Keto Stuffed Pork Chops are filled with tangy cream cheese, fresh spinach, and wonderful seasonings to make a simple yet elegant meal that’s low in carbs.
Juicy pork chops are delicious, but these stuffed pork chops are next level yummy. We enjoy making these stuffed pork chops when we want a fantastic dinner without too much effort. The pork is moist and filled with creamy goodness.
Keep your meal low-carb with these stuffed pork chops and a light salad or veggie on the side. It’s easy to make and they’ll be a hit with everyone, not just those on a keto diet.
If you want to add a sauce with this pork chop, I would recommend this gluten-free bechamel. It’s creamy and goes really well with pork chops.
» You might also like these Low-Carb Supreme Eggplant Pizzas.
Ingredients You Need
- Pork Chops – Use a pork chop that is thick enough to cut a pocket into, around 1 1/2″ thick. They can be bone-in or boneless.
- Spinach – Fresh spinach yields the best results as frozen spinach will release too much liquid. If you have to use frozen spinach, you’ll want to drain the water from it before adding it to the stuffing.
- Mushrooms – Use any type of mushroom you have on hand. White or button mushrooms work great or any wild mushroom.
- Seasonings – To give the pork chops some great flavor, we use a blend of seasonings, including Spanish paprika (or smoked if you want to add a smoky flavor), garlic salt, Italian seasoning (you can use oregano if that’s all you have), salt, and ground black pepper.
- Cooking oil – it’s best to use a neutral-flavored oil in this recipe like canola.
- Garlic – we recommend using fresh garlic in this recipe.
- Cream Cheese – Full-fat cream cheese has the best flavor and texture. Be sure to take it out of the refrigerator a few minutes before using it to let it soften up a bit.
- Mayonnaise
How to Make Keto Stuffed Pork Chops
Use a sharp knife to cut a pocket into each piece of pork, being careful not to cut all the way through. It can be easier to do this when the pork is a bit frozen. If you’re using fresh pork chops, just be sure to use a sharp knife and keep it even.
Mix the paprika, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, and black pepper together in a small bowl. Sprinkle all sides of the pork with the seasoning. Set the pork aside until you’ve got the filling ready.
This is also a good time to preheat the oven to 375° F.
Pour half the cooking oil into an oven-safe pan over medium heat. Add the spinach and mushrooms and cook until the spinach is wilted. This takes about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. You don’t want to burn it, so just give it a quick toss and remove it from the heat.
Stir in the cream cheese, mayonnaise, and salt. Give the mixture a taste to make sure you’ve seasoned it to your liking. You can always add more salt, if you want to.
Spoon even amounts of the filling into each piece of pork. Seal the edges of the pork with toothpicks to keep the filling in. This can be quite difficult if you’ve filled the insides pretty full. Just closing the edges is good enough to keep the filling from really spilling out as it cooks.
Pour the remaining oil in the same pan over medium-high heat. Add the pork and sear on both sides for 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer it to the oven. If you can’t put your pan in the oven, you can transfer the pork to an oven-safe dish instead.
Cook for 20 minutes, or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 145° F. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the pork to a plate to rest for 3 minutes. This will allow the filling to firm up a bit so it doesn’t spill out when you remove the toothpicks. Serve it with your favorite side dish.
What to Serve With This Dish?
If you’re looking for a great side dish to serve alongside this main dish, why not try one of these recipes below. They will compliment this main dish very well and are all low in carbs so you can make a great keto or low-carb meal to enjoy.
Substitutions & Variations
- You don’t have to use pork chops for this recipe. The creamy filling works well for other meats, so try it with chicken or skirt steak.
- You can swap the seasonings if you want to try different flavors or don’t want to mix your own spices. You can use any pre-made seasoning blend. Try using red pepper flakes, parsley or chili powder.
- Add cheese. Along with the cream cheese, you can also add another cheese to make it even more decadent. Try Parmesan cheese, blue cheese, feta cheese, or cheddar.
- You can stuff the pork chops with other vegetables, besides spinach, like sun dried tomatoes, kale, or broccoli.
How To Store & Reheat Leftovers
Let the stuffed pork chops cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can keep leftover pork chops in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for 2 months.
Reheat them in an oven that has been preheated to 350°F with a splash of water or broth to keep them moist. Cover the pan in aluminum foil and let it bake for 10-15 minutes.
Expert Tips
- You can use bone-in or boneless pork chops for this recipe, but be sure to buy chops that are thick enough to cut a pocket in.
- The pork needs to reach an internal temperature of 135°F in the oven. A meat thermometer is the best way to check the pork’s doneness. Once you pull it out of the oven to rest, it will rise to the recommended temp of 145°F.
- If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, transfer the pork to an oven-safe baking dish instead.
Questions About the Recipe
Can I grill the stuffed pork chops?
Yes. Follow the same steps for baking until it’s time to cook the pork chops. Place the stuffed chops on a hot grill and cook for 3 minutes for each side, or until the pork is golden. Carefully turn over the pork when cooking each side.
Then, put the pork chops on the indirect heat area of the grill. Close the grill and let the pork chops cook for 5 minutes per side. Take it off the grill and let it rest for about 5-10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
How do I make sure my pork chops are juicy?
To ensure the pork chops are juicy, always check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer so you can don’t over cook it. The FDA recommends cooking chops to 145 ºF, but I do as Bon Appetit recommends and “we pull pork from the heat at 135° and let the temperature rise to 145° as it rests, landing it right in the sweet spot: perfectly pink and USDA approved.”
Do you bake the pork chops covered or uncovered?
I don’t think it’s necessary to cover the pork to bake it in the oven because it’s in there for such a short time and you want the top to stay crispy from when it was seared on the pan. Cover it will make the top soggy.
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Delicious Stuffed Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops 6 oz each
- 1 teaspoon Spanish or smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- 1/2 cup white mushrooms chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/4 cup cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Use a sharp knife to cut a pocket into each piece of pork, being careful not to cut all the way through.
- Mix the paprika, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, and black pepper together in a small bowl. Sprinkle all sides of the pork with the seasoning. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375° F.
- Pour half the cooking oil into an oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the spinach and mushrooms and cook until spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat. Stir in the cream cheese, mayonnaise, and salt.
- Spoon even amounts of the filling into each piece of pork. Seal the edges of the pork with toothpicks to keep the filling in.
- Pour the remaining oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and sear on both sides for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer skillet to the oven. Cook for 15-18 minutes, or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 135°F. Remove from oven and transfer pork to a plate to rest for 5 minutes. The temperature will rise during this time to the recommended temp of 145°F. Remove the toothpicks and serve.
Notes
- If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, transfer the pork to an oven-safe baking dish instead.
- You can use bone-in or boneless pork chops for this recipe, but be sure to buy chops that are thicken enough to cut a pocket in.
- You can season with any seasonings you like, if you don’t have paprika, garlic salt, and Italian seasonings. We also like seasoned salt with Oregano.
- Substitute the Parmesan cheese with blue cheese or feta cheese, if you want something a little different.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
» Looking for more great ideas? Click here for low-carb chicken recipes, healthy low-carb snacks, and easy low-carb desserts.
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Laura is dedicated to a low-carb lifestyle after losing 52 pounds on the keto diet. As many of us do, she struggles with her weight and has found that one of the only diet lifestyles that allows her to maintain a healthy weight is a low-carb diet. She shares her favorite low-carb recipes here that are both easy to make and full of flavor, so you don’t even miss the carbs.
these pork chops were an absolute hit at my dinner party!
The combination of savory filling and tender pork was just amazing
I can’t believe how easy and delicious these turned out to be
My family couldn’t get enough of them, and they’re already asking when we can have them again.
Happy to hear that!
Any recommendations for a dairy-free option?
There are both vegan cream cheese and mayonnaise versions. I would try those first.
Could you share any tips on how to prevent the pork chops from drying out during baking? I’m always worried about overcooking pork
The best way to ensure you don’t overcook it is to insert a meat thermometer that you can leave in. I also take my pork out at 135 degree F, rather than the 145 that is recommended. If you source good meat, it doesn’t need to be cooked that long.
I’m not a big fan of spinach, so I swapped it out for some more mushrooms in the stuffing. Worked well!
I’m glad to hear that. The great thing about a recipe is that you can always make it your own.
I added a bit of chopped fresh rosemary from my garden to the stuffing mixture, and ti was incredible
Sounds delicious!