These pork chops and acorn squash roast together on one sheet pan with tart cranberries, then get finished with a honey sage sauce. It's an easy fall dinner built around seasonal produce, juicy bone-in pork chops, and roasted vegetables, with just one pan to manage and plenty of bold flavor for a weeknight meal that still feels a little special. Follow my step-by-step instructions for this perfect sheet pan dinner recipe.
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This easy dinner recipe is one of the first recipes I ever developed. And I still love the way it make busy nights fun and flavorful. And if you love it too, then you want to check out my other Fall dinner recipes like roast pork with apples, kale cranberry salad, and my favorite loaded potato soup.
📖Why My Recipe Works
- The pork and squash are timed to cook together. Using pork chops around ¾ inch thick and cutting the acorn squash into similarly sized slices helps both finish at roughly the same time.
- A hot sheet pan improves browning. Preheating the pan means the pork starts cooking against a hot surface instead of slowly warming along with the pan.
- The vinaigrette balances the roasted flavors. Honey softens the tart cranberry and vinegar while orange, garlic, and fresh sage bring brightness to the finished dish.
🧾Ingredient Notes
- Pork chops - Bone-in pork chops work well here because the squash needs enough roasting time to become tender. Keep them under ¾ inch thick so the pork and vegetables stay on a similar schedule.
- Acorn squash - Slice it into ¾-inch half moons and leave the skin on!
- Cranberries - Use fresh or frozen cranberries, not sweetened dried ones. They bring tartness that cuts through the richer pork and honey dressing.
- Red onion - Red, yellow, or white onion will work, and leeks are another option.
- Orange - Fresh orange juice and zest give the vinaigrette its brightest flavor. Orange juice can stand in for fresh, or use apple juice for a slightly different direction.
- Honey - Regular honey works, but this is also a good place to use fermented garlic honey in place of both the garlic and honey.
- Apple cider vinegar - Champagne vinegar or red wine vinegar can be substituted.
Pork and Butternut Squash Variation
For a sheet pan pork chops and butternut squash version, peel and slice the butternut squash before roasting. You can also replace the acorn squash with delicata squash or thick slices of sweet potato. The important part is not the exact vegetable-it is cutting it to a size that will become tender in about the same amount of time as the pork needs to cook.
⏲️How to Make Sheet Pan Pork Chops
Start with a Hot Pan
Preheat your oven to 400°F and place the sheet pan in the oven while you season the pork. Preheating the sheet pan will give the pork chops a sear as soon as they go in. Lay the seasoned pork in a single layer and place sheet pan in the oven and bake the chops for 10 minutes while you cook your veggies.
Cut the Veggies Based on the Thickenss of the Pork Chops
While the pork is cooking, I prep my veggies. The key to any sheet pan dinner is to keep the veggies and meat cut proportionally.
Bake
Remove the sheet pan from the oven, flip the pork chops, and add the veggies. Space out for even cooking. Use a meat thermometer to test the internal temperature and continue to cook as needed. The cook time will vary based on the thickness of your pork chops.
Sauce and Serve
While the veggies and meat are roasting, I mix up the sauce You can mix in a small bowl or just shake in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Move the cooked pork and veggies to serving plates, drizzle on the honey sage sauce, and serve.
Common Recipe Questions
Microwave the whole squash for 2 minutes on high. This should soften it just enough to slice it. I also find using a bread knife easier than a chef's knife.
his is an easy fix.If the vegetables are tender before the pork reaches 145°F, transfer the vegetables to a bowl and keep cooking the chops.
If the pork needs more browning, move the vegetables off the pan and place the chops under the broiler. Flip them about every 2 minutes so they brown without burning. This is much better than leaving already-cooked vegetables in the oven just because the pork needs a few more minutes.
Did you enjoy making this recipe? Show it some love with ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a comment! Hungry for more FLAVORFUL recipes?
📖 Recipe Card
Sheet Pan Pork Chops and Squash
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons coconut oil melted, divided
- 4 bone-in pork chops (about ¾ inch thick)
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 small acorn squash (about 2 lbs), cut into ¾" half moons
- 1 large red onion cut into ½" slices
- 1 ½ cup cranberries fresh or frozen
Honey Sage Sauce
- ½ medium orange juiced and zest
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh sage minced
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
Sheet Pan Assembly
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Brush pork chops with half of the oil and sprinkle with dried sage, salt, and pepper. Place the pork chops on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes while you prep the vegetables.2 Tablespoons coconut oil, 4 bone-in pork chops, ½ teaspoon dried sage, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Slice your squash and onion. Add the cranberries and toss with the remaining oil. You do not need to peel the squash.2 small acorn squash , 1 large red onion, 1 ½ cup cranberries
- Flip the pork chops and add the vegetables to the pan. Bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until pork chops reach a minimum internal temperature of 145 F and squash is easily pierced with a fork.
- Move pork chops to plates, drizzle vinaigrette over vegetables and serve
Honey Sage Sauce
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well combined2 Tablespoons coconut oil, ½ medium orange, 1 clove garlic, 1 Tablespoon fresh sage, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 3 Tablespoons olive oil, 4 bone-in pork chops
Notes
- If your pork chops are not as crispy as you like, remove the vegetables and return pan to the oven to broil 2 minutes per side
- If you don't have a full-size sheet pan, divide between two half pans and rotate racks halfway through.
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven at 325 F degrees.
Bobbi says
Delicious combination. I added sliced large portobello mushroom with the other veggies and had butternut squash instead of acorn squash. Absolutely magnificent taste. Thank you!
Jen Wooster says
Sounds delicious with the mushrooms. Thanks for sharing you expereince!
Renee Benham says
The flavors are nice but the timings are all wrong. The pork chops were overdone and the squash still needed 30 more minutes. Our squash slices look the same as the picture. I recommend starting the squash first and adding the pork chops near the end.
Jen Wooster says
I am sorry you had trouble with the cook times. I will reevaluate the next time I make the recipe.
Susan says
Very tasty combination but it sure took longer than stated.
I think putting the squash in first to cook for a while before adding chops would work.
My hubby was sitting there waiting...IS IT DONE YET?? YIKES!
Took at least 20-25 min....
BUT great flavors and will definitely try again!
Jen Wooster says
The thickness of your squash slices and pork chops really makes a huge difference in cooking time. Glad you enjoyed the flavors!
veenaazmanov says
Love the delicious dressing and the flavorful Acorn Squash and pork chops. A unique combination to enjoying this awesome Platter. I love it.
GUNJAN C Dudani says
Sounds like such a nice and delicious combination. The recipe is soooo doable and well explained.