I love making hearty meals this time of year. When it starts to get cold and you see twinkly lights and articles about the mayhem of Black Friday it’s time to make something hearty and warm to share with your family or friends. I happened to have some thick center cut pork chops in the freezer and they looked like the perfect start to a hearty meal, perfect for stuffing!
I also follow Paleo Parents and caught a glimpse of their recipe for Bacon & Apple Stuffed Pork Chops which gave me inspiration to stuff more pork into these beauties along with some greens. I’m getting sick of apples and I’m not a big fan of them when they’re warm so spinach and sun-dried tomatoes would be my substitution!
Here’s what I ended up with, you’ll have to tell me what you think!
Official review from Mr. Rogue:
It’s interesting…I’m not sure yet. I can definitely taste the mustard and it’s delicious! This is definitely a “make again meal”, it all goes really well together.
Spinach Stuffed Pork Chops With Lemon Dijon Caper Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon of capers
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 sun-dried tomatoes, diced
- 1 (10-ounce) 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
- 3 raw bacon slices
- 4 (4-ounce) center-cut pork chops
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 lemon, zested
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Directions
Crisp bacon slices in a medium saute pan and let cool on a paper towel. Save the bacon grease and reduce to 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. Crumble cooked bacon slices into the bowl. Stir to combine and set aside.
Side note: This filling would actually make a really good side dish, I’ll have to keep that in mind the next time I need to spruce up my spinach!
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 (may need to secure with a toothpick). 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 1 tablespoon coconut oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot add the pork. Cook until golden and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side depending on thickness. Transfer the pork to a side dish and tent with foil to keep warm. 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. Add in capers at the last minute and spoon sauce over the pork before serving.
