This is a favorite of mine and has become a staple at my dinner parties. Pork loin is delicious and can be quite healthy when prepared this way. This is my version of a recipe from Giada De Laurentiis. This recipe is healthy but doesn’t lack flavor, that’s for sure!

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 (4-ounce) center-cut pork chops
  • Sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (about a 1/4 cup)
  • Fresh spinach, chopped (about a cup)
  • About 1/2- 3/4 cup goat cheese 
  • 1/4 cup Mascarpone cheese OR 1/4 cup reduced fat cream cheese (optional, if using use only 1/2 cup goat cheese)
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper for seasoning
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (if I don’t have any on hand, I typically don’t worry about adding it)
  • 3/4 cup chicken broth

 

DIRECTIONS

  1. Add salt and pepper to taste to goat cheese (and Mascarpone OR cream cheese if you’ve chosen to incorporate this into your recipe). Set aside.
  2. Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan with the 2 garlic cloves (chopped) let cook for about a minute. Toss in sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook for about 2 minutes, then combine with the goat cheese mixture.
  3. Here’s the trickiest part (still pretty simple): 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, sun-dried tomato and cheese mixture and close the pork around the stuffing. Season the outside of the pork with salt and pepper.
  4. In a small bowl combine chicken broth, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard. 
  5. Add another tablespoon of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot add the pork. Cook until golden and cooked through, about 4 minutes each side. Move the pork to a serving dish and cover with foil. Side-note: I can be a little paranoid about under cooking food, so I preheat the oven to 350 degrees just in case I want to pop in the pork for a few minutes after I cook it on the skillet. However, this is up to you and depends on how comfortable you are with you skills in the kitchen. 
  6. 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. Spoon some sauce over the pork before serving.
  7. I typically like to serve this with a simple vegetable side dish, Brussels sprouts being my favorite. However almost anything pairs well with this dish, you can also try pasta with a light sauce or just olive oil and garlic. You can also pair this with a salad which makes for the perfect quick and easy health conscious dinner.   

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