Pork loion, pasta, courgettes and cream cheese

A simple pork chop recipe

This pork and pasta recipe was inspired by someone asking whether there were any tasty, filling dishes that could be cooked in under fifteen minutes.

Well this one can--well, give or take. It all depends how quickly you can bring a pan of salted water to the boil and after that, which type of pasta you've opted for.

So to cook this recipe, you need only minimal ingredients to produce a very tasty dish that is literally ready in minutes.

WeightWatcher's friendly

Since Penny is on a WeightWatcher's diet, I have to make sure that everything is compatible, so rest assured, this isn't no points, but it is perfectly reasonable within the structure of a WeightWatcher's diet regime.

The round yellow courgette, sweeter than its long counterpart

This one's probably more what you'd expect to find in the supermarket

Ingredients

You will need the following:

Half a red onion - I used a red onion, but a white one or shallots will be fine
1 clove of garlic
A small knob of butter (about half to three-quarter inch cube)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 round yellow courgette (zucchini) or about three thin ones
2 loin chops (about five oz or 110 grammes each) defatted
3 desert spoons of low fat Philadelphia or other cream cheese.
100 grammes of pasta. We used fusilli, but you can use whatever you have.

Apart from your tools, that's it.

Cooking

Step one:

Get some water on the boil and remember to add a good amount of salt to it. The Italians say that if the water doesn't taste like the Mediteranean Sea, then there isn't enough.
While that's doing coming up to temperature, you can do the following...
Peel and slice your onion and crush or finely chop the garlic.
Season your pork on both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper and put to one side.
Slice your courgettes:
- If you're using the long ones, make them about 1cm thick.
- If you're using the round ones, make them about half that thickness and cut them into quarters.
When your water's boiling, add your pasta.
In a large skillet or frying pan, add a little olive oil and the knob of butter over a medium heat.
Add the onions and fry until soft, then add the courgettes followed by the garlic. You're adding the garlic now, because otherwise it tends to brown and go bitter. We want it sweet.
Season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper stir and continue frying gently.

Step 2

Check your pasta and put another frying pan on with a small amount of olive oil for the pork.
Fry on a reasonably high heat for about three or four minutes, flipping them over to ensure they're cooked all the way through and don't only get cooked on the one side
Check the onions and courgettes and give them a stir. Turn down the heat if necessary.
Check your pasta and if done, drain and put to one side.
Check your pork and make sure it's cooked through then put on a plate to rest until the courgettes are done.

Step 3

Turn down the heat to minimum under the courgettes and then take your pork, slicing it into about 10mm slices, then add to the courgettes.
Add the pasta to the pan too and stir to reheat properly all the way through.
Take your cream cheese and add to the pan and mix well for a minute or so until the cheese has melted and is coating everything in the pan.
Serve with a nice, crisp white wine or whatever you fancy.

Enjoy your meal

We had this the other night and whilst it doesn't look as though there is much there when you see the ingredients, it's very rich and filling.

WeightWatchers ProPoints value is awaiting calculation.