Month: June 2025

Gluten Free Honey Balsamic Pork Chops with Pasta and Peas

This easy and delicious meal is an old favorite of mine.  I’m not quite sure where the original recipe came from, but I have been making it for 25+ years and converted it to gluten free just by changing the pasta and soy sauce.  It comes to the table in a casual but impressive presentation that will bring on the compliments!

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Way back when, I always used orecchiette pasta when making this dish.  I have struggled for years to find a gluten free substitute- until I had the good fortune to find Gluten Free Orecchiette from Farabella.  They were just what I wanted, but feel free to use your favorite gluten free pasta.

Serves 6 (can be scaled)

Ingredients:

  • 24 oz. thin slice lean boneless pork chops
  • 8 oz. gluten free pasta
  • 1-1/3 cups frozen peas
  • 1 cup sweet onion, diced
  • 3 tbsp. honey
  • 2 tbsp. gluten free soy sauce or tamari
  • 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp. arrowroot (or corn starch)
  • pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
  • salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Bring salted water to a boil for the pasta.  Whisk together the honey, gluten free soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, arrowroot and red pepper flakes.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes less than the package directions.

Heat a deep skillet or Sauteuse Pan with 2 tbsp. olive oil.  Season the pork with salt and pepper and brown 2 minutes per side on medium heat (they will not be cooked through at this point).  Drizzle with 1 tbsp. of the balsamic mixture, remove to a plate and keep warm.

Add the onions to the skillet with an additional tbsp. olive oil.  When the onions are translucent, add 2 tbsp. of the balsamic mixture.  Cook, stirring frequently until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Return the pork chops to the skillet with the peas and drizzle with the remaining balsamic mixture.  Continue to cook for several more minutes, until the pork chops are heated through.

Drain the pasta, add to the skillet and toss to coat.  Remove from heat and serve right in the pan for a casual dinner.

Notes ♪♫ I loved the Gluten Free Orecchiette pasta from Farabella that you see in this dish.  But did you know that this is a fun pasta shape to make from scratch?  Check out my homemade Gluten Free Orecchiette in this post for complete instructions!

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Gluten Free Apple Chicken Breakfast Patties

What’s for breakfast today?  If you follow me, you know that most of the time I tend to avoid processed food and prefer cooking from scratch.  Most of the time yes, but- there are definitely some convenience foods that I have resisted giving up!  I love having sausage for breakfast and am especially fond of those little Apple Chicken Sausage links that you can buy.

Of course, they are gluten free and maybe not that bad for you.  But I wondered if I could make something myself with great flavor and fewer additives.  The result was this Apple Chicken Breakfast Patty that is healthier and much lower in salt and fat than store bought sausage.

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When experimenting with this recipe, the first thing I learned was that diced apple and Vidalia onion made the patties very sweet.  So sweet that I hesitated to call them a sausage.  So, for this chicken patty to be breakfast worthy, I tested a batch with red onion for a little balance of savory.  Both batches were good!

For the spice, you really need a good sausage seasoning.  I made my own spice blend, the same one that I use in my traditional Breakfast Sausage Patties made with pork, but you can also use a purchased sausage seasoning.  I like this one, from Nashville Spice Co.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. ground chicken
  • 1 cup diced apple
  • 1/2 cup diced onion (use red or sweet onion)
  • 1 tsp light olive oil or butter
  • 2-3 tbsp. mashed potato flakes (I like Idahoan)
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup

  • SEASONING
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp sage
  • 1/4 tsp thyme
  • 1/4 tsp fennel
  • 1/4 tsp coriander
  • OR
  • 1 tbsp purchased sausage seasoning

Preparation:

Cook the diced apples and onions in a skillet over low heat with 1 tsp. of either light olive oil or butter.  Continue stirring until most of the liquid has been released and evaporated.  Set aside to cool in the pan.

Hint: You can do this a day ahead and refrigerate.

Add the ground chicken to a bowl and use 2 forks (or a potato masher) to incorporate the apple mixture, seasoning, potato flakes and maple syrup.

Form 2 oz patties and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment or wax paper.

To store, cover with plastic wrap and freeze in a single layer for a few hours.  Then, wrap individually and store in freezer safe bags.

Before cooking, I like to press the thawed patties to about 1/3″ thickness, this ensures they will cook quickly and evenly.  Heat a skillet with a light spray of oil and sprinkle the patties with more seasoning.  Cook on medium low heat until lightly browned on both sides.

I always like to have a serving of protein with breakfast, and this was a nice change from my usual pork sausage or Canadian bacon.

Notes ♪♫ If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out my homemade Breakfast Sausage Patties made with pork, and my Homemade Italian Sausage Patties.

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