Love stuffed pork loin but don’t love all the time and effort it takes to make it? These Pork Loin Chops with Goat Cheese Cranberry Crumble give you all the goodness of stuffed pork without the hassle. They’re ready in 20 minutes or less! Tangy goat cheese, sweet dried cranberries, and crunchy pumpkin seeds are the perfect combination of fall flavors. Have picky eaters? No problem! Just skip the crumble topping on their chops.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ready in 20 minutes: A quick and easy dinner that feels fancy without spending hours in the kitchen.
- A flavor-packed combination: Tangy goat cheese, sweet cranberries, crunchy pumpkin seeds, and fresh thyme bring all the delicious flavors of fall.
- Picky-eater friendly: Serve the chops with or without the crumble topping, so everyone gets a dinner they’ll love.
Love the Fall flavors? Try this Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe.
Ingredients
Pork Loin Chops
Opt for thicker chops for this recipe. Consider buying an entire pork loin from a warehouse store like Costco and cut it to your preferred thickness (1.5-2 inches is ideal). Purchasing a whole loin allows you to feed a crowd or save the rest for another meal.
If you like flavorful pork recipes, try this, Pork Piccata.
Don’t want to mess with cutting your own? No problem, just ask your butcher for thick boneless pork chops. Two inches is a good thickness for this dish.
Need another easy recipe? Try my Chicken Artichoke Bake, it’s ready in 35 minutes.
Crumble Topping
This is the flavor bomb. The icing on the cake. The cherry on top. The crème de la crème! Here’s what you need to make the magic happen:
- Goat Cheese
- Dried Cranberries
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Thyme
If you like goat cheese, you’ll love this Marinara Dip.
Don’t love some of these ingredients? No problem—make substitutions like feta for cheese, golden raisins for cranberries, pecans or almonds for seeds, and rosemary for thyme.
Sauce Options
Don’t be intimidated by making your own sauce. It’s worth it for that extra burst of flavor.
Balsamic Glaze
Indulge in a fruity, sweet, and delightful balsamic glaze. Simply simmer vinegar until it thickens slightly. In this recipe, add a spoonful of Dijon to balance the flavors. Quality vinegar makes all the difference.
Dijon Pan Sauce
Prefer a savory sauce? Create an easy pan sauce with chicken stock, Dijon mustard, and a touch of butter. No need to dirty extra dishes:
- Remove chops from pan.
- Pour stock and Dijon into pan.
- Bring to a boil, scraping bits on the bottom of pan.
- Once thickened, remove from heat and add a pad of butter.
How to Make Pork Loin Chops with Crumble
To make these flavorful Pork Loin Chops start with seasoning the meat. Salting beforehand gives the seasoning time to penetrate through the thick cut.
How much in advance should I season, you ask? Salting the day before is optimal, however, I’m notorious for failing at this step. Seasoning right before starting this recipe will works too.
For this recipe, you’ll need a pan that can go from stovetop to oven—a cast iron skillet is perfect.
- Sear the pork: Heat 2 tablespoons of avocado or olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Pat the pork chops dry and sear for 3 minutes per side until golden brown.
- Make the crumble: While the chops sear, mix the goat cheese, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and thyme in a small bowl.
- Add the topping: Spoon the goat cheese mixture over each seared chop.
- Bake: Transfer the skillet to a preheated 400°F oven for 5–10 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F. For thin chops that reach temperature on the stovetop, add the crumble and briefly broil to soften the cheese.
- Make your sauce (optional):
- Balsamic reduction: Start simmering the balsamic reduction when the chops go into the oven.
- Dijon pan sauce: Once the chops reach 145°F, remove them from the skillet. Add chicken stock, Dijon mustard, and thyme. Simmer until reduced by half, then stir in a pat of butter for richness and shine.
- Serve: Drizzle your chosen sauce over the plated pork chops and enjoy!
Sides to Serve With
There are several options to serve with these delicious Pork Loin Chops with Goat Cheese Cranberry Crumble. Keep it colorful with these side options:
Pork is done when it has an internal temperature of 145 degrees.
You don’t want dry chops, but you do want to melt the goat cheese slightly. Put the broiler on high and toast the tops for a few minutes to soften the cheese.
They are either too wet or you don’t have the temperature high enough. It should be on high and only take 2-3 minutes per side to sear.
Fall Recipes
Thanks for reading along. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you would like more healthy recipes like this one sent right to your inbox, sign up for my Recipe Drops. They are always FREE.
Pork Loin Chop with Goat Cheese Cranberry Crumble
Equipment
- 1 Cast Iron skillet or one that can go from stove top to oven
Ingredients
- 4 2" thick Boneless Pork Chops
- 2 tsp Sea Salt or Garlic Salt
- 3 oz Goat Cheese softened
- 1/3 cup Dried Cranberries
- 3 tbsp Pumpkin Seeds
- 1 tbsp Fresh Thyme chopped
- 2 tbsp Avocado Oil or Olive Oil
Balsamic Reduction
- 1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar good quality
- 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 1-2 sprigs Fresh Thyme
Dijon Pan Sauce
- 1 cup Chicken Stock
- 2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 tbsp Fresh Thyme
- 1/2 tbsp Butter
- Fresh Cracked Pepper
Instructions
- Season both sides of pork loin chops with salt the day before if you can, otherwise right before cooking is fine.
- Preheat oven to 400℉. Heat pan that can go from stove top to oven over high heat, add avocado oil.
- Sear pork chops 2-3 minutes each side. As chops are searing, mix together goat cheese, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, thyme with a fork. Once both sides of chops are seared, top chops with goat cheese mixture. Place in oven. Bake until internal temperature is 145℉, about 5-10 minutes.
- For Balsamic Reduction: when starting to sear the chops, start a small pot on the stovetop over low to medium heat. Add vinegar, Dijon, and thyme. Bring to a gentle boil for 6-8 minutes. Vinegar will thicken as it sits. Don't over cook!
- For Dijon Pan Sauce: once the chops are done, remove from pan and set aside. Over medium heat, add chicken stock, Dijon, thyme and pepper to pan. Bring to a gentle boil until reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
- Drizzle preferred sauce over chops and enjoy!
Comments
This is a perfect fall dinner! We went with the Dijon pan sauce and plan to make it again and try the balsamic. So good!!!
Thanks so much! Glad you like it. You can’t go wrong with either sauce!
We loved these pork chops and the goat cheese topping! So delicious. I didn’t have 2” pork chops but I definitely will next time. I think they will be even more juicy and delicious. The Dijon sauce was also delicious.
Yay! Thanks, Julie. So glad you love these.