Meals · Skillet & sheet-pan mains
Spinach and cream cheese stuffed pork chops
Thick pork chops with a pocket of garlicky creamed spinach and parmesan, seared golden and finished in the oven. A pan sauce of reduced broth and a spoonful of cream cheese goes over the top, and the middle stays juicy.
- Time
- 55 min (20 prep + 35 cook)
- Servings
- 4
- Per serving
- 438 kcal
- Protein
- 52 g
Ingredients
- 4 boneless chops, 1 inch thick (1 3/4 lb) center-cut pork chop
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp olive oil, divided
Filling
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 12 oz spinach
- 3 oz light cream cheese, softened, divided
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan, finely grated
Pan sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
Steps
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Warm half the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat and cook the garlic for 1 minute. Add the spinach by the handful until wilted, then tip into a sieve and press out as much water as you can. Mix with 2 oz of the cream cheese and the parmesan and let it cool slightly.
- Cut a deep pocket into the side of each chop with a small sharp knife, without cutting through. Spoon in the filling and close with a toothpick. Season the outside with the salt, pepper and paprika.
- Heat the remaining oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat and brown the chops 3–4 minutes a side. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake 12–15 minutes, until the meat reaches at least 145°F and the centre of the filling 165°F. Lift the chops onto a plate and let them rest 3 minutes.
- Set the pan on medium-high heat (the handle is hot). Add the broth, scrape up the brown bits and simmer 6 minutes, until reduced by about half. Turn the heat to low and whisk in the remaining cream cheese until smooth and glossy.
- Spoon the sauce over the chops. Keeps 3 days in the fridge; reheat covered at half power until the centre of the filling reaches 165°F.
Good to know
Can I use frozen spinach?
Yes. Thaw 10 oz and squeeze it very dry in a towel, then stir it with the garlic in the pan for 2 minutes. Excess water makes the filling leak out.
Can I use full-fat cream cheese?
Yes, and the filling is a little richer and firmer, at about 64 instead of 67.
Per
- Calories
- 163
- Protein
- (49%)
- 19 g
- Fat
- (47%)
- 8 g
- Carbohydrates
- (4%)
- 2 g
- of which sugar
- 1 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 403 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 1752 kcal goes into the pot and 1513 g of ingredients comes out as about 1078 g of food: 163 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.