Spinach Stuffed Pork Chops

I made spinach stuffed pork chops last Tuesday and they’re honestly better than I expected. The garlic cheese filling stays put if you don’t overstuff them. You can have dinner on the table in 30 minutes which is wild for something that looks this put together.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The pockets don’t fall apart if you sear them right
• Garlic spinach and cheese together tastes way better than it sounds on paper
• 400°F for 10 minutes is the exact temperature and time you need and I tested it twice
• You get a crust from browning plus juicy meat from the oven finish
• Cherry tomatoes roast in the pan while everything bakes so there’s no extra dish
• It’s done in half an hour start to finish

The Story Behind This Recipe

I needed something faster than my usual Wednesday pot roast but still felt like I actually cooked. My neighbor brought over fresh spinach from her garden last month and I had pork chops thawing. I’d seen stuffed pork chops before but they always seemed fussy with breadcrumbs and ten ingredients. So I just made a pocket, stuffed it with spinach and whatever cheese I had, then figured out the timing. Turns out if you brown them first the filling doesn’t leak everywhere and the paprika gives them this color that makes them look like you tried harder than you did.

What You Need

You need 4 pork chops and they should be thick enough to cut a pocket into without the whole thing falling apart. I used ones that were about an inch thick. 2 tablespoons butter goes in first to cook down 2 cups fresh spinach with 2 garlic cloves that you’ve minced up. The butter makes the spinach taste less like you’re trying to be healthy and the garlic cloves give it that smell that makes you actually want to eat vegetables.

½ cup cheese gets mixed in after and I used feta because that’s what I had but mozzarella works too. Salt and black pepper go on the pork chops themselves, to taste which really just means however much you normally use. 1 teaspoon paprika is what gives them that color that makes people think you used a recipe.

1 tablespoon canola oil is for browning them and you could use vegetable oil but canola doesn’t smoke as much. Fresh thyme leaves from a few sprigs and about a handful of cherry tomatoes go in the pan before everything bakes. The thyme makes your kitchen smell like you know what you’re doing and the tomatoes soften up while the pork chops finish so you get this bonus side that happens on its own.

How to Make Spinach Stuffed Pork Chops

Heat your 2 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until it stops foaming. Throw in your 2 cups fresh spinach and the 2 minced garlic cloves and stir them around for 1 to 2 minutes until the spinach goes limp and the garlic smells good but not burned. It wilts down fast so don’t walk away.

Take the pan off the heat right then and mix in your ½ cup cheese until it gets all melty and combined with the spinach. This is your spinach stuffing and it should look kind of creamy and stick together a little.

Now you cut a pocket in each pork chop by slicing along the side but not all the way through. I went in about three quarters of the way through the thickest part. You want a deep pocket but you don’t want it to split open completely or your filling just falls out when you flip them.

Stuff each pocket with about ¼ of the spinach cheese mixture and try to keep it pushed in there. I used my fingers and just shoved it in honestly. Set your oven to 400°F now so it’s heating up while you do the next part.

Season both sides of the stuffed pork chops with salt, black pepper, and 1 teaspoon paprika divided between all four. The paprika doesn’t make them spicy it just makes them look browner than they actually are which is helpful.

Put 1 tablespoon canola oil in a clean skillet or wipe out the one you used for spinach if you only want one pan dirty. Get it hot over medium heat then lay your pork chops in and brown them for about 2 minutes per side. You’ll see the edges start to color and if you packed the garlic cheese filling in tight it stays put when you flip them. Don’t press down on them or poke at the pockets.

Pull the pan off the burner and scatter your fresh thyme leaves and cherry tomatoes around the chops in whatever space is left. The thyme smells really strong and piney when it hits the hot pan and the tomatoes just sit there looking red until they go in the oven.

Slide the whole skillet into your 400°F oven and bake for about 10 minutes. Stick a meat thermometer into the thickest part of one chop but not into the filling itself because that’ll give you a weird reading. You want 145°F in the actual meat. When you pull it out let the chops sit in the pan for 5 minutes before you do anything with them so the juices don’t run everywhere when you cut in.

What I Did Wrong the First Time

First time I made these I cut the pockets too shallow because I was scared of cutting through. The filling had nowhere to go so it squeezed out the second I flipped them to brown the other side and I had this mess of spinach stuck to my pan. I also didn’t let the butter cook the spinach down enough so there was too much liquid in the filling and it just leaked out everywhere even from the pork chops where I’d cut the pocket deep enough. You really need to let that spinach wilt all the way down and get kind of dry before you add the cheese or it’s just wet and runny.

Spinach Stuffed Pork Chops

By Emma

Prep:

10 min

Cook:

20 min

Total:

30 min

Servings:

4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 pork chops
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup cheese, shredded or crumbled
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• fresh thyme leaves, a few sprigs
• cherry tomatoes, about a handful

Method

1. 1 Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Toss in 2 cups fresh spinach and 2 minced garlic cloves, stirring until the spinach softens and garlic becomes fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes.
2. 2 Take the pan off the heat and mix in ½ cup cheese until it melts into the spinach, creating a creamy blend.
3. 3 Carefully slice a deep pocket along the side of each pork chop without cutting through completely, creating a space for stuffing.
4. 4 Stuff each pork chop pocket evenly with the spinach-cheese mixture, roughly ¼ per chop, trying to keep the filling well-contained.
5. 5 Set the oven to preheat at 400°F while you move to the next step.
6. 6 Season both sides of the pork chops with salt, black pepper, and 1 teaspoon paprika. The paprika adds a subtle earthiness and color without overpowering.
7. 7 Drizzle 1 tablespoon canola oil in a clean skillet, spreading it thinly over the bottom. Place the stuffed pork chops in and brown on medium heat for about 2 minutes per side. Watch closely as the sear builds a golden crust; resist the urge to poke the pockets so the filling stays inside.
8. 8 Pull the pan off the burner and scatter fresh thyme leaves and cherry tomatoes around the chops. The thyme releases a piney aroma; the tomatoes bring vibrant color and moisture.
9. 9 Slide the skillet into the oven and bake for about 10 minutes. Use a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the pork (avoiding filling) aiming for 145°F to nail safe, juicy pork.
10. 10 Rest the chops out of the oven for 5 minutes to let the juices settle before slicing or serving.

Nutritional information

Calories

130

Protein

2g

Carbs

4g

Fat

13g

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Tips for the Best Spinach Stuffed Pork Chops

Press the pocket closed a little with your fingers after you stuff it. The pork chops kind of seal themselves when they hit the hot pan and that first sear helps keep everything inside.

Don’t move them around once they’re in the skillet for browning. Let them sit for the full 2 minutes on each side or you won’t get that crust that holds the garlic cheese filling in place.

The thermometer thing is real though. I stuck it into the filling the first time and got 165°F and thought I was done but the actual meat was still pink in the middle. Go in from the side into the meat part only.

If your pork chops are thinner than an inch just cut the oven time to 8 minutes and check early. Thicker ones might need 12 minutes but I haven’t tested that yet.

The cherry tomatoes kind of explode in the oven and their juice mixes with whatever leaked out from the spinach stuffing and makes this sauce at the bottom of the pan. Spoon that over the chops when you serve them because it tastes like you made pan sauce on purpose.

Serving Ideas

I put them on top of mashed potatoes and the tomato juice soaks in. Rice works too if that’s what you have going already.

A salad with the same feta you used in the filling ties it together without thinking too hard. I did arugula with lemon juice and it was fine.

Roasted broccoli or green beans on the side makes it feel like a real plate. The pork chops are rich enough that you want something plain next to them.

Variations

You can use kale instead of spinach but cook it a full minute longer because it doesn’t wilt as fast. It tastes a little more bitter which I didn’t love but my husband liked it.

Mozzarella instead of feta makes it milder and the filling gets really stretchy when it’s hot. That’s better if you’re feeding kids who don’t like strong cheese.

Boneless chicken breasts work the same way if you can’t find thick pork chops. Cut the oven time to 8 minutes and check for 165°F since chicken needs a higher temp than pork does.

Sun-dried tomatoes chopped up and mixed into the filling add this tangy thing that’s actually really good. I did that Thursday when I had leftover filling and it made the whole thing taste fancier without extra work.

FAQ

Can I use frozen spinach instead of fresh? Yeah but thaw it first and squeeze out all the water with your hands or a towel. Frozen spinach holds way more liquid than fresh and if you don’t get it out your filling will be soupy and leak everywhere when the pork chops cook.

What if I don’t have a meat thermometer? Cut into the thickest part of one chop after 10 minutes and look. The meat should be white with maybe a tiny bit of pink in the very center and the juices run clear. If it’s still really pink give it another 2 minutes.

How do I keep the filling from falling out when I flip them? Don’t overstuff them and make sure you get a good sear on the first side before you flip. That first brown crust kind of glues the pocket shut. Also flip them gently with tongs instead of a fork so you’re not poking holes.

Can I make these ahead? You can stuff them in the morning and keep them in the fridge until dinner. Just let them sit out for 10 minutes before you brown them so they’re not ice cold or the timing gets weird.

What kind of cheese works best? Feta or mozzarella like I said but goat cheese is good too. Cheddar gets oily when it melts and doesn’t mix into the spinach as well so I’d skip that.

Do I have to use a cast iron skillet? No any oven-safe skillet works. I used a regular stainless one the second time. Just make sure the handle can go in the oven because some have plastic or rubber that’ll melt.

How do I know if my pork chops are thick enough? If you can fit your knife in sideways and cut a pocket without the whole thing splitting open they’re thick enough. Thinner than ¾ inch and you’re gonna have a hard time.

Can I skip browning them and just bake? You can but they’ll be pale and the filling might leak more without that seared edge. Also you won’t get the crusty bits on the outside that make them taste better than plain baked pork chops.

What do I do with leftover filling? Spread it on toast or mix it into scrambled eggs the next morning. It keeps in the fridge for 3 days and it’s basically a spinach dip at that point.

How long do these keep as leftovers? 4 days in the fridge in a covered container. Reheat them in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes or they get rubbery in the microwave.

Why did my pork chops turn out dry? You cooked them past 145°F or didn’t let them rest. Pork dries out fast if you overcook it and cutting into them right away lets all the juice run out onto the plate instead of staying in the meat.

Can I use pork chops with the bone in? Yeah but cutting the pocket is harder because you have to work around the bone. Boneless is way easier and cooks more evenly too.

What if I don’t have canola oil? Vegetable oil or grapeseed oil work the same. Olive oil is fine but it smokes at a lower temp so watch it closer when you’re browning.

Do the cherry tomatoes have to go in? No they’re just there to use up the space in the pan. You’ll miss out on that sauce thing that happens but the pork chops themselves turn out the same.

How do I reheat these without drying them out? Cover them with foil and put them in a 325°F oven for 12 minutes. The foil traps the steam and keeps them from getting tough.