So I bought a large package of thick cut pork loin chops with nothing in mind to do with them. I had some basil pesto from a previous recipe and thought, huh, I should combine these two. I remembered some recipe I’d seen that involved pesto, pine nuts and feta cheese but couldn’t find it again so I decided to BYOC (be your own chef) and throw something together. It turned out pretty great if I do say so myself!
Ingredients:
4-6 thick cut pork chops
4 TB basil pesto
4 TB feta cheese
2 TB pine nuts
1 TB brown sugar
1ts dried thyme
1ts salt
½ ts fresh cracked
pepper (or ¼ ts regular ground pepper)
¼ ts red pepper flakes
(or more if you’d prefer it spicier)
Directions:
Combine the pesto, feta
cheese, and pine nuts. Cut about ¾ of the way into your pork chop along a long
side to create a pocket for your stuffing. Stuff about a tablespoon of your
stuffing into the pocket and press your seam down to seal it in there. Place in
an 8 ½ x 11 inch baking pan lined with aluminum foil (for easy clean up).
Combine the brown sugar,
thyme, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Sprinkle the outside of your pork
chops on one side with the spice mixture. Rub it in. Flip and repeat on the
other side.
Bake at 375 degrees for
about 30-40 minutes until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.
These were great right
out of the oven and I was happy to see that the stuffing stayed in place and
didn’t ooze out very much. I put the other half in the fridge and they sat
great for a couple of days and heated up easily in the microwave. A great make
ahead meal!
I served alongside
roasted potatoes and a green salad.
feta, pine nuts, basil pesto
filling stuffed into your pork chop pocket
a pan full of yumminess
a close up of the spice rub
"momma, take a picture of my plate too!" says curly girl
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