Stuffed Pork Chops with Sun Dried Tomato Spinach Pasta

Ingredients

2 tablespoons EVOO

2 garlic cloves, minced

8 sun dried tomatoes, diced

1 10 oz bag of frozen spinach, thawed

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese

1/3 cup light cream cheese

3 (about 3/4'' thick) pork chops

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1/2 lemon zested

1 lemon juiced

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

12 oz rigatoni regati

Directions

First, put the spinach in a bunch of paper towels and squeeze out all the water.

Heat 1 tablespoon EVOO in a pan and add the garlic - cook for 1 minute. Add the sun dried tomatoes, spinach, pepper and thyme. Cook for another two minutes. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the cheeses. Stir to combine completely...it takes a little elbow grease.

Take a pearing knife and slice a pocket into each of the pork chops - careful not to slice through. Take the spinach mixture and stuff each chop. Don't over stuff, make sure that the pork chop closes over the mixture. Reserve the remainder of the spinach/sun dried tomato mixture for the pasta. Season the outside of the chops with S&P.

In a large measuring cup (2 cup volume) whisk the chicken stock, lemon zest, lemon juice and dijon mustard. Set aside.

Heat the other tablespoon of EVOO in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook the pork chops for 5 minutes on each side, covered. Set pork aside tented in foil.

Start pot of water to boil (with a slash of EVOO in it) for the pasta. Then cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.

Add the chicken stock mixture to the skillet and deglaze. Reduce for 10 minutes.

Plate the pork chops and drizzle some of the reduced chicken stock mixture over them.

Combine the pasta, remainder of the spinach mixture and the remainder of the chicken stock mixture in the pot you cooked the pasta. Once combined plate next to the pork chop.