Creamy Tuscan pork bites bring golden pieces of boneless pork chop together with a garlic parmesan sauce, baby spinach and sun dried tomatoes. This 30-minute recipe serves 4 and suits a weeknight when you want a skillet dinner to spoon over rice. The detail to watch is the pork: pull it at 145°F, since it warms again in the sauce.
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Ingredients for creamy Tuscan pork bites
Cut the pork into 1 inch pieces and have the sauce ingredients ready before you start searing. The garlic cooks for just 30 seconds, so the broth should be within reach when it goes into the skillet.
- 1 1/2 lb boneless pork chops, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 1/2 cup oil packed sun dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
- Chopped parsley, to finish
- Rice, to serve
Give the pork room to turn golden
Pat the pork dry before tossing it with the salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Arrange the pieces in a single layer in the large skillet so you can see and turn them individually. If they do not fit in that layer, sear in batches as the recipe directs.
The searing step takes 5 to 6 minutes, with the pork turned once. Look for a golden surface, and check the inside with a thermometer rather than judging doneness from the outside alone. Once the pork reaches 145°F, set it aside under foil while you make the sauce.
Lean chop meat turns tough when cooked too long. Resist leaving the pieces in the skillet while you gather the remaining ingredients or prepare the sauce. They return near the end, along with their juices, for a brief warming step.
Build the sauce in the same skillet
Lower the heat to medium before adding the butter and garlic. Keep the next step ready: after the garlic has cooked for 30 seconds, pour in the chicken broth and scrape up the browned bits left by the pork. Those bits become part of the sauce rather than staying on the bottom of the pan.
Add the cream, parmesan and Dijon, then watch the sauce as it simmers for 2 to 3 minutes. Thickening is the cue to move on. The spinach and drained, chopped tomatoes go in afterward, followed by the pork once the spinach has wilted.
Cook the pork bites and cream sauce
- Pat the pork dry. Toss with the salt, black pepper and Italian seasoning.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the pork in one layer, working in batches if needed. Sear for 5 to 6 minutes, turning once, until golden and 145°F inside. Set aside under foil.
- Lower the heat to medium. Melt the butter in the skillet and cook the minced garlic for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the chicken broth and scrape up the browned bits. Add the heavy cream, grated parmesan and Dijon mustard. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until thickened.
- Stir in the baby spinach and drained, chopped sun dried tomatoes. Continue until the spinach wilts.
- Return the pork and its juices to the skillet for 1 to 2 minutes. Scatter with chopped parsley and spoon over rice.
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Spoon the sauce over rice
Serve the pork over rice, bringing the spinach and sun dried tomatoes along with each spoonful. Distribute the sauce across the servings so the rice gets some of the garlic parmesan cream as well. Finish with the chopped parsley called for in the recipe.
Keep the final return to the skillet brief: the pork has already reached its cooking temperature during searing. This last 1 to 2 minutes brings the meat and its juices back into the thickened sauce. It is the point to finish the dish and serve.
For more dinner ideas, try our creamy Tuscan pork chops , browse these baked zucchini fries with garlic yogurt dip , or plan another meal around creamy dill cucumber salad .
Before you start cooking
Does the Dijon go on the pork?
The Dijon goes into the sauce with the cream and parmesan. Season the pork with the salt, black pepper and Italian seasoning before searing.
Should the tomatoes go in with their oil?
Drain the oil packed sun dried tomatoes and chop them before adding them. They enter the skillet with the spinach, after the cream sauce has thickened.
What happens to the juices under the foil?
Return those juices to the skillet with the pork. The recipe includes both in the final 1 to 2 minutes, so keep the juices when you transfer the meat back.
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Written and edited by The Foodie Yummy Kitchen Team
The Foodie Yummy Kitchen Team writes and edits the recipes on Foodie Yummy: classic American potluck salads, holiday sides and easy comfort food, with a few low-carb options. Every recipe lists exact quantities, numbered steps and a printable recipe card, plus notes on swaps, storage and make-ahead timing. Spot a problem with a recipe? Tell us through the contact page and we will correct it. About us
Creamy Tuscan Pork Bites
Ingredients
Instructions
Pat the pork dry and toss with the salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sear the pork in one layer, in batches if needed, for 5 to 6 minutes, turning once, until golden and 145°F inside. Set aside under foil.
Lower the heat to medium, melt the butter and cook the garlic for 30 seconds.
Pour in the broth and scrape up the browned bits. Add the cream, parmesan and Dijon, then simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until thickened.
Stir in the spinach and sun dried tomatoes until the spinach wilts.
Return the pork and its juices for 1 to 2 minutes, scatter with parsley and spoon over rice.
Notes
Pull the pork at 145°F. It warms again in the sauce, and longer cooking turns lean chop meat tough.
Sear in one layer, working in batches if needed.
Drain and chop the oil packed sun dried tomatoes before adding them.