Tender mushroom pork chops smothered in a creamy mushroom sauce with baby spinach. A one-skillet dinner recipe that is ready in just a half hour from start to finish, this recipe doesn't use canned cream of mushroom soup, and is gluten-free.
Pork chops in creamy sauce
Do you have certain foods that you love but for whatever reason don't make often? For me, that's pork chops.
Aldo and I both LOVE pork chops. I LOVE how easy and quick it is to cook them. And LOVE how many different ways you can cook them.
Yet for some reason I never think to cook pork chops unless Aldo asks me to.
But when I do cook pork chops, we lick our plates clean and I wonder why we don't make them more often.... Just like we did after this dinner of smothered pork chops with mushroom gravy.
This mushroom pork chop recipe is a one-skillet dish (like most of my pork chop recipes!), so there really is no excuse for not cooking this often.
About that creamy mushroom sauce...
I love the creamy mushroom sauce with sauteed onions and wilted baby spinach. The sauce has so much flavor and is just amazing when spooned over the pork chops and over some rice or noodles. Go ahead, smother your plate with the mushroom sauce.
I stayed away from canned cream of mushroom soup to make these pork chops with mushroom sauce. This mushroom sauce is made from scratch and takes just as little effort as it does to open a can. There's no need to use the canned stuff that is loaded with sodium.
I thicken the sauce with a bit of corn starch because I wanted to keep it gluten free, but if you are comfortable with switching things up in recipes, feel free to make a roux with flour. If not, just skip over this paragraph and go straight to the recipe below. I'll walk you through everything. 🙂
By the way, if the creamy sauce sounds good, you might want to try this Instant Pot creamy sun dried tomato chicken thighs recipe!
Related recipe: Chicken Hearts with Mushrooms and Onions
Pork cooking temperatures
If you follow this recipe, it is pretty much impossible to undercook the pork chops (unless they are super thick) because you'll be simmering the pork chops in the sauce. But I wanted to include a link to this handy Pork Temperature Cooking Guide so you can refer to it.
Pork chops need to be cooked to a minimum of 140-145F. You can use an instant-read meat thermometer if want to be extra sure you've cooked the pork chops enough.
Cooking tips:
I cooked these mushrooms in a 12-inch pan with a lid. The large pan is great for this recipe because it won't crowd the pork chops, and it fits in lots of spinach without having to add the spinach in two batches.
A lid that fits the pan is good to have for this recipe, because covering the pork chops with a lid in steps 4 and 5 of the recipe will make sure they cook through faster, and will cook all the spinach without having to stir frequently.
If you don't have a lid that fits your skillet, just watch the skillet closely as you cook to make sure the liquid does not evaporate before the pork chops are cooked, and make sure to carefully stir the baby spinach so that it cooks down into the sauce. This is a great 12 inch pan to use for recipes like this.
Looking for other pork chops recipes?
If you liked this recipe, don't forget to leave me a comment below and let me know! Please also leave a rating in the recipe card below and share it on Facebook or Pinterest.
Mushroom Pork Chops with Spinach Skillet
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops - (I used bone-in, center-cut)
- Salt & pepper - , to taste
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil - (or olive oil)
- 4 tablespoons butter - (or substitute oil)
- 8 oz white mushrooms - , sliced (about 2 cups)
- 2 small yellow onions - , thinly sliced (or one large)
- 3 garlic cloves - , minced
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons half and half
- 2 cups baby spinach - , tightly packed (see notes)
- Optional garnish: diced scallions or parsley leaves
Instructions
- Season the pork chops generously on both sides with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil. Gently place the pork chops into the skillet and cook over high heat for 5 minutes on each side. Do not disturb the pork chops while cooking so that a nice golden brown crust can form.
- Carefully remove the pork chops from the skillet onto a large plate (it is OK if they are not fully cooked yet). Add the butter, mushrooms, onion, garlic, and dried thyme to the skillet and stir fry over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the chicken stock and the corn starch until no corn starch clumps remain. Make sure you whisk constantly and add the corn starch slowly!
- Add the chicken stock + corn starch mixture and half and half to the skillet, and stir. Add the baby spinach and stir. Cover and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, or until the baby spinach starts to wilt. You might need to stir a few times to get all the spinach covered in the sauce and wilted.
- Add the pork chops back into the skillet and cover with the creamy mushroom-spinach sauce. Cover with a lid and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the pork chops are fully cooked. Remove from heat and garnish with scallions or parsley leaves. Serve warm, spooning the mushroom sauce over the pork chops and over your favorite side dish.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.
Kurt Wallinger
Monday 9th of January 2023
I made this recently and my wife said to save the recipe - the chops were not dried out for once. I used milk rather than half and half (which I didn't have) and it turned out fine. I thought it would be creamier, but maybe it wasn't because of the milk and halving the recipe. We'll be making this again. Next time I'll try to remember to add the garnish at the end.
Kate
Tuesday 10th of January 2023
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try! I'm so glad your wife liked it.
Hank R
Monday 2nd of August 2021
Pretty good. I'm going to try it again with more depth of taste, more herbs) and at the families request, a creanier sauce.
Kate
Wednesday 4th of August 2021
That sounds good!! Glad to hear you'll make this again!
Laurie
Thursday 12th of November 2020
We really enjoyed this recipe! I actually only had one huge bone-in Frenched pork chop. I still used the same amount of other ingredients. Only diff was baby bella mushrooms and tiny yellow oyster mushrooms, fresh thyme, and a little fresh ground nutmeg. Your liquid measurements were spot on! We still have some sauce left. Yay! That will be gone really soon! I like that you used half and half instead of heavy cream. And I only added about a tablespoon of butter by mistake, but it was still delicious.
Kate
Thursday 12th of November 2020
So glad to hear that! Love that it worked out with your mega pork chop... and a little extra sauce is always a good thing in my book! :)
Therese
Wednesday 23rd of September 2020
I picked up a mystery box from a restaurant service with oversupply due to COVID-19 lockdown, in it were some pork chops and google led me to your recipe. Ive never cooked or eaten pork chops before and this recipe has made me a fan. Quick, easy and tasty. I served it with some sautéd potato and silver beet from another first time recipe. Thanks so much!
Kate
Wednesday 23rd of September 2020
Awesome!! A mystery box sounds kind of fun! Do they have more available?? Would you try your luck again with a mystery box??
Christine S von Lange
Thursday 23rd of April 2020
I just made the mushroom-pork-spinach skillet and wondering....I don't see where it said to add the Thyme. I ended up adding it when I returned the pork to the skillet.
Thank you.
Kate
Friday 24th of April 2020
Yes that's exactly right! I added that to the recipe. My bad! Thanks for calling that out to me.