Seared APPLE AND SPINACH PORK CHOPS with wilted spinach, sweet apples, and crispy bacon is made in just 30 minutes in one pan.
Today I bring you Apple & Spinach Pork Chops… with BACON! Oh yeah! What a great way to welcome the fall huh?
Fall doesn’t officially start until September 23rd but I’m just so excited for it! It might just be my favorite season and brings so many good memories. I love the leaves- the colors, the smell, the crunch under my shoes. I love my fall wardrobe- wearing layers without having to wear a big bulky coat and wearing boots just for fashion and not out of necessity. AND I absolutely LOVE the food (I could really say this about every season)! To me, fall just screams pumpkin, squash (all varieties… butternut is my fav), apples galore, warm soups, chocolate and caramel… man, I’m getting hungry!
September seems like the month of apples to me. Probably because of the whole teacher/apple thing and school used to start up again in September. Not August! So anyway, apples have been practically spinning around my head so be prepared for lots more recipes with yummy crisp apples. 
I love the combination of sweet and salty and think pork does awesome in that combo, especially when salty crispy bacon is involved. Yeah? And if you haven’t ever had pork chops with apples, let me tell ya, it’s awesome. They were a match made in foodie heaven! 
This dish is easy peasy. Just 30 minutes and one skillet. I’m really diggin the one-pot meal thang! You? If you want more with this meal though a super easy side would be baked potatoes. 
Go embrace the coming of fall with these sweet apple pork chops! Enjoy!
Looking for more pork chop recipes? How about them grilled, slow cooked, with noodles, molasses, or baked?
Apple and Spinach Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 6 slices thick cut bacon
- 4 boneless pork loin chops, 5 ounces each
- 2 granny smith apples, cored and sliced into thin wedges (~16 per apple)
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup pecans
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach, packed
Instructions
- In a small dish, mix brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together and set aside.
- In a large skillet, fry bacon over medium-high heat. Place on a paper towel lined plate when done and drain bacon grease from the pan into a dish to reserve for later use.
- Season both sides of chops with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon bacon drippings back to pan and cook chops for 3-4 minutes on each side until browned. Remove onto a plate and cover with foil.
- Add the onion to the pan with 1 teaspoon bacon drippings and saute 2 minutes. Add the apples and cook another minute. Place butter and brown sugar mixture in the pan and mix until butter melts. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Place the pork chops on top of the apples/onion, reduce heat to low so it is just simmering, cover, and cook for 4-5 minutes or until pork is done (145 degrees F internal temp).
- Remove pork onto serving platter, stir in the spinach in with the apples, and cover for 1 minute until spinach wilts. Add apples and spinach to platter, sprinkle with pecans and bacon and serve.
Recipe Source: Adapted from TasteofHome
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Matt
September 2, 2014 at 10:43 amThese pork chops look amazing, Melanie. LOVE the flavors!!
Melanie
September 4, 2014 at 9:27 amThanks so much Matt!
Kristine @ Kristine's Kitchen
September 2, 2014 at 11:15 pmThese look SO good! I’m loving the one pot meals lately, too! The apples, the spinach, the bacon… yum!
Melanie
September 4, 2014 at 9:29 amHaving just one pot to clean is the best! Thanks Kristine!
Cathy
September 10, 2014 at 8:12 pmThis was delicious! Thanks for a great recipe that I will certainly make again!
Tam
January 14, 2015 at 5:04 pmThese were some of the best pork chops. My son said it was kind of like dessert for dinner.
Melanie
January 16, 2015 at 11:42 amHaha! That is so funny Tam! So glad your family liked them. 🙂
Joe
January 15, 2015 at 6:08 pmTried this tonight and the family ate it all up. Will become part of the regular dinner rotation now that I have the timing and ingredients down pat.
Melanie
January 16, 2015 at 11:38 amI’m so happy to hear that it’s going to be a regular meal at your home Joe! I hope you find more family favorites on my blog. 🙂
Annie
January 18, 2015 at 8:44 pmI made this dish tonight. My husband and best friend loved it!! It was delicious. Thank you for sharing!!
Melanie
January 20, 2015 at 5:15 pmThanks Annie! I’m glad it was a hit!
Tina
February 13, 2015 at 10:29 pmMade this tonight for our “pre-Valentine’s Day dinner”. My picky eater husband liked them so much he had a second helping. HE NEVER HAS A SECOND HELPING! I think we may have a keeper with this recipe!
Jenny
April 13, 2015 at 8:29 pmHi!! I’m loving this recipe and am planning on using it Thursday night when my in-laws come over 🙂 I was just wondering what kind of side dish you would recommend using for this dish? Thanks so much!
Melanie
April 14, 2015 at 9:59 pmJenny- I’m happy to hear you like it so much! You could do any potato dish. Baked potatoes would be easy but lately I have really like these roasted red potatoes. You could also do rice, a rice pilaf, or orzo rice. If you’re looking for a non-starchy side you could steam some carrots, asparagus, green beans, or toss a salad.
Jenny
April 16, 2015 at 5:43 pmI tried that red roasted potatoes with it, and my in-laws LOVED it (as did I)! They even asked for the recipe 😉 Thank you!!
Melanie
April 18, 2015 at 9:03 amThat’s awesome Jenny! I’m so glad you all enjoyed them as much as I do. 🙂
Danielle
January 3, 2016 at 7:00 pmThis was so good 🙂 I followed the recipe exactly and my husband and I approve! We wanted something different and this worked out perfectly. Thank you!
Jennifer
August 23, 2016 at 8:10 pmI had this for dinner tonight, and it was SO good! Thank you for sharing!
Barbra
October 23, 2017 at 5:36 pmJust made this and it’s delicious! My son said it was colorful and every bite was tasty. Thank you for sharing.
Melanie
October 26, 2017 at 6:58 amYay! I’m so glad your family enjoyed it! 🙂
Tracy
December 5, 2017 at 6:58 pmI had another pork chop and apple dish the my husband I I enjoyed. This one is amazing and will return lace the other one. Love the bacon, pecan and spinach add towards the end. There is a bit of preperation but you do only use the one pan which is great. A wonderful fall/winter meal!