These apple bacon blue cheese stuffed pork chops are healthy, filling, and FULL of flavor! What more could you want?! Only 212 calories per serving!
Ermahgerdddd.....I love stuffed pork chops! I usually make them with actual stuffing but this dish doesn't need all that noise. It is still incredibly filling, delicious, and flavorful, no starchy stuffing required!
We all know that pork and apples go well together. We also all know that bacon goes with everything. And we know that blue cheese makes everything better. I've been told these are just my opinions but I feel pretty strongly that they are proven facts. 🙂
Add all of those into one dish and you've got yourself an incredible, date-night-worthy dish!
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APPLE, BACON, BLUE CHEESE STUFFED PORK CHOPS
212 calories (for ½ pork chop)
I should probably just go ahead and rename my blog "Another Dish with Blue Cheese." I can't get enough. Sorry I'm not sorry for all the blue cheese recipes, guys. It just elevates every dish so well!
Also, I should point out that the nutritional information for this dish is for ½ of a stuffed pork chop. Why? Because our pork chops were ginormous. And ½ of a pork chop was more than enough for an average human stomach to handle!
Prepping for this dish actually starts the night before you want to make it. You're going to brine the 4 thick pork chops (about 1 inch thick) by placing into a sealable container and covering with water. Add in a dash of sugar and a little apple cider vinegar and allow to sit in the refrigerator overnight. This prevents your pork from drying out, something I have done many, many....many...times. 🙁
When you're ready to make the chops, start by prepping your filling. You're going to peel, core and slice 1 granny smith apple, then dice 1 shallot and 2 cloves of garlic. 
Next you'll want to prepare the pork chops so they're ready for stuffing. Slice the side of each one until it is deep enough for stuffing. Mix together 1 tablespoon of fresh, chopped rosemary and salt and pepper to taste then season each side of the chops.
Heat a large cast-iron skillet
over medium heat then chop 4 slices of raw bacon into small pieces and cook in the skillet. Once cooked, drain out 1 tablespoon of bacon fat and set aside both fat and bacon in separate containers for later. Add in your diced apple and shallot and cook until apple is tender, about 3 minutes.
Next add in minced garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in ¾ C crumbled blue cheese (or gorgonzola). Toss in your cooked bacon pieces from earlier and mix until all ingredients are fully combined. Once combined, stuff each pork chop evenly with the mixture.
Clean your skillet of remaining stuffing ingredients then add back over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot again, add in the 1 tablespoon of bacon fat you set aside. Add the pork chops to the skillet and brown each side for 5 minutes. While you do this, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. 
Add the entire skillet with pork chops into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Internal temperature should be at least 150 F, and be sure you're checking the pork only, not the stuffing!
Allow to cool slightly then serve and enjoy! To reheat leftovers, cut pork chops into chunks, heat a skillet over medium heat and add a little olive oil. Add pork chop and stuffing and continue to move it around the skillet until warmed through. 
If you're looking for more cast-iron skillet style dinners, check out this One Pan Healthy Chicken Dinner or this Reverse Sear Steak!
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Apple Bacon Blue Cheese Stuffed Pork Chops
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 4 pork chops 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Pan-Fried, Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Low Calorie
Description
These apple bacon blue cheese stuffed pork chops are healthy, filling, and FULL of flavor! What more could you want?! Only 212 calories per serving!
Ingredients
- 4 thick pork chops (around 1 inch, boneless or bone in), brined overnight (see notes)
- 1 Tbsp fresh, chopped rosemary
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 slices bacon (I used center cut)
- 1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
- 1 large shallot, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- ¾ C crumbled blue cheese (or gorgonzola)
Instructions
- Slice the side of 4 brined pork chops until it is deep enough for the stuffing. Mix together 1 tablespoon of chopped rosemary and slat and pepper to taste and season each side of chops.
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium high heat. Chop 4 slices of raw bacon into small pieces and cook in skillet.
- Once cooked, drain out 1 tablespoon of bacon fat and set aside both fat and bacon in separate containers for later.
- Add 1 diced apple and 1 diced shallot into cast-iron and cook until apple is tender, about 3 minutes.
- Next add in 2 cloves of minced garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes.
- Remove skillet from heat and stir in ¾ C of crumbled blue cheese. Toss in your cooked bacon pieces from earlier and mix until all ingredients are fully combined.
- Once combined, stuff each pork chop evenly with the mixture.
- Clean your skillet of remaining stuffing ingredients then add back over medium heat.
- Once the skillet is hot again, add in the 1 tablespoon of bacon fat you set aside earlier.
- Add the pork chops to the skillet and brown each side for 5 minutes. While you do this, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Add the entire skillet with pork chops into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Internal temperature should be at least 150 F, and be sure you're checking the pork only, not the stuffing!
- Allow to cool slightly then serve and enjoy!!
Notes
To brine the pork chops, place into a sealable container and cover with water. Add in a dash of sugar and a little apple cider vinegar and allow to sit in the refrigerator overnight.
To reheat leftovers, cut pork chops into chunks, heat a skillet over medium heat and add a little olive oil. Add pork chop and stuffing and continue to move it around the skillet until warmed through.
Keywords: one-pan dinner, date night meal, stuffed pork chops, low calorie, low carb, healthy pork dinner
**Recipe from Jo Cooks
What do you think? Did this recipe make the cut for you or did it crumble? What would you do differently? Leave a comment below! 🙂
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