Mushroom Stuffed Pork Chops Baked in Stuffing

This year some friends and I had an early Thanksgiving in Connecticut because my friends weren’t able to make it home this year. Our hostess called it, “Friendsgiving,” in an appropriate attempt at distinguishing the event from its usual late-month predecessor.

While trying to come up with what dish to bring, my friend, Flex (of buttermilk pancake fame) decided to make a smoked turkey breast as the centerpiece for the meal (fantastic by the way!).

It was on me to bring another protein to the table amid the various vegetables that would accompany the meal. I wanted to try something a little different, but that still had a Thanksgiving flare. I came up with stuffed pork chops that I would bake in stuffing. That would kill two birds with one stone because it was like two dishes in one! I used mushrooms to stuff the pork chops and store-bought stuffing to encase the pork chops while baking. I assumed correctly that the stuffing would protect the pork chops from drying out during the baking process. The additional bonus was that we would also have a surplus of stuffing to accompany the meal!

If you’d like to try making your own stuffing from scratch then check out my Sausage and Apple Stuffing recipe, but otherwise, your favorite store-bought brand is adequate to make these unique pork chops.

Stuffed Pork chops = 397 calories per serving.
Stuffing = 263 calories per serving.
Makes 12 servings of Stuffed Pork Chops and Stuffing at 660 calories per serving.

Ingredients

• 12 (about 4- 5 pounds) Boneless pork chops (220 cal. per 4 oz.,  or 367 cal. per pork chop, or 4400 cal. total)
• 16 oz. of white mushrooms (about 100 cal.)
• Optional: 0.5 oz. of dried, sliced, Porcini mushrooms (50 cal.)
• 5 tablespoons of butter (500 cal.)
• 1/4 cup of light cream (120 cal.)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of fresh minced parsley
• 24 oz. (4 boxes) of store-bought stuffing (2640 cal. – dry stuffing)
• 6 cups of chicken broth (30 cal.)
• Optional: 1 Granny Smith Apple (about 80 cal.)
• Salt
• Pepper

Equipment

• One very large baking dish or two medium baking dishes
• Skillet
• Small pot or bowl
• Cup and tablespoon measurements
• Cutting board
• Filet knife or other long sharp knife
• Large plate
• Wooden spoon/spatula
• Aluminum foil
• Food processor
• Meat thermometer

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Rinse and chop up the white mushrooms (not the porcini mushrooms) into small pieces before adding them to the pan.
   
3. Saute the mushrooms on medium heat with one tablespoon of butter.
   
4. After the mushrooms have cooked down a bit and let off some moisture, add in two to three tablespoons of diced fresh parsley and continue cooking the mushrooms.
   
5. While the white mushrooms are cooking, fill a small bowl with very hot water from the tap or heat up some water in a small pot. Add in the dried Porcini mushrooms to rehydrate them.
6. Once the white mushrooms have lost most of their moisture and it has cooked off, remove the mushrooms and place them into the food processor. In the food processor, add in a pinch of black pepper and salt before chopping the mushrooms.
   
7. When the mushrooms are pureed, add in 1/4 cup of light cream and puree the mushrooms a bit more.
   
8. Pour out the hot water that was re-hydrating the Porcini mushrooms and set them next to the cutting board where you will be working with the pork chops.
   
9. Take a pork cop, lay it on the cutting board, and use a filet knife to cut an incision into the meat lengthwise on the side of the pork chop. You want to create a pocket, so don’t cut all the way through the meat to the other side.
   
10. Take a large spoon or tablespoon measurement and scoop a bit of the white mushroom puree to put it into the pork chop. Then take a Porcini mushroom and lay it on top of the mushroom puree inside the pork chop. This gives the filling two different mushroom flavors and textures.
    
11. Set the pork chop aside on a large plate and season lightly with salt and pepper on both sides. Repeat this process for all of the pork chops.
    
12. After stuffing the pork chops, get out the large baking pan/dish and fill the bottom with half of the stuffing (12 oz. or two boxes). Thinly slice two tablespoons of butter and lay the slices all over the dry stuffing. This will be the bed for the pork chops to lay on when baking.
    
13. Set your cleaned skillet back on the stove and bring the stove temp up to medium-high. You may need to add a little cooking spray, oil, or butter to the pan just to keep the meat from sticking. Place the pork chops into the pan when it’s hot and sear both sides of all of the pork chops for a couple of minutes per side.
    
14. After each pork chop is seared, place it in the baking pan over the bed of stuffing.
    
15. When all of the pork chops are in the pan, you will then use the remaining stuffing to cover them.
    
16. After covering the pork chops with the remaining dry stuffing, repeat the process and thinly slice up two more tablespoons of butter over the stuffing.
    
17. If you feel like it, , core and peel a granny smith apple before slicing up 12 rings and decorating the top of the stuffing.
    
18. Add in six cups of chicken broth and pour it evenly all over the stuffing.
    
19. Cover the stuffing with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees F for 40 minutes to an hour. If you have a meat thermometer check the pork chops to make sure they are cooked by observing a temperature of 150 (medium to medium rare) to 160 (medium to medium-well).
    
20. Remove from the oven, remove the foil, and serve immediately!