main course

Stuffed Pork Chops – A Midweek Main Course

by Irene

I do not know the origin of this dish, and could not find any clear information about its history, but the elegant presentation, without ambitions of luxury, makes these stuffed pork chops well known in Mexico as a classic main course for a weekday meal.  It may be served by itself for a low carb plate, or with a side of mashed potatoes.

Stuffed Pork Chops – Chuletas de Puerco rellenas

Printable recipe: Stuffed Pork Chops

Ingredients

2 tbsp oil (olive, or vegetable)
3-4 boneless centre loin pork chops
1 onion; finely chopped
6 cups baby spinach
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3-4 slices cooked ham, optional
Salt and pepper, to taste

Butterfly pork chops by cutting down the centre, parallel to the top surface, leaving an edge connected, and opening into two flaps, like a book; sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.  Warm up oil in a skillet over medium heat, then add chops in a single layer, cut side down (photo below, left).  Cook for about 3 minutes to brown, then flip and top each chop with cheese (photo below, centre), and a slice of ham, if using.  Fold back in half, “closing the book”, and continue cooking and flipping the chops until lightly brown.  Add onions around the chops, and sauté until translucent (photo below, right):

Add spinach on top (photo below, left), covering the entire surface of the skillet, and let cook undisturbed until the spinach starts wilting from the steam (photo below, centre); stir to mix onions and spinach, and season with salt and pepper, to taste (photo below, right):

Let cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the spinach is completely wilted and the onions have begun to caramelize.  Serve chops on a bed of the vegetables:

008 bed of spinach on plate

The melted cheese, ebullient and gooey inside the chops,  along with a generous amount of vegetables, will whet, then satisfy, everyone’s appetite for a hearty meal, any day of the week.

I am joining Fiesta Friday #258 with Angie @Fiesta Friday and this week’s cohost Laurena @ life, diet, health

I am also joining What’s for Dinner? Sunday Link-up #183 with Helen @ The Lazy Gastronome.

I am bringing my recipe to Full Plate Thursday #622 with Miz Helen @ Miz Helen’s Country Cottage.

I am sharing my post at Thursday Favourite Things #573, with Bev @ Eclectic Red Barn, Pam @ An Artful Mom, Katherine @ Katherine’s Corner, Amber @ Follow the Yellow Brick Home, Theresa @ Shoestring Elegance and Linda @ Crafts a la Mode.

23 thoughts on “Stuffed Pork Chops – A Midweek Main Course”

      1. I will tell you about it later! I don’t think I have ever stuffed pork chops … I am thinking some goat cheese with a little black currant jam for the centre and will go from there 😉

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    1. Do you have boneless center loin chops? You may cut in the middle of the chop parallel to the flat side, leave and edge connected, then just open it like a book. If not, you could wait until regular chops are fully cooked and top them with the cheese and ham at that point. Thank you for your comment, MarEliz!

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  5. These pork chops sound so delicious. I love pork chops and I don’t make them enough – I hardly even order them at restaurants! But my mom used to make them, so they bring back great memories. I’ll bet they’d be delicious with all sorts of different cheeses. Thanks for the recipe!

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  7. Wow! I never knew you could butterfly a pork chop! What a great recipe! 😀 I’m sharing it with my sisters as they will both love this. I might try it with chicken for my boys! Thanks for linking up and sharing with us at Fiesta Friday!

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  8. Oh dear, Irene. Something went wrong when we made your recipe. I think our problem was that we got a bit too creative. I have discovered that silverbeet cannot be substituted for spinach. It takes much too long to reduce down and it is more bitter. This meant our pork cooked much longer than it should have and so it was very tough and dry. Oh well, it still tasted quite nice. We will have to have fewer deviations from the recipe next time.

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    1. Sorry to hear that, Tracy! The silverbeet (we call it Swiss chard) stems have to be cooked longer than the leaves; I usually cook them first, for example with the onions, then add the leaves later. Moving the chops to a plate while wilting the silverbeet leaves, then putting them back at the end, could help with the dryness, but in terms of flavour, yes, it is a matter of taste. I like the bitter flavour ok, but my husband can only take it in small quantities and it would not work for him in this recipe. I hope it works out better next time, thank you for the feedback!

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  9. Pingback: What's for Dinner? Sunday Link up #184 - The Lazy GastronomeThe Lazy Gastronome

  10. We sure have enjoyed featuring your awesome post and thanks so much for sharing it with us at Full Plate Thursday,623! Have a great week and come back soon.
    Miz Helen

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