I’ve always enjoyed this dish, it works especially well with bone in pork chops.
This dish can be a bit time consuming for a weeknight meal; but, more than doable with efficient prep-work. The stuffing; for instance, can be made a day or two ahead of time and the pork chops can easily be butterflied and seasoned the night before. If you do that all you have left is stuffing the chops, searing them and baking them. That work can be done in 45 minutes time. Because, the chops are baked for 20-30 minutes; you can use that time to make the vegetable and sides. When it comes to sides, I like sautéd spinach; but, any potato dish or vegetable works well.
To make the stuffing you’ll need
1/2 diced onion
1/2 diced bell pepper
2 stalks diced celery
3 toes garlic
4 green onions
Basil chiffon
1 pound of sausage- casing removed (Cajun or spicy Italian)
1 package of cornbread stuffing (cooked per directions sub chicken stock instead of water)
Olive oil
Season with salt pepper and garlic powder
For the chops you’ll need thick cut center pork chops both bone in and boneless work well
First thing you’ll do is prep all of the vegetables and make the stuffing box then set aside. (I use chicken stock instead of water when following package instructions)
Get a skillet nice and hot and then add in the trinity- onion, bell pepper and celery
When the onions are half way done add in the garlic and fresh basil.
Once the onions are almost cooked then add in the sausage and brown it completely.
Combine the sausage mixture, fresh green onion, and the stuffing and completely fold them together then place in the fridge for a few hours or 2 days.
Take the chops and cut a pocket in the middle, all the way to the back but not through the chop. Pat the chops dry and season both sides with salt, pepper garlic powder and your favorite Cajun seasoning. With the stuffing being cold, stuff as much of the mixture as you can into the pocket you made in the pork chop. Don’t be afraid to really pack it there.
When all the chops are cut, get your cast iron or heavy skillet, nice and hot. Sear the chops on both sides for 2-3 minutes until golden. Put all of the chops in the skillet and cover them with the remaining stuffing. Place the skillet in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until the chops are cooked to 145-151 degrees.
For the spinach:
1/2 a diced onion
1/2 diced red or yellow bell pepper
Fresh baby spinach
Red wine vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Season with garlic powder, pepper and salt
- note sometimes I add artichoke hearts to this and it’s another level of amazing
In a hot skillet or saucier, add olive oil, the onion and bell pepper and season them with salt pepper and garlic powder. Once the onions are cooked add in more olive oil and the spinach, just a handful at a time until cooked. When the spinach is cooked remove from heat and add in some red wine vinegar. If you are adding the choke hearts add them in when you add the onions. Also topping this with some fresh parm cheese will also add another level of flavor