Low Carb Stuffed Keto Pork Chops

Name: Low Carb Stuffed Keto Pork Chops
Prep time: 20 minutes
Ingredients: IngredientsFor the pork chops:5 thick cut pork chops bone in optional; ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk ricotta cheese; 1-2 teaspoons fresh chopped parsley; Zest of ½ a lemon; 1 cup almond flour; 1 teaspoon each onion & garlic powder; Kosher salt & fresh pepper; 2 eggs; 6 ounces spicy Italian sausage; ¾ cup heavy cream; ¼ cup low sodium chicken stock/broth; Grapeseed or avocado oilFor the green beans:; ¼ pound thick cut bacon; 1 pound green beans or haircot vert; 2 tablespoons pecans chopped; Zest & juice of half a lemon; Kosher salt & fresh pepper

Ricotta stuffed pork chops with blistered green beans and bacon.

This recipe is Gluten Free, Keto/Low Carb with main ingredient Pork

It was time to bring you guys an epic fried pork chop recipe that was also keto friendly. I wanted to make a classic southern comfort dish, but do it low carb and huge on flavor. Just look at those massive bone-in, thick cut pork chops stuffed with ricotta cheese and topped with sausage country gravy. Giddy up!

This pork chop recipe makes 5 servings for meal prep or can serve as a family dinner. The pork chops are stuffed with lemony ricotta cheese filling and coated in season almond flour before being fried and then baked in the oven. The pork chops are so big that you have to finish in the oven. Otherwise they won't cook through while frying in oil in the cast iron pan.

The Best Stuffed Pork Chops Recipe

I thought it would be neat to stuffed these thick cut pork chops with ricotta cheese that is seasoned with lemon zest and parsley. It's not a gooey melting cheese, but it is so darn creamy and once it's is heated up, the flavor and texture is like creamy butter in your mouth. If you want to buy thin cut pork chops, you can actually skip the oven and fry from start to finish in the pan.

If you plan on using thin cut pork chops, you might not be able to stuff them because there won't be any room to make a pocket. Instead, you can top the pork chops with the ricotta filling when they come out of the fryer and then pour the gravy over that. Oh, so naughty.

I wanted to make these pork chops low car and keto friendly, so I dredged them in seasoned almond flour. The key is to treat the almond flour the same as all-purpose flour, which means you need to season it so the coating has a nice flavor. I can't stand when recipes don't call for seasoned flour. Do they not like flavor!?

Smothered Pork Chops

Once the pork chops are fried, they are smothered in a country sausage gravy that is full of flavor. Normally I would use some flour to thicken the gravy, but to keep this keto, I just cooked down the cream mixture until it was thick and gravy-like, but you could also add a big dollop of cream cheese to thicken the gravy. I actually would have preferred to do that.

Sauteed Green Beans

What respectable southern fried pork chop dinner is not served with a side of green beans!? But I wanted to take my bean game to the next level by charring the green beans and tossing them with a bit of bacon and pecans because everything is better with bacon.

The key to making the best sauteed green beans recipe is a really hot pan - and some bacon! I find that by blistering the outside of the green beans, you create another layer of flavor, yet the inside still has a nice crunch to it. Before sauteing the green beans, you will want to cook some bacon in the cast iron pan. That way you can cook the green beans in bacon fat. How good does that sound?

Make sure to also check out my keto burrito bowl recipe featuring pork chops with an al pastor marinade, so darn tasty!

Instructions

Cook’s notes: Buy pork chops that are thick enough to stuff, at least 1 inch thick and about ½ pound each. I used bone-in chops for the recipe, but you can buy boneless. You can ask the butcher at the meat counter to cut a pocket for the ricotta filling if you don’t feel comfortable doing that yourself. You can also buy thin cut pork chops, and either skip the stuffing or putting the stuffing over the top of the cooked pork chops.
For the pork chops, pre-heat oven to 400 F and place the ricotta cheese in a medium size bowl and add the lemon zest, parsley, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and a couple cracks of pepper, mix well. Use a knife to cut a pocket in the pork chops for the stuffing, watch the video below to see exactly how I do this. Add 2 tablespoons of filling and make sure it’s evenly distributed in the pork chops. Repeat this process with the remaining chops. Add the almond flour to a dish big enough to fit one pork chop and season the flour with garlic and onion powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and a few cracks of pepper, mix well. Place the eggs in another dish along with 1 tablespoon of water and whisk well. Season both sides of the pork chops with a generous pinch of salt and a few cracks of pepper. One at a time, dredge the chops in the eggs, making sure to thoroughly coat and shake off any excess. Then place the chop in the almond flour and make sure it is well coated on all sides, move chop to a sheet tray with a wire rack(if you have). Repeat with remaining chops. Allow the chops to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes so the almond flour can really stick to the chops, this will make the crust crispy. Meanwhile, add enough oil to a pan to come half way up the side of the chops and start to heat over medium-low.
Make the sausage gravy by pre-heating a medium size pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of oil, when the pan is hot add the sausage, making sure to break it up into the smallest size pieces possible. Cook for 5 minutes until the sausage is well browned and then add the cream, chicken stock, and a couple cracks of black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes until it has thickened to a gravy consistency. You can add more cream if needed, if the mixture does not get thick enough, you can add a ½ teaspoon of xanthan gum or guar gum, or corn starch(corn starch is not keto though). Remove from heat and set aside. Check for seasoning, you may need a pinch of salt.
Start the green beans by cutting the bacon into large cubes and placing them in a large pan, preferably cast iron. Cook over medium heat until the bacon has rendered most its fat and has become crispy, turning down the heat if needed. Remove bacon from pan and leave fat. Come back to the green beans later and proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Once the oil has come to 350 F, it’s time to fry the chops. Raise the heat to medium, you can drop a little almond flour in the oil and it should sizzle, if not, raise the temperature a bit. Add 2-3 pork chops to the pan, if the oil does not sizzle then it’s not hot enough. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until golden, flip and repeat. Place pork chops back on the sheet tray, and on the wire rack if you have it, and fry remaining chops. Transfer the chops to the oven and cook for 12-14 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 140 F. Remove chops from oven and allow to rest 5-10 minutes before eating.
While the chops are frying/roasting, make the green beans by pre-heating the cast iron pan with the bacon fat over high heat for 2 minutes, add a little more oil to the pan if there is not enough bacon fat and then add the green beans. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until blistered on the outside, but still a bit crunchy in the middle. Turn the heat off and add the pecans, lemon zest and juice, cooked bacon, ¼ teaspoon salt, a couple cracks of pepper, and mix well. Remove green beans from the hot pan or they will overcook.
Serve the chops with the sausage gravy poured over the top and some green beans of the side. Everything will keep in the fridge for 5 days, but can’t be frozen because of the ricotta cheese and heavy cream. It’s very important not to overheat the pork chops or the will get tough, so the best way to re-heat them is in a 400 F oven for 8-10 minutes along with the green beans. If using a microwave, cover the container with a wet paper towel and make sure to not heat too high or too long.

Recipe Notes

Macros per pork chop, makes 5 chops:
564 calories per pork chop
3.2 net grams of carbs per pork chop
39.2 grams of fat per pork chop
42.7 grams of protein per pork chop
2.8 grams of fiber per pork chop

Macros for sausage gravy, makes 5 servings:
216 calories per serving
1 gram of net carbs per serving
20 grams of fat per serving
5.5 grams of protein per serving
0 fiber

Macros for green beans, makes 5 servings:
151 calories per serving
3.4 grams of net carbs per serving
12.1 grams of fat per serving
4.5 grams of protein per serving
3.3 grams of fiber per serving