Pork Chops and Butter Bean Salad

Corey and I tried this dinner last night, which I found in a recent issue of Real Simple Magazine. I paired it with the Easy Corn Casserole I just posted and it made a very filling meal. Corey said that the pork was cooked perfectly and that it had great flavor, but he wasn't a huge fan of the texture. I guess that you could probably substitute pork loin or pork tenderloin for the pork chops, but I am not sure what that would do to the cooking time? Anyway, if you like pork chops, you will like this dinner, and I was able to prepare the whole meal in less than 45 minutes.

Recipe Notes

I used only cooking spray in the skillet (omitting 1 tbsp. oil to save some calories) and I didn't miss the oil one bit. Instead of bunch spinach, I used the prebagged baby spinach because I like it better. This recipe can easily be halved to serve 2. Quick, easy, and inexpensive dinner.

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves 4)

434 calories - 24 g. fat - 42 g. protein - 5 g. fiber

Ingredients

• 1 slice white sandwich bread
• 4 tbsp. olive oil (I ultimately only used 3)
• 2 scallions, sliced
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 4 1-in. thick boneless pork chops (approx. 1.5 lbs.)
• 1 bunch spinach, cleaned, sliced, and thick stems removed (I used bagged baby spinach)
• 14 oz. can butter beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a food processor, pulse the bread and 2 tbsp. oil until fine crumbs form. Spread on a baking sheet and bake until crisp, 5-6 minutes.

3. Toss the toasted breadcrumbs with sliced scallions, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper.

4. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat (I used only cooking spray). Season pork with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Brown in skillet 2-3 minutes per side.

5. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until cooked through, approximately 7 minutes.

6. Toss spinach, butter beans, vinegar, oregano, 1 tbsp. olive oil, salt, and pepper.

7. Top pork with breadcrumb mixture and serve with the spinach and butter bean salad.