I am on a mission to clean out the pantry and freezer. We have our first cow coming back from the butcher this week and we are going to need every inch of freezer space for the hundreds of pounds of organic, grass fed, free range, home raised beef. Can’t wait. Anyway, back to the pistachio Parmesan stuffed pork chops, the huge double cut pork chops were taking up a ton of freezer space so they needed to get used ASAP. After poking around the pantry I found the last of some panko bread crumbs and a small bag of shelled pistachios that became this delicious garlic and cheese filling. The stuffing is great, it has the prefect consistence for stuffing the chops and it browns up beautifully on the edges. The flavor is a bit like pesto with the nuts, cheese and garlic but with the added brightness of the parsley and lemon. Don’t skip the onion relish; it was my husband’s favorite part.

Stuffed pork chops

I love bone in pork chops, they have great flavor and I grab them anytime my grocery store has them on special. If you don’t want to deal with the bone or you already have nice thick cut boneless loin chops this recipe will still work for you. The boneless chops may not use as much filling so you might want to plan on 6-8 chops or only make a half batch of the filling. Bone in or boneless you will cut the same kind of pocket in the side of the chop for the filling. The boneless chops might need less cooking time so keep an eye on the oven, no one likes overcooked pork.

Pistachio Parmesan Stuffed Pork Chops with tomatoe

Getting the photos for this post was a bit of a challenge, I take my photos outside on one of our house’s many patios so I can get good natural light. This week the wind in South Florida has been crazy! Even the dogs don’t want to be outside in this weather. Most of the pistachio Parmesan stuffed pork chop photo shoot consisted of me snapping pictures as fast as I could before another gust came along and blew away my props or flipped the tablecloth up. It was super annoying! I am pretty happy with the photos but wish I could have been on the other patio where the light would have been even better.

Pistachio Parmesan Stuffed Pork Chops

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

Pistachio Parmesan Filling

  • 1 cup pistachios
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 5 cloves of garlic
  • Large bunch of parsley
  • 1 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Juice of half a lemon

Red Onion Relish

  • 3 tbs of filling before cheese and bread crumbs are added
  • 2 tbs white balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbs of olive oil
  • 1 medium red onion diced
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Salt and Pepper

Chops and Veggies

  • 4 thick cut bone in pork chops
  • 1 Pint of radishes
  • 2 bunches of Campari tomatoes
  • 1 tbs granulated garlic
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Olive oil

Instructions

Pistachio Parmesan Filling

  1. In a food processor mix together the nuts, lemon zest, parsley and the grated garlic. Buzz until chopped but not totally a paste. Reserve three tablespoons of the filling at this point for use in the red oinion relish. Then add the cheese, bread crumbs and the lemon juice. Mix in the food processor for a few more pulses. Set aside and prepare the chops.

Pork Chops

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut a pocket in each chop to make and envelope that can be stuffed with the Pistachio Parmesan Filling. Season the pocket and outsides of the chops with salt and pepper. Then stuff each pocket with the filling. It will pack nicely so just push it in and when the chop is full use a few toothpicks to keep the opening closed.
  2. In a large skillet heat a drizzle of olive oil then sear the outsides of the chops until golden, about 3-5 minutes a side.
  3. On a large sheet pan sprayed with non-stick spray arrange the chops. Coat the tomatoes and radishes with olive oil, then season generously with the garlic, salt and pepper. Add the veggies to the pan and put in the oven for about 20 minutes. Until the veggies are tender and the chops are cooked through.

Red Onion Relish

  1. While the chops are cooking mix the ingredients for the relish together, adjust the salt and acid to personal preference. Serve the relish on the side of the Pistachio Parmesan Stuffed Pork Chops.

Recipe Notes

I used the large on the vine Campari tomatoes if you are using smaller cherry tomatoes they should be added to the baking sheet for just the last 10 minutes of roasting.

Almost any veggies can be substituted for the radish and tomatoes as an accompaniment to theses stuffed pork chops.

A white or yellow onion can be substituted for the red onion in the relish.

Pistachio Parmesan Stuffed Pork Chops

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