Pesto-Marinated Pork Chops Recipe
Prep Time:
40 minutes
Cook Time:
17 minutes
Servings:
4 Portions
Ingredients
  • ⅓ cup pine nuts
  • 1½ ounces fresh basil
  • 1 ounce fresh parsley
  • ⅓ cup grated Parmesan
  • ⅔ cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 garlic clove
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 pork chops, roughly 5 ounces each
  • ½ pound vine cherry tomatoes
  • ½ pound asparagus
Directions
  1. Heat a frying pan to a medium heat. Add the pine nuts to the pan and toast them, moving them around the pan until they turn golden and become fragrant. Remove from the pan and transfer to a bowl to cool.
  2. Add the cooled pine nuts, fresh basil, fresh parsley, the grated Parmesan, ⅔ cup olive oil, garlic clove, salt, and pepper to a food processor. Blend to form a chunky pesto paste.
  3. Using a sharp knife, make small cuts all along the fat on the outside of the pork chops to prevent them from curling when cooked. Then coat the pork chops on both sides with the pesto and leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
  4. When cooking pork chops, it's best to cook them from room temperature rather than chilled. So if your pork chops have been marinating in the fridge remove them a little while before cooking.
  5. Preheat the oven to 400 F and place vine tomatoes and asparagus spears into a medium sized roasting tray. Coat with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and season well with additional salt and pepper. Place into the oven to roast for 10 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, heat up a pan, add a little cooking oil, and then place the pork chops into the pan for a few minutes to sear, until golden, on one side only.
  7. Transfer to the roasting tray and nestle among the tomatoes and asparagus, golden side facing upward, then roast for 7 to 8 minutes until just cooked through but still juicy.
  8. Remove from the oven and leave the pork to rest for a few minutes covered with a tent of aluminum foil, then serve.