Rosemary Pork Chops with Cherry Vinaigrette (Easy!)

Summertime cooking for me is inspired by two things: the grill and seasonal produce!

I’m over-the-top delighted to have cherries, peaches, blueberries, melons, squash, okra, tomatoes, corn, and many more fresh garden treasures back in my life this summer! Our good friends have been gifting us melons and veggies from their glorious garden, and our local fruit farms have kept us in wonderful supply of peaches and blueberries. Cherries are finally back at the grocery store and I couldn’t be more thrilled.

Last week I purchased a bag of cherries for the first time this season! In my book this called for a little celebratory meal, so I tried a new recipe for Rosemary Pork Chops with Cherry Vinaigrette.

I saw this recipe last summer in a Costco magazine and I’ve been holding on to it to try. I only made a few very small changes, so I’m going to give you the recipe as I made it. It was very easy!! Seriously, even if you’re not one to cook much, but you or your husband does a little grilling, this will be a cinch! You’re basically going to season and grill some pork chops, mix a cherry vinaigrette, and open a bag of spinach! That’s it!

For the Pork Chops:

Season 4-6 bone-in pork chops on both sides with 1 Tbsp olive oil, 4 Tbsp chopped rosemary, and salt and pepper. (I did this the night before a left them in the fridge overnight.)

For the Cherry Vinaigrette:

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

drizzle of honey

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

2 cups pitted and quartered cherries 

salt and pepper, to taste 

Whisk the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and a drizzle of honey. Stir in the onion and cherries. Add salt and pepper to taste. (I mixed this the night before too.) 

Grill the pork chops until they’re browned and cooked through. Let the vinaigrette come to room temperature while the pork chops are grilling.

Place some baby spinach on a plate and top with a pork chop. Spoon the cherry vinaigrette over the pork chop and spinach. Garnish with crumbled bacon (I also added just a tad of feta to mine!).  

I served this dish with a side of potato salad and a glass of cherry pomegranate tea! For the tea, I mixed a half gallon of cherry pomegranate drink with a half gallon of sweet tea. It’s such a refreshing summertime treat, and with its bright red color, would be perfect for 4th of July!

I have to give credit to my husband for the plating of this last photo above. The first several photos are of my plate that I snapped while the rest of the family were fixing their plates. After I saw how he piled his on, I said, “Now THAT’S the plate I need a picture of!” It does my heart good to see my guy enjoying the meal I made!