3-Ingredient Slow Cooker Papa’s Plate

These 3-ingredient Slow Cooker pork medallions are tender, creamy, and covered in rich mushroom-onion gravy. No browning, chopping, or extra pans—just layer everything in the Slow Cooker and let it cook. Serve over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or rice for an easy comfort-food dinner.

Why You’ll Love It

• Just 3 ingredients — pork tenderloin, condensed soup, and dry onion soup mix.
• No browning or chopping — layer everything in the Slow Cooker and walk away.
• Tender pork — the medallions cook until soft enough to cut with the side of a fork.
• Rich, creamy gravy — the soup and onion mix create a thick sauce without flour or fuss.
• Easy to serve — it feeds four comfortably with potatoes, noodles, rice, and a vegetable.

Ingredient Notes

Pork tenderloin is important here. Not pork loin, which is a different cut and can be much larger and a little less forgiving. You want two pounds of boneless pork tenderloin, sliced into one-inch medallions. Most grocery stores sell tenderloins in packages that get you close enough. If you’re a few ounces over or under, I would not lose sleep over it.

For the soup, regular condensed cream of mushroom soup gives the deepest, coziest flavor. Campbell’s is a reliable choice. Store brand is fine, though. This recipe is not wearing pearls.

The dry onion soup mix does a lot of heavy lifting. It brings that oniony, beefy-salty sort of flavor that makes it seem like more than packets and cans went into the dish. Just don’t add water. I know it feels wrong at first. It is not wrong. The pork gives off enough juice as it cooks, and you want that gravy thick.

If sodium is a concern, reduced-sodium soup and a lower-sodium onion mix are worth using. Taste at the end before adding any salt.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless pork tenderloin, sliced into 1-inch medallions
• 2 (10.5-ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup, straight from the pantry shelf
• 1 (1-ounce) packet dry onion soup mix

Instructions

Arrange the pork tenderloin medallions in a snug, mostly single layer across the bottom of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. A little overlap is perfectly fine; just don’t stack them up like poker chips if you can help it. They cook more evenly when they have a bit of room, although mine are never arranged as neatly as the pictures in magazines.

Spoon both cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup right over the pork. Spread it around gently with the back of the spoon so most of the medallions are covered. Do not add water, milk, broth, or anything else at this point—it looks too thick, but it isn’t. Leave it alone.

Sprinkle the dry onion soup mix evenly over the soup-covered pork. There is no need to stir it. The onion mix will melt down into the soup while everything cooks, which feels a little like kitchen magic, except it’s really just heat and time doing the work.

Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours, or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Keep the lid on as much as possible. Every time you lift it to “just check,” you add cooking time.

Check that the pork is very tender and easily cuts with the side of a fork. If using a thermometer, pork should reach at least 145°F, but tenderness is what you’re really after here. Start with fully thawed pork, too—don’t toss frozen meat into the slow cooker and hope for the best.

Gently stir the medallions through the creamy gravy once they’re done, taking care not to break them apart. Taste the sauce before adding salt or pepper; often it needs neither, though a little black pepper is a nice addition.

Serve the pork hot with plenty of gravy spooned over mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, or steamed rice. Add peas, green beans, a simple salad, or whatever vegetable you have on hand. Warm rolls are nice for wiping up the bottom of the bowl.

Variations

This also works with boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of pork, keeping the amount of meat about the same. They turn out tender and lovely, although the pork version has a richer flavor.

You can swap cream of chicken or cream of celery soup for the mushroom soup if mushrooms are not preferred. Cream of chicken makes it milder, while cream of celery has that old-school Casserole flavor.

This method also works with boneless country-style pork ribs. For beef, use a well-marbled chuck roast cut into big chunks or thick slices and cook it on LOW for 7 to 8 hours, toward the longer end. Very lean beef will not be as tender.

At the end, you can stir in a splash of milk or cream for a silkier gravy, or melt in a small knob of butter. That technically makes it more than three ingredients.

Storage & Reheating

Let leftovers cool and get them into the refrigerator within two hours. They’ll keep well for about three days in a covered container, gravy and all. Store the pork right in the sauce so it stays moist and doesn’t get that sad leftover-meat look.

Reheat it gently in the microwave, covered loosely, stirring the gravy once or twice. Or warm it in a small pan over low heat until steaming hot. If the gravy has thickened up overnight—and it probably will—add just a small splash of milk while reheating. Not too much. Too much milk can turn good gravy into beige soup.

The leftovers are especially good over toast for lunch.

Final Notes

There’s something almost embarrassing about how much comfort can come out of three ingredients. It isn’t glamorous. Condensed soup may not inspire a sonnet, but this is the kind of dinner that gets eaten. The kitchen doesn’t look like a tornado passed through it.

Mashed potatoes make an especially good landing place for the gravy. Bread is also welcome.

And if there isn’t, well… there’s always a spoon.

3-Ingredient Slow Cooker Papa’s Plate

This 3-Ingredient Slow Cooker Papa’s Plate features tender pork medallions in a rich, creamy mushroom-onion gravy. Layer everything in the slow cooker for an easy comfort-food dinner with almost no hands-on work.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 6 hours hrs

Total Time 6 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 pounds boneless pork tenderloin sliced into 1-inch medallions
• 2 10.5-ounce cans condensed cream of mushroom soup straight from the pantry shelf
• 1 1-ounce packet dry onion soup mix

Instructions

 

• Arrange the pork tenderloin medallions in a snug, mostly single layer across the bottom of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, allowing a little overlap but avoiding a tall stack.
• Spoon both cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup over the pork and gently spread it around so most of the medallions are covered; do not add water, milk, broth, or anything else.
• Sprinkle the dry onion soup mix evenly over the soup-covered pork without stirring.
• Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours, or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, keeping the lid on as much as possible.
• Check that the pork is very tender and easily cuts with the side of a fork; if using a thermometer, ensure it reaches at least 145°F, and use fully thawed pork.
• Gently stir the medallions through the creamy gravy, taking care not to break them apart, and taste before adding salt or pepper.
• Serve the pork hot with plenty of gravy spooned over mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, or steamed rice, along with a vegetable if desired.

Notes

Cool leftovers and refrigerate them in a covered container within two hours. Store the pork in the gravy for up to about three days. Reheat gently in the microwave, covered loosely, or in a small pan over low heat until steaming hot. If the gravy thickens, add a small splash of milk while reheating.

Keyword 3-Ingredient Slow Cooker Papa’s Plate, cream of mushroom soup, easy comfort food, onion gravy, pork medallions, slow cooker pork

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