Learn how to cook Stuffed Pork Chops – these tender and juicy chops are oozing with cheese, spinach, and a fresh tomato sauce. Pan-fried stuffed pork takes you 30 minutes to make from scratch and offers a delicious variation to the usual pan-seared pork loin chops!
This dish is classy enough to impress your dinner guests and easy enough to make as a family meal during the week.
You’ll be amazed at how ordinary pork chops can be transformed with the addition of a simple cheesy spinach stuffing. You can also add sun-dried tomatoes or extra cheese to the stuffing mixture too! Enjoy this stuffed pork chop recipe with homemade sweet dinner rolls or this refreshing broccoli grape salad.
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What are Stuffed Chops?
These Stuffed Pork Chops consist of juicy pork chops that are sliced with a sharp knife to make pockets and then stuffed with a cheesy spinach mixture. They are seared on both sides in a hot skillet, and then cooked in the oven with thyme and cherry tomatoes.
🥩 Ingredients:
- Salted butter – You can also use unsalted butter just then ad in ½ teaspoon of salt
- Spinach – Fresh baby spinach
- Spices and herbs – fresh garlic, thyme, paprika, sea salt, and black pepper (to be rubbed on the side of each pork chop)
- Mozzarella cheese – this is for the delicious cheese filling
- Crumbled blue cheese – adds the richness to the stuffing
- Pork chops – Boneless pork chops
- Canola oil – to sear the pork chops
- Cherry tomatoes – for the yummy sauce surrounding the stuffed pork chops
For a full list of ingredients and their measurements, 📋 please view my printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Substitutions and Variations
- While this recipe calls for mozzarella cheese, you could easily make use of another Italian-based cheese such as Provolone or Fontina. Otherwise, most other cheeses work really well too such as Swiss cheese, blue cheese, Monterey Jack, or Parmesan cheese.
- Adding sun-dried tomatoes to the spinach and cheese stuffing is another great option otherwise the sun-dried tomatoes could take the place of the cherry tomatoes in the pan with red bell peppers and/or green beans also being a delicious addition.
- If you don’t have any spinach on hand, kale leaves work as a great substitute.
- If you don’t have fresh herbs available, use an Italian seasoning in place of the seasonings and herbs to keep within the Italian theme.
- I’ve used boneless but you could opt for bone-in pork chops. If you do, just keep in mind that bone-in chops will take a little longer to cook. It will also be trickier to stuff them.
- Want more Veggies, add in onions, celery, a red or green bell pepper in addition to the cherry tomatoes.
- I’ve used 1-inch thick pork chops. If you use thick cut pork chops then you may need to pan sear them on the stove top and bake a little longer.
- Sage is a great replacement for thyme with a one-to-one substitution.
🔪 Instructions:
PREP: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Step 1: Sauté the spinach and garlic in an oven-safe skillet over medium heat, just until the spinach wilts and the garlic is fragrant.
Step 2: Remove from heat and add the cheeses to the spinach. Stir well.
Step 3: Using a sharp paring knife, cut a slit into the side of each of the boneless chops, making a deep pocket, but being careful not to cut all the way through. Keep one side, the top and bottom intact and create a pocket from just the one side.
Step 4: Spoon a quarter of the spinach and cheese stuffing mix into the pocket of each pork chop. Discard any leftover stuffing and sterilize your cutting board and knife well as raw pork can carry bacteria.
Pro Tip: You could use toothpicks to help keep the stuffing mixture from falling out during cooking but make sure that you remember to remove them when serving!
Step 5: Sprinkle the side of each stuffed chop with the seasonings while heating the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat (you can also use vegetable oil or olive oil). When the oil is hot and shimmers, carefully place the pork chops into the skillet. Sear until a nice brown crust forms on each side. Don’t move them around. Simply let them brown on each side and flip once. This is usually about 4-5 minutes per side.
Step 6: Sprinkle the thyme and cherry tomatoes over the chops. Bake the chops in a preheated oven until the internal temperature with a meat thermometer reaches 145°F. This should take about 10 minutes, cooking time can increase to 15-20 minutes for thick-cut pork chops.
GARNISH/SLICE/SERVE: Enjoy these flavorful pork chops and serve over rice or alongside a salad!
Recipe Tips for Stuffed Pork Chops
- Make sure that you don’t overcook the pork as you want the meat to be tender and juicy by the time it’s done in the oven. If you aren’t sure whether your pork is cooked or not, test for an internal temperature of 145℉ using a digital food thermometer.
- Allow your pork chops to rest for a few minutes after cooking. This will help the meat juices to rest in the meat so that you don’t end up with pink juices on your plate.
- Perfectly cooked pork should look mostly white with a slight pink tint when cut into.
- We often use a cast iron skillet or dutch oven for this recipe. You can do all the steps in one pan and even place it into the oven to bake.
Recipe FAQs
You can store leftover Stuffed Pork Chops in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
You can also freeze these cooked Stuffed Pork Chops for 1 month. Cool to room temperature and then wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then place the pork chops in a baking dish covered tightly with aluminum foil, setting your oven at 350℉ for approximately 10-15 minutes or until heated throughout. You can also reheat single servings in the microwave.
There are quite a few options for what you could serve alongside these delicious Stuffed Pork Chops. From a leafy green salad to a side of roasted potatoes or mashed potato…the options are endless!
Here are a few side dish options that you could also consider:
Instant Pot Corn on the Cob
Strawberry Spinach Salad
Fried Raviolis
Garlic French Bread
More Dinner Ideas You’ll Love
If you tried this Stuffed Pork Chops Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the 📝 comments below.
Stuffed Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 5 oz. bag of baby spinach leaves about 4 cups
- 2-3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- 2-4 oz. crumbled blue cheese optional
- 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme plus more for topping
- 4 boneless pork chops about 1-inch thick each
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
Instructions
- In a 12-inch skillet over medium heat, saute spinach and garlic in the butter for 1-2 minutes until spinach is beginning to wilt and the garlic is fragrant.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in cheese.
- Slice a slit into the side of each pork chop to make a pocket. Do not slice the pork chops all the way through.
- Stuff pork chops by spooning ¼ of the spinach/cheese mixture into the pocket of each pork chop.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Sprinkle both sides of the pork chops with the salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Spread a thin layer of canola oil in the bottom of a clean skillet and place the pork chops into the pan. Heat the skillet over medium heat, browning the pork chops on both sides (about 2 minutes on each side). Try to keep as much of the spinach/cheese mixture inside the pork chops while browning and turning.
- Remove the skillet from the stovetop and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves and the cherry tomatoes.
- Place the skillet in the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the pork registers 145°F on a meat thermometer.
- Remove from the oven and allow pork chops to rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Rebecca says
Love this we have made it several times. The flavor is out of this world
Stefanie says
Aw, thanks Rebecca, so great to hear!