium to high heat. Add a splash more oil to the middle of the pan and add the garlic. Let it cook for a minute to get fragrant before combing with zucchini.
- Transfer cooked pasta right from the pot to the pan. Mix the garlic, zucchini and angel hair together. Add the cheese and pasta water and mix again and now it’s done. Add half a cup of pasta water to start and more if needed.
- I usually put my pasta in a large mixing bowl which can also double as a serving dish. This is when I taste it and decide it needs more cheese. It’s easier to mix when in a large bowl. J If you want it a little creamier add more pasta water but watch the salt at this point. You may just want to add warm tap water to moisten the pasta.
- If you have flaky kosher salt on hand, you can sprinkle a little on the pork cutlets. Garnish everything with fresh chopped basil, lemon wedges and pepper flakes if you want a little kick to it. Enjoy!
Notes
- Yes, you can use another kind of pork for this. The pork loin, the center cut pork – you choose. I like the sirloin end pork chop because it’s a darker more flavorful cut. Don’t pick a cut that is too thick or you won’t be able to pound it down to the ¼” cutlet size.