I love to experiment with different ingredients for the thick cut pork chops. We have tried anything from sweet (apples and raisins) to savory (spinach and mozzarella). This dish is, hands down, my favorite. I paired it with sauteed onions, pine nuts, sun dried tomato and spinach pasta. I hope you will enjoy this as much as we did.
2 cups fresh basil
2 cups fresh parsley
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Oil from the sun dried tomatoes
-->Puree all ingredients in a food processor except the oil.
-->While machine is running, slowly drizzle the oil from the sun dried tomatoes to create constancy desired.
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Stuffed Pork Chops over Sauteed Spinach Pasta
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
Gluten Free Pasta, cooked per package
1 Container Baby Spinach
1/2 cup Sun Dried Tomatoes
1/4 cup Pine Nuts
1/2 cup Yellow Onions, sliced
2 Slices Bacon, diced
Juice of 1 Lemon
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1/2 Parmesan Cheese
-->Preheat oven to 375*, line baking pan with parchment paper.
-->Slice a pocket into each pork chop and stuff with sun dried tomato pesto. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice (reserve half the lemon for the pasta.) Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 145*F.
-->While the pork chops are baking, render the bacon in a large skillet over med-hi heat. Remove bacon from pan.
-->Saute onions, pine nuts and sun dried tomatoes until onions soft. Add cooked pasta, spinach, and lemon juice to pan. Mix together with salt and pepper until spinach starts to wilt. Remove from heat and add cheese.
-->Remove pork chops from the oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
-->Enjoy with a glass of white wine. Happy Eating!