Stuffed Pork Chops

Pork chops filled with a stuffing the kids will love and in about 20 minutes the protein portion of dinner is ready.

When the days get shorter and the temperatures drop, there's nothing like a more hearty and filling meal to satisfy your hunger at the end of a busy day.  These Stuffed Pork Chops are not complicated or complex to make ~ easy peasy as they say. Start with some boneless chops (on sale of course) and a box of Stove Top Sage Stuffing mix and you have a delicious and budget-friendly meal.
I took the liberty of using my own recipe for Kid-Friendly Stuffing Muffins to use to stuff these chops. Frankly it's the only stuffing my husband has liked since we've been together. He claims to hate stuffing, but he'll eat this. Oh and he'll now eat the stuffing in my Baked Stuffed Shrimp. After 25 years I have been able to win him over on a number of dishes and food he would never eat before, but I consider this the biggest hurdle!

• 6 boneless pork chops
• 1 box Stove Top Sage Stuffing mix
• 1 cup apple sauce
• 3/4 cup chicken broth + extra
• 1/8 tsp. dried sage
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. olive oil

1. Preheat your oven to 325°.
2. Make a slit in the chops pretty much end to end to create a nice pocket and slice almost to the other side. That way you can fill it with lots of stuffing.
3. In a bowl add the stuffing mix, applesauce, broth and sage and just get in there and mix with your hands, scrunching it together.
4. Stuff all six chops generously.
5. Season both sides of the pork with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Heat an oven proof skillet over medium high heat and add in the butter and olive oil. Let the butter just start to get brown. Add in the chops. Sear for about 30-40 seconds just to get some color and flip over and sear for about 30 seconds on the other side.
7. Add just enough chicken broth to the bottom of the pan to coat (about 1/4 cup or so will do).
8. Then pop the whole skillet with the chops in the oven. 
9. Bake in a preheated 325° oven for about 15 minutes. Check for doneness to 145° internal temperature. If not ready, pop in for a minute or so longer being careful not to overcook them.

You don't need another starch as these are stuffed. Just a side vegetable and you have a great dinner.

Just for the stuffed pork chop it cost me approximately $9.77 for six chops, which is $1.62 per chop. Add in a side vegetable for another 30-40 cents each person. Carrots happen to be an economical and healthy choice.