Pesto Recipe ⇾ Pesto Stuffed Pork Chops

Sharkey Family recipe. This goes great served with fresh steamed broccoli and a Caesar salad.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons chilled basil pesto
• 1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts
• 4 bone-in pork loin chops, 1 1/4-inch thick
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ¼ teaspoon ground thyme
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Mix feta cheese, basil pesto, and pine nuts in a bowl. Use the tip of a sharp boning or paring knife to cut a 3-inch slit in the side of each pork chop, 2 inches deep and 1/4-inch away from the bone, to make a pocket for stuffing. Stuff pork chops with pesto filling and secure with toothpicks.
3. Mix black pepper, oregano, garlic, red pepper flakes, and thyme in a small bowl; rub both sides of each chop with the spice mix. Place chops into a shallow baking dish.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until chops are browned and stuffing is hot, about 40 minutes. An instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the center of the stuffing should read 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Brush chops with balsamic vinegar and bake until vinegar forms a glaze, another 5 minutes.

Nutrition Facts

• calories334.8
• carbohydrateContent3.3 g
• cholesterolContent93.7 mg
• fatContent22.2 g
• fiberContent0.7 g
• proteinContent29.4 g
• saturatedFatContent8.1 g
• sodiumContent208.3 mg
• sugarContent1.5 g