Sometimes it seems like there's just not time for a good comfort food dinner during the week. And then, recipes like this make something glorious on the table in a half hour possible. Tender pork chops bathed in a creamy mustard sauce along with sautéed mushrooms and lightly wilted baby spinach is like a dream come true just about now, when sunshine teases us into thinking warmer weather is on the way only to get rain, snow, sleet, or all of the above dumped on us over the course of a day. Thaw out a bit with this one!
For the pork, I generally aim to pick up a pork loin when they are on sale and then custom cut my chops from that. I aim for about ¾" thick so that they don't dry out too fast, but still will sear in about 4 minutes per side. You can use chops as thin as half an inch or as thick as a full inch, but I will not go either thinner or thicker than that.
There's a lot of variety to the sides you can serve with this dish. If you're a starch fan, everything from rice to pasta to potatoes will work. I just opted for a simple baked squash and garlic green beans. Might as well embrace the comfort food theme, right?
Creamy Mustard Spinach Mushroom Pork Chops
- 4 pork chops - I used boneless pork loin chops cut about ¾" thick
- Salt and pepper
- 1 T. olive oil
- 2 T. butter, divided
- 8 oz. white mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ c. chicken broth
- 2 T. prepared mustard - I used a creamy blue cheese mustard
- ¾ c. heavy cream
- 2 c. fresh baby spinach
Take the pork chops out of the fridge 15-30 minutes before starting the recipe if possible. Season the pork generously with salt & pepper on both sides. In a deep skillet, add the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. Let the pan heat up for a few minutes, and once it's hot, cook the pork chops for 3-5 minutes per side or until lightly browned (3 minutes for thinner chops and 5 minutes for pork chops that are up to 1" thick). Once the pork chops are done searing, transfer them to a plate.
Add the remaining butter, the mushrooms, and garlic to the skillet. Cook the mushrooms for about 5-6 minutes or until they've released their water and the water has just about cooked off.
Add the chicken broth and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by about half.
Stir in the mustard and cream.
Add the pork back into the skillet and cook for another 4-5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened up a bit (let the sauce bubble a bit but not furiously boil) and the pork chops are fully cooked through (145F). Keep in mind the pork's temperature will continue to rise once you stop cooking it.
Add the spinach to the pan. Take the pan off the heat, add a cover, and let the spinach wilt for a minute or two. Season the sauce with extra salt & pepper if needed, then serve immediately.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes