Description
These creamy whole30 smothered pork chops are the perfect healthy comfort food! Made with sweet caramelized onions, flavorful herbs, and a lusciously creamy sauce that is 100% dairy free. An ideal cold weather dinner that will warm you up from the inside out. Gluten free, dairy free, whole30, paleo.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 thick cut bone in pork chops – about 2 pounds worth
- 1/2 teaspoon salt per half pound meat – about 1/2 teaspoon per pork chop
- 1/2 cup raw cashews OR 1/2 cup raw macadamia nuts + 1 tablespoon sunflower seed butter
- enough just boiled water to cover the cashews (or macadamia nuts)
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 medium sized onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon all purpose seasoning
- pinch of cayenne (optional)
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 cups broth
- salt + pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley or thyme to garnish
Instructions
- Season pork chops with sea salt and move to the refrigerator to dry brine for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight.
- In a heatproof bowl cover cashews with just boiled water. Allow to soak for at least 30 minutes before draining and blending with broth.
- When ready to start cooking, remove pork chops from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature while you prep and gather the other ingredients.
- Heat 2 tablespoons avocado oil over medium high heat in a large skillet until shimmering.
- Pat pork chops very dry with paper towels. Cook, in two batches if they’re too big to fit in the pan without crowding, for about 3-4 minutes per side – until golden brown. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium and add sliced onions with 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and starting to caramelize – about 5 minutes.
- While onions are cooking drain and rinse cashews. Add them to a blender along with broth and blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- When onions are nicely caramelized, add chopped garlic, nutritional yeast, pinch of cayenne, all purpose seasoning, coconut aminos, and thyme. Cook, stirring, for about a minute or so, until you can smell the spices.
- Add broth and cashew mixture to the pan and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer and let reduce slightly until sauce coats a spoon – about 3-5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired.
- Add pork chops back to the pan along with any juices that have collected on the plate, and turn to coat. Cover and reduce heat to a bare simmer. Cook until pork chops are fully cooked – turning halfway through – about 15-20 minutes more, depending on thickness.
- Garnish with fresh herbs and serve!
Notes
- If you prefer boneless pork chops you can easily substitute those for bone in. Keep in mind they will cook a lot faster than bone in pork chops, so you’ll likely be able to reduce the cooking time in the final step.
- If you want to add a little more bulk to the sauce try adding a handful of your favorite mushrooms when cooking the onions!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: dinner
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: comfort food
Keywords: comfort food, classic recipe, pork, pork chop, whole30, paleo, gluten free, dairy free, gravy, caramelized onions