Lighter Parmesan Pork Chops

Have I discussed Weight Watchers lately? I’m down 24 pounds since we started in June. I’ve been very bad about going to the gym since vacation in August so the loss has slowed down significantly; I was losing ~2lbs a week in the begginning but not going to the gym has resulted in .5-1 lb losses weekly. But I’m thrilled with the results! I’m almost back to my college weight which is reason for celebration But we’ll save that for when I actually reach my goal! (Almost there!)

But I digress. Since starting weight watchers, I’ve been experiment with lightening up some of our favorite dishes. I’ve always been conscious about cutting back on oil, etc. but I’m taking it to another level now. We used to fix Giada’s Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops all the time. But then we started weight watchers and the bread coating just made them more points than I cared to consume at dinner time. So I hit the kitchen and started experimenting ways to get a similar salty parmesan type crust but without all the extra calories from the breadcrumbs. And we’ve been thrilled with the resulting recipe! Enjoy!

Lighter Parmesan Pork Chops

4 (1/2-inch thick) pork loin chops
1 tsp garlic powder
4 Tbsp shredded/grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil (more or less as desired)

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Place Parmesan cheese on a plate. Season the pork chops generously with black pepper & some salt (not too much cause the Parmesan will add saltiness). Sprinkle garlic powder evenly over pork chops. Coat the chops with the cheese, patting to adhere.

Heat oil in a large skillet (preferably oven safe) over medium-high heat. Add pork chops, in batches if necessary, to skillet and do not move them. Allow pork chops to cook until golden brown & crisp, about 3-5 minutes per side. Transfer pork chops in skillet to oven (if not using oven safe skillet, put them in a baking dish) and bake for 5-8 minutes in preheated oven. You want them cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees.

Tagged as: Main Course, Pork