I don’t do pork chops well. They end up dry and tough. Until this recipe. And, best of all, this one’s even healthy!
After making it just a couple times now, this Eating Well recipe has already become a favorite dinner dish for my husband and me. It is quite easy and quick, extremely tasty, and is even healthy (8 Weight Watchers points per serving, using 4-ounce chops instead of 5-ounce). The vermouth and oil are really the only substantial calories in this dish. This dish tastes even better accompanied by grilled asparagus, and if you want a starch on the side, try wild rice or whole wheat couscous with onions, mushroom, and garlic.
Healthy Vermouth & Mushroom Pork Chops
Weight Watchers Info: 4 Points Plus per serving. Carbohydrates: 5g per serving.
Ingredients
- 2 4-ounce boneless, center-cut pork loin chops, trimmed and pounded to ¼ inch thick*
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium shallot, minced
- 1-1/2 cups sliced mushrooms, (about 4 ounces)
- ½ cup dry vermouth
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Instructions
- Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper.
- Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Add the pork chops and cook until browned on both sides and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
- Transfer to 2 serving plates; tent with foil to keep warm.
- Swirl oil into the pan, add shallot and cook, stirring, until soft, about 30 seconds.
- Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften and begin to brown, about 2 minutes.
- Add vermouth and cook for 15 seconds.
- Stir in mustard, thyme and any juices that have accumulated from the pork; cook until the sauce is thickened and slightly reduced, 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Spoon the sauce over the pork chops and serve immediately.
Notes
*To pound the chops flat, place them between two sheets of plastic wrap on a stable surface. Pound steadily with the smooth side of a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy saucepan until ¼ inch thick.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 chop + ½ sauce Calories: 227 Fat: 4g Saturated fat: 1g Trans fat: 0g Carbohydrates: 5g Sugar: 2g Sodium: 417mg Fiber: 1g Protein: 25g Cholesterol: 62mg
This looks delicious! Great for a mid-week dinner. Might have to try it this week. [K]
P.S. LOVE the new blog look, too! I am switching to Thesis myself… as soon as I can sit down long enough to do it.
It's a great weeknight meal, quick, yet doesn't taste like a quick effort.
And thanks, I do like the Thesis theme framework. Easy enough for beginners, yet offers enough customization options for developers. I finally broke down and bought a developers license, and have moved 4 of my 5 blogs over to it during the past month.