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Looking for the perfect skinny dinner for Heart Health month in February? This recipe for Skinny Smothered Pork Chops is exactly what you need. With all the flavor of smothered pork chops but without the fat and calories, this recipe is made with a few healthier swaps including using Mazola® Corn Oil. A clinical study showed Mazola Corn Oil reduces cholesterol 2x more than extra virgin olive oil. To learn more about this claim, see Mazola.com.
Skinny Smothered Pork Chops
If you have ever had smothered pork chops, you know how amazing they taste. The problem is, there is nothing about them that says good for you. Not even a little. From the fried pork chops to the butter to all the flour to the heavy cream, it might taste delicious but it sure isn’t good for you. However, that doesn’t mean with a few changes it can’t be part of your dinner menu often. As I have been redoing many of my pork chop recipes to make them into Weight Watchers Pork Chops recipes, smothered pork chops are a must.
How is this One of The Better for You Pork Chops Recipes
There are several changes that I made to a traditional smothered pork chops recipe. it was extremely important to me that these smothered pork chops taste like the ones my grandmama used to make when I was little. She made the best Southern food ever. But they had to be lighter because I want to make sure that my family and I are eating food that is good for us.
Better for You Swaps for Skinny Smothered Pork Chops
- Pork Loin: Pork loin usually comes already trimmed of the fat. If there is fat left on it, it is usually easy to trim off. Also, I have found that buying 2 to 3 pounds of pork loin is much cheaper than buying 2 to 3 pounds of boneless pork chops. By about $1.50 per pound. So I buy the loin and cut them into chops myself. This saves me on fat and money.
- Fat Free Half and Half: Traditionally smothered pork chops uses heavy cream. That is loaded with fat and calories and it isn’t necessary to make the sauce. It can easily be made with half and half. It doesn’t affect the taste or consistency of the gravy and it is much better for you.
- Cornstarch: Flour is very high in carbs and it doesn’t offer much by way of nutrition. While gravy is usually thickened with flour, it takes a lot of flour. To put it into numbers to see the difference, with 1 cup of flour to make the gravy, it is 13 points in just flour. To thicken it with cornstarch, for 3 tablespoons, it is 3 points. That is a significant difference when you are trying to stay on track.
- Mazola Corn Oil Normally there is a lot of oil to fry the pork chops and then lots and lots of butter in the gravy. By lowering the oil significantly and replacing the butter with corn oil, there is a big difference in fat and calories. In addition to cutting out the fat and calories, Mazola Corn oil has more cholesterol-blocking plant serols than other cooking oils, including 4 times more than olive oil and 1/2 times canola oil. Mazola Corn Oil is an all-purpose, cholesterol free cooking oil that is a smart heart-healthy* choice for your family. *See Mazola.com. for more information on the relationship between corn oil and heart health. It has a variety of uses include baking, grilling, sautéing, stir frying, or mixing up a marinade or dressing.
The Benefits of Mazola
With the dietary guidelines no long focusing on a low fat diet, it is recommended that you have healthy fats in your diet. It is important to replace saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats, like the fats in corn oil. For most recipes, it is extremely easy to swap saturated fats like butter with Mazola Corn Oil. A clinical study showed Mazola Corn Oil reduces cholesterol 2x more than extra virgin olive oil. To learn more about this claim, visit Mazola.com.
While I am not frying these pork chops, Mazola has a high smoke point of 450°F so it is easy to use it for pan frying, grilling and stir frys without making the kitchen smoky.
- Better For You Side Dishes: Smothered Pork Chops is often served with mashed potatoes or rice. To keep this meal on the lighter side, I like to serve it with cauliflower mash instead. It is a way to get vegetables into the meal and save on fat and calories.
How Many Weight Watchers Points in this Pork Chops with Pan Gravy?
When you make this Weight Watchers pork chops with pan gravy, it makes 6 servings. The recipe is 4 Weight Watchers point on all of the WW plans, Blue, Purple, and Green, per serving.
Ingredients in Skinny Smothered Pork Chops
- Pork tenderloin
- Salt and pepper
- Flour
- Garlic powder
- Chili powder
- Mazola Corn Oil
- Onions
- Chicken broth
- Half and half
How to Make Weight Watchers Smothered Pork Chops
Trim the tenderloin of any excess fat and cut into approximately 6 even portions, about 4 ounces each.
On a small plate, mix together the flour, garlic powder, and chili powder.
Salt and pepper each pork chop and then coat it lightly with the flour mixture. Shake off any excess flour.
Add the Mazola Corn Oil to the pan and let it get hot. Make sure to coat the pan evenly with the oil.
Add the pork chops to the pan and let each side get golden brown. The pork chops should not be cooked through.
Remove the pork chops.
Add the diced onions to the pan and cook them until they are very soft and caramelized slightly.
Next, add the cornstarch to the onions and mix them in well.
When the onions are soft, add the chicken stock and half and half to the pan.
Simmer the sauce until it starts to thicken.
Add the pork chops back into the pan and simmer the chops in the gravy for about 10 minutes., until the pork chops are cooked through.
If the sauce gets too thick you can add more chicken broth to thin it down.
More Weight Watchers Pork Chops Recipes
Looking for the perfect skinny dinner for Heart Health month in February? This recipe for Skinny Smothered Pork Chops is exactly what you need. With all the flavor of smothered pork chops but without the fat and calories, this recipe is made with a few healthy swaps.
- 24 ounce pork loin
- Salt and pepper
- 1/8 cup flour
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 2 Tbsp Mazola Corn Oil
- 2 onions
- 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup half and half
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Trim the tenderloin of any excess fat and cut into approximately 6 even portions, about 4 ounces each.
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On a small plate, mix together the flour, garlic powder, and chili powder.
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Salt and pepper each pork chop and then coat it lightly with the flour mixture. Shake off any excess flour.
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Add the corn oil to the pan and let it get hot. Make sure to coat the pan evenly with the oil.
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Add the pork chops to the pan and let each side get golden brown. The pork chops should not be cooked through.
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Remove the pork chops.
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Add the diced onions to the pan and cook them until they are very soft and caramelized slightly.
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Add the cornstarch to the onions and mix it in well.
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Add the chicken stock and half and half to the pan.
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Simmer the sauce until it starts to thicken.
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Add the pork chops back into the pan and simmer the chops in the gravy for about 10 minutes., until the pork chops are cooked through.
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If the sauce gets too thick you can add more chicken broth to thin it down.
