Do you have a recipe that invokes a special memory? For me this recipe will always have a special place in my heart. When I was pregnant with my son I decided to make this dish. I had been having some contractions on and off for a few days but nothing had been happening. I was just finishing up this dish and was letting it simmer at the end. I decided to empty out the trash real quick and as I went outside to heave the trash into the trash can my water broke. And not the trickle kind but the big goosh kind. I ran inside called my mom and went to take a shower.
My poor husband was out in the field doing Army training and it took me a few hours to get a hold of him. When I finally talked to him I felt SOOO bad having to tell him to hurry home so that he could take me back to post to have the baby. It was a 45 minute drive each way and we got there a few hours after my water broke. About 4 hours later I was holding our wonderful little man in my arms. The hubster slept through pretty much everything- after eating his dinner that I brought with us of course. So now every time I make this meal I think of that day and smile.
My kids particularly love the pineapple and pork in this and my hubby loves the spicy kick from the jalapenos. It’s nice to have a quick recipe like this make up during the week. Serve it up with some steamed broccoli and rice.
Sweet and Spicy Pineapple Pork
Sweet and spicy pineapple pork is an easy one pot pork dinner recipe with sweetness from pineapple and a little bit of heat from jalapenos.
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- 4 garlic gloves, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, chopped
- 1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed, chopped
- 20 oz. can pineapple chunks with juice
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley
Instructions
- Season pork with salt and pepper. Grill until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes per side-longer if the pork chops are thicker. Use a meat thermometer to check for internal temperature 150 degrees F.
- Remove chops from heat and cover to allow meat to rest.
- Meanwhile, add olive oil to large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions, garlic, bell peppers, jalapenos, and salt and pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the veggies begin to soften.
- Add the pineapple chunks with the juice, the chicken stock, and cornstarch and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.
- Add the parsley and stir to combine.
- Serve the pork chops with the sauce poured over the top.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 584Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 134mgSodium: 295mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 3gSugar: 33gProtein: 44g
Serve the pork chops with the sauce poured over the top.
Adapted from Rachel Ray’s Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats
Cookbook (affiliate link)
Oh the story makes me cry! I love it! The dish looks VERY tasty! Mmmm
Thanks Heather! Sometimes I cry too. Lol.
This looks delicious! I am thinking this recipe will also work well if substituting pork with chicken. Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Oh absolutely. I know a lot of people don’t like pork so just grill up a chicken breast and substitute that instead of the pork.
My family has to have a colorful looking meal and this is perfect. I love the blend of spice with the pork chops for a different way to treat my family with your recipe.
It’s a really easy way to please the whole family. If your family isn’t used to spicy foods you can always start with less and build up. Meals like this work to please my hubby and my kids.
How funny that you have a meal that reminds you of a special moment. Mines is sushi…it reminds me of my grandmother.
That’s so cute Erlene. Many dishes that I make I associate with a specific person or memory. It’s fun to cook and reminisce.
great recipe! This is one of my all time favorites, I will have to give this one a try! Thanks for linking up to Merry Monday, hope you will join us again this week!
-Shonee
http://www.hawthorneandmain.com
Thanks Shonee I definitely will check in again next week.
Looks delicious! We live in Hawaii so we use a lot of pineapple in recipes!
My family are big pineapple fans so it gets used in a lot of food and smoothies.
What a fun reminder of when your son was born! We aren’t big pork fans but this sounds too good to pass up! I may try it with chicken and pork! Thank you so much for linking up to Creative K Kids Tasty Tuesdays! I’ll be pinning this on my personal recipes board as well as the Tasty Tuesdays Pinterest Board
If you don’t like pork totally make it with chicken instead. And honestly you could even pour the sauce minus the pineapple chunks and cornstarch over a beef roast and cook in the slow cooker for a sweet and spicy beef. Add in the cornstarch and the pineapple chunks and cook on high for 15-20 minutes.
That looks like something my family would like! I saw that you linked it up with us at Foodie Fridays…I am so glad you did! I love the flavor of pineapples with pork.
Oh, I’ll bet the pineapple with the peppers really make a great combo. Thanks for sharing! I like pork, but it has to be seasoned and cooked well, or it gets dry. This looks like a winner!