Monday, March 9, 2015

Christina's Spinach-Stuffed Pork Chops

from Just Cook Already

tablespoon olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
2  cloves garlic, minced
6  sun-dried tomatoes, diced
8 oz spinach, or 1 10 oz bag of frozen spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed out
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup (2 ounces) goat cheese
1/3 cup reduced-fat cream cheese (or just use all goat cheese)
(4-ounce) center-cut pork chops

1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 lemon, zested
tablespoons lemon juice
teaspoons Dijon mustard    
                                 
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook until combined, about 2 more minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Add the goat cheese and the cream cheese. Stir to combine and set aside.
 
Use a sharp knife to cut a pocket into the thickest portion of the pork chop. Stuff each pocket with 1/4 of the spinach and sun-dried tomato mixture and close the pork around the stuffing. Season the outside of the pork with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl combine the chicken broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, and mustard.
Warm the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot add the pork. Cook until golden, about 4 minutes per side (depending on thickness of chops). Transfer the pork to a 325-degree heated oven and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until the pork is cooked through. Add the chicken broth mixture to the skillet over medium-high heat. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan as the chicken broth simmers. Reduce the broth by half to make a light sauce, about 8 minutes. 
 
Serve with rice and veggies. Spoon some sauce over the pork and rice just before serving (I also like to spoon some of the sauce over the chops while they cook in the oven, just to ensure they don't get too dry).

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