Pesto Stuffed Pork Chops

Krista gave me this recipe and I used it for my freezer meal group. It seems so fancy but isn't terribly hard and even though it's pork chops, I felt like the cost came out similar to a chicken/ground beef meal so win/win. I haven't heard back if the new group liked it but I froze it and liked it so I thought I'd share.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese

2 tablespoons purchased basil pesto

1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted

4 pork loin chops or boneless pork loin chops, cut     1-1/4 inches thick

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (I used about 1/8 tsp. pepper)

1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

¼ teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. For filling, in a small bowl stir together feta cheese, pesto, and pine nuts. Set aside.
2. Trim fat from meat. Make a pocket in each chop by cutting horizontally from the fat side almost to the bone or the opposite side. Divide filling among pockets in chops. If necessary, secure the opening with a wooden toothpick.
3. For rub, in a small bowl combine black pepper, oregano, garlic, red pepper, and thyme. Rub evenly onto all sides of meat. Place chops on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until done (145 degrees F) and juices run clear. Brush vinegar onto chops the last 5 minutes of baking. Before serving, discard toothpicks.

**To freeze I brushed the chops with vinegar after applying the rub. Flash freeze and then wrap tightly.

My instructions:

·         Thaw in fridge

·         Make a foil pocket around chops and put in a shallow dish. (I thought this would just make them a little juicier than just putting them in the oven on a baking sheet.)

·         Cook at 375 for 35-40 min or until done