Pesto Stuffed Pork Chops

Well, who doesn’t love a good old dish of pork chops? If you do too, then these pesto stuffed pork chops will surely leave your taste buds satisfied and asking for more.

The dish is made using the finest boneless pork loin chops, stuffed with a sharp feta cheese and basil pesto. The blend of the fatty flavors from the meat and the herbaceous basil pesto will coat your tongue, tantalizing your taste buds.

The perfect meal for a Saturday night dinner, this dish of pesto stuffed pork chops will please everyone on the table. Bring its delicious flavors to your home with this easy recipe that you can put together in an hour.

Health Benefits

The dish is extremely beneficial for people who need to build up muscle and gain mass due to malnutrition. The meat is an excellent source of protein and has high quantities of minerals, vitamins and amino acids. Pesto also has a rich source of multiple vitamins and minerals that are beneficial for the human body.

Ingredients

pork loin chops or boneless pork loin chops ( cut 1 ¼ inches thick): 4

feta cheese (crumbled): 3 tbsp

store bought basil pesto: 2 tbsp

pine nuts (toasted): 1 tbsp

garlic cloves, minced: 2

crushed red chilli pepper: 1 tsp

dried oregano (crushed): 1 tsp

dried thyme (crushed): 1/4 tsp

Freshly ground black pepper: 1 tsp

salt to taste

How To Make Pesto Stuffed Pork Chops

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degree Fahrenheit.
2. In a clean mixing bowl, add softened feta cheese, store bought pesto and pine nuts. Stir them together with a wooden spoon and keep aside.
3. To prepare pork chops, trim the excess fat from the meat.
4. With a sharp knife, slice a pocket in each chop by cutting horizontally; start form the fatty side till near the bone on the opposite side.
5. With a tablespoon, fill each pork chop with the feta and pesto filling. Make sure to equally divide the filling among the pork chops.
6. Secure the opening of the pocket with a toothpick and set aside.
7. In a separate bowl, add black pepper, salt, oregano, red pepper, garlic and thyme, mix together to make a rub.
8. With your hands, coat each chop with the spice rub evenly on both sides.
9. Place the chops on a rack in a shallow roasting pan and place in the oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through and juices run clear. Remember to brush vinegar on the chops the last 5 minutes.
10. Discard toothpicks and serve hot.

Trivia

• The word pesto is the past tense of the Genoese verb pestâ, which means “to pound or crush”; it refers to the original method of pesto preparation where ingredients were blended together by crushing them together with a mortar and pestle.

Did you know that in America pork is one of the most consumed meats types? An average American eats an equivalent of 28 pigs in their lifetime.