"Jose and myself would love to win a game 4-0 playing flamboyant football," Pardew was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.
"You can't do that, you just have to find a way to win sometimes. That's the thing he does better than anyone else, including Pep. He wins more trophies.
"He gets a lot of criticism which I think is unfounded ... His targets and what he does are about winning. Simple as that."
Earlier this month, former United manager Louis Van Gaal said the club had becoming more boring under his successor Mourinho, but Pardew dismissed the criticism as a routine part of being a manager at a top club.
"It comes with the territory and Jose's strong enough and big enough to win trophies, which I'm sure he's going to do," Pardew said.
"... There are times people would like Jose to be more offensive, but you look at United's defensive record - it's pretty good.
"It's about personnel and having the right criteria. I am of the opinion there's beauty in the game at both ends of the pitch."
United are currently 14 points behind local rivals City, albeit with a game in hand.
