Keto Stuffed Pork Chops with Creamed Spinach

A seared pork chop on a thick layer of dark creamed spinach in pale cream sauce, on a patterned plate in front of an ornate silver tray Save to Pinterest
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Introduction

Creamed spinach usually shows up next to the main course. Here it goes inside it.

These keto stuffed pork chops have a pocket cut into the side, filled with spinach cooked down with garlic, cream cheese, and a spoonful of sour cream. They sear in the same skillet the filling came out of, and then that skillet makes the sauce: chicken broth and the last ounce of cream cheese, simmered with the browned bits the chops leave behind.

That makes it a one-pan dinner, and a plain boneless pork chop ends up with a creamy middle and a sauce to sit in.

Start With a Chop Thick Enough to Stuff

The chop matters more than anything else on the ingredient list. You want boneless loin chops about an inch thick. A thin chop has nowhere to put a pocket, and you end up with two sad flaps of pork trying to hold a spinach filling between them.

To cut the pocket, lay the chop flat and slide a sharp knife into one long side, keeping the blade parallel to the board. Work it toward the far side, but stop before you get there and before either end. You are making a pita, not a sandwich: open on one side, closed on the other three.

Cook the Spinach Down Further Than You Think

Twelve ounces of fresh spinach will not fit in the skillet all at once. Add it a few handfuls at a time and let each batch collapse before adding the next. By the end it cooks down to a surprisingly small pile.

Spinach gives off a lot of water as it wilts, so keep it on the heat until the liquid in the pan has cooked off before the cream cheese and sour cream go in. Anything left in the pan ends up in the filling, and a loose filling is harder to keep inside a pork chop.

Let the filling cool for a few minutes, then divide it between the chops. Fill each pocket without packing it tight. If some doesn’t fit, set it aside in a bowl and spoon it next to the chops when you serve. Nobody has ever been disappointed to find extra creamed spinach on their plate.

Cook to Temperature, Not the Clock

Three to four minutes per side will brown the chops, and it is worth turning them gently so the filling stays inside. That is browning time, not cooking time. Whether the middle has caught up depends on how thick the chops are, and a well-browned outside does not tell you anything about it.

So go by temperature, and take it in the filling. An unstuffed pork chop is done at 145°F, but the stuffing in a stuffed chop needs to reach 165°F, so the center of the pocket is the spot that decides when these are ready. Slide an instant-read thermometer in through the side of the chop until the tip sits in the middle of the filling, and keep cooking until it reads 165°F. If the outside is browning faster than the center is heating, turn the heat down while it catches up.

Then give them a 3-minute rest, which works out neatly, because the sauce is next and they can rest under foil while it simmers.

The Pan Sauce

This is why nobody washes the skillet between steps. Chicken broth goes into the hot pan along with the last ounce of cream cheese, and as you stir, the browned bits from the chops come up off the bottom and into the sauce.

Keep stirring until the cream cheese melts in, then let it simmer until it has reduced by about half, 6 to 8 minutes. Taste it only once it has reduced. Broth is salty on its own and gets saltier as it cooks down, so seasoning at the start is how you end up with a sauce that tastes like a salt lick.

Keto Stuffed Pork Chops with Creamed Spinach

Yield
4 servings
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
American

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Ingredients

For the Creamed Spinach Filling

For the Pork Chops

For the Pan Sauce

Directions

  1. Cut a deep pocket into the side of each pork chop, then season both sides with salt and pepper.

    Hold a sharp knife parallel to the cutting board and slice into one long side of the chop, working toward the other side but stopping short of the far edge and the two ends so the pocket stays closed on three sides.

  2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant and golden.

  3. Add the spinach in batches and stir until it wilts.

    It will look like far too much spinach at first. Add a few handfuls, let them collapse, then add more. Keep cooking until any liquid in the pan has cooked off, so it does not end up in the filling.

  5. Stir in the 3 ounces of cream cheese and the sour cream until the cheese melts and coats the spinach. Season to taste and take the pan off the heat.

  6. Let the filling cool slightly, then scrape it out of the skillet and divide it evenly among the chops.

    Fill each pocket without packing it tight. If some filling doesn't fit, set it aside in a bowl and spoon it next to the chops when you serve.

  7. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the stuffed chops for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until browned.

    Turn them gently so the filling stays inside. This browns them; it does not cook them through.

  8. Keep cooking, turning as needed, until a thermometer pushed in through the side into the center of the filling reads 165°F. Move the chops to a plate, cover with foil, and let them rest for at least 3 minutes.

    The stuffing, not the pork, decides when these are done. If the outside browns too fast before the center gets there, turn the heat down. The chops rest while you make the sauce.

  10. Add the chicken broth and the remaining 1 ounce of cream cheese to the skillet over medium-high heat. Scrape up the browned bits and stir until the cream cheese melts into the broth.

  11. Simmer until the sauce has reduced by about half, 6 to 8 minutes. Taste before adding any more salt and pepper.

    Broth is salty on its own and gets saltier as it reduces, so season at the end.

  12. Spoon the pan sauce over the stuffed chops and serve right away.

Notes

Ingredient Notes

  • Pork chops: Boneless loin chops about an inch thick. A thin chop does not have enough meat to cut a pocket into, and a thick one takes longer to cook through in the skillet.
  • Spinach: This is written for fresh spinach. Twelve ounces cooks down to a surprisingly small pile.
  • Cream cheese: Split between the filling (3 ounces) and the sauce (1 ounce). Soften it first so it melts into the spinach instead of sitting in lumps.
  • Chicken broth: Some brands add sugar, so check the label.

Tools

A large, high-sided skillet, a sharp knife, and an instant-read thermometer. Browning on the outside tells you nothing about the middle of a stuffed chop.

Storage

  • Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container within two hours of cooking, or one hour if it is above 90°F.
  • Use them within 3 to 4 days.
  • Reheat until the center of the filling reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.
  • Freezing guidance is not established for this recipe yet.

What to Serve With Them

With a filling and a sauce already on the plate, the side does not have to do much. Keto cheddar biscuits are good for mopping up the extra sauce, and keto zucchini slices with Parmesan add something green that isn’t more spinach.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cut a pocket in a pork chop?

Lay the chop flat and slide a sharp knife into one long side, keeping the blade parallel to the cutting board. Work it toward the far side, but stop before you reach that edge or either end, so the pocket stays closed on three sides.

How do I know when stuffed pork chops are done?

Check the filling, not just the meat. An unstuffed pork chop is done at 145°F, but the stuffing needs to reach 165°F. Push an instant-read thermometer in through the side of the chop into the center of the pocket, and keep cooking until it reads 165°F, then let the chops rest for 3 minutes. A well-browned outside does not tell you the middle has caught up.

How long do leftover stuffed pork chops keep?

Get them into the refrigerator within two hours of cooking, and eat them within 3 to 4 days. Reheat until the center of the filling reaches 165°F. Freezing guidance is not established for this recipe yet.

If you make these, tell us how you served them. We would love to hear what ended up next to them on the plate.