Name: Bone-In Pork Chops with White Beans
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 1 T. extra virgin olive oil, divided; ½ medium white onion, chopped small; 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped; Sea salt and black pepper, to taste; 2 12-oz. bone-in pork chops (either rib chops or centre cut will work); ½ c. chicken broth or water; 1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained; ½ t. dried oregano; 3 c. escarole, roughly chopped

Pork is one of those fall back meats that has a bit more going for it than chicken but isn’t as strong flavoured as beef or lamb. Plus it comes in loads of different cuts that mean you can do different things with it. A perfect example is this bone-in pork chops recipe with white beans. Simple to make, full of taste and lots of ways to swap it around a bit. Ready to get started?

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What is a bone-in pork chop?

When we go to the supermarket with my Mum, she loves to spend time in the meat aisle. She isn’t a massive meat eater, but she does love to hunt around and get specific cuts of meat for different things. Can’t say it is my favourite place but each to their own!

One of those cuts of meat is a bone-in pork chop. It is one of the specific cuts of pork chop and is worth searching the supermarkets for as it works perfectly in this kind of recipe. There are three main groups of pork chops:

Pork rib chops

These are bone-in as they have the curved rib bone along the side of the cut. They are the most budget friendly as they contain the least meat and a little more fat that means they are great for things like grilling, pan searing or even broiling. This stops them drying out and means they are a quick cook.

Centre cut pork chops

These are the other bone-in style of pork chop also known as loin chop. They have a T0shaped centre bone in them with lighter loin meat on one side and darker tenderloin meat on the other. They are more expensive and larger with more meat and less fat.

Boneless pork chops

As the name suggests, boneless pork chops are all meat with no bone involved. In the UK they are often known as pork medallions, although these are sometimes cut into a round shape. Another name is pork loin steaks. They are very lean so work well with quick cook recipes such as grilling or pan searing as well as in stir fries or fried rice dishes. They are also ideal if you aren’t too keen on fatty meat or coping with a bone.

What you need to make pork chops and white beans

1 T. extra virgin olive oil, divided
½ medium white onion, chopped small
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
2 12-oz. bone-in pork chops (either rib chops or centre cut will work)
½ c. chicken broth or water
1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
½ t. dried oregano
3 c. escarole, roughly chopped

Kitchen equipment

Large skillet
Temperature probe

How to make the recipe

STEP 1: Add olive oil, onion, and garlic to a large, high-sided skillet set over medium heat. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion and garlic softens and develops some colour, approximately 3-4 minutes.

STEP 2: Season pork chops with sea salt and black pepper, to taste, and add to the skillet. Brown the chops on each side until they release easily from the skillet, approximately 4-5 minutes per side.

STEP 3: Add chicken broth, cannellini beans, and oregano to skillet. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and cover. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until internal temperature is just over 140°F with an instant read thermometer. Remove from heat, cover and let rest for 5 minutes.

STEP 4: While the chops rest, add the chopped escarole to the skillet and stir to combine. Sauté until just wilted, stirring frequently, approximately 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and serve immediately with the pork chops.

Recipe tips

Cooking the meat: always cook meat by temperature not by the time. That’s why a temperature probe is so important! Make sure the temperature is 145F / 63C. But you don’t want to overcook it. So when the temperature goes past 140F / 60C remove it from the heat. It will naturally increase a few more degrees to get to that perfect temperature.

Escarole swap: if you aren’t a fan of escarole, you can swap this for chopped kale, Swiss chard or even spinach.

Pork chop portions: these 12 ounce pork chops are pretty sizeable. If that’s a little bit too much meat for your tastes, chop them into half and make the recipe for four (or half the amount of meat and make for two!)

Yield: 2 portions