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French meat with cheese and tomatoes in the oven

Baked Pork with Cheese and Tomatoes (Meat "French Style")

Simple, quick, and foolproof! Juicy, fragrant, melt-in-your-mouth pork layered with onion and tomatoes! This "French-style" meat proves that even the simplest ingredients can turn into something interesting and delicious. It's a versatile dish — right at home on a weeknight table or a holiday spread.

naniki

Recipe author

French meat with cheese and tomatoes in the oven

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Pork

200

Onion

Tomatoes

Hard cheese

100

Mayonnaise

Salt

Ground black pepper

Fresh herbs

Paprika

Olive oil

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 32 % 13 g

Fats 63 % 26 g

Carbohydrates 5 % 2 g

291 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

Gather your ingredients. Which cut of pork should you use? For a juicy result, go with a fattier cut — shoulder or neck. You can use other meats too, just remember the cooking time changes: beef takes longer than pork, while chicken breast or turkey cooks faster.
Step 2:

Rinse the pork well under running water and pat it dry with paper towels. Trim off any sinew or membrane with a knife. Cut the meat against the grain into thin, wide slices about ½ inch (1 cm) thick. Lay them on a cutting board and cover with a plastic bag or plastic wrap — that keeps the juices from splattering everywhere. Pound each slice on both sides with a meat mallet.
Step 3:

Remove the wrap. Season the cutlets with salt and pepper and sprinkle with paprika. You can swap the paprika for a ready-made pork seasoning, or use whatever spices you like — Provençal herbs, basil, marjoram, and oregano all work. If you have time, chill the meat for a couple of hours to marinate; it'll taste even better!
Step 4:

Grease a baking dish with a little olive or refined sunflower oil. Lay the pork cutlets in a single layer.
Step 5:

Peel the onion and slice it thinly into half-moons. To keep the onion fumes out of your eyes, rinse the knife in cold water. If you use a white or sweet onion instead of yellow, the dish picks up a slightly sweet note without any bitterness.
Step 6:

Pick ripe, juicy, firm tomatoes — overly soft ones are hard to slice. Wash and dry them, cut off the stem ends, and slice them into thin rounds with a sharp knife. Arrange them over the onion. You can substitute tomato sauce or leave the tomatoes out entirely, but they make the dish tastier and juicier.
Step 7:

Lightly drizzle the tomato layer with mayonnaise — snip a small corner off a bag of mayonnaise and pipe a thin criss-cross over the tomatoes. If you'd rather skip the mayo, use sour cream instead.
Step 8:

Grate the hard cheese on the coarse side of a grater and scatter it generously over the tomatoes. The more cheese, the better. A good melting cheese like Gouda, Edam, or a mild Colby works well — just make sure it's a quality, flavorful cheese. Here you want the cheese baked in, so add it right away. If you'd prefer it just melted, add it 15 minutes before the end.
Step 9:

Pipe a generous criss-cross of mayonnaise over the cheese. Tape up the corner of the leftover mayonnaise bag and pop it back in the fridge for next time.
Step 10:

Turn on the oven 10 minutes ahead and preheat it to 350°F (180°C). Bake the meat for about 40–50 minutes. To help the meat cook through without scorching the cheese, cover the dish with foil, then remove it 15–20 minutes before the end. Bake until a golden cheese crust forms. To check for doneness, pierce the center with a knife tip: clear juices mean it's ready; if the juices run pink, give it another 10 minutes.

Instead of mayonnaise, try a sour cream sauce: mix sour cream (any fat content) with 2–3 pressed garlic cloves. It's lighter and a bit more wholesome. Serve the meat hot with boiled potatoes, fluffy rice, or a fresh vegetable salad.
Homemade mayonnaise is worth the effort — tastier and better for you. You can also use sour cream or plain yogurt as the dressing, on their own or blended with mayonnaise in any ratio you like, to cut the calories.
Keep in mind that ovens vary, so the time and temperature may differ from what's written here. Get to know your oven for the best baked results.