Here’s a really creative way to enjoy the flavors of French onion soup without the guilt! I’ve been brainstorming ways to reimagine my favorite eats into healthy main dishes and started “Pinteresting” “French onion soup dinner”. I was inspired by this genius recipe on kudoskitchenbyrenee.com and was so happy with the result. If you have some extra time to caramelize onions, you must try this! It takes awhile to really get that brown color and sweet flavor representative of the famous soup, but it’s worth it. Other than that, it just takes a few ingredients and steps. You will be so satisfied with the combination of flavors in this dish, so yummy!!!

 -Melanie

Health tips: Low fat, heart healthy, low carb, diabetes friendly

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 4 sweet onions, sliced
• 8 fresh thyme sprigs
• Kosher salt
• Pepper
• 3/4 cup low-sodium beef stock
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
• 4 boneless pork chops
• 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 4 slices reduced-fat Swiss cheese

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a large, oven proof skillet over low-medium heat, caramelize the onions in the olive oil and butter, along with the thyme sprigs (about 45 minutes), stirring occasionally. Drizzle more olive oil along the way if needed. Onions will wilt, soften and develop a rich brown color.
3. Add the beef broth, and a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.
4. Simmer to reduce the broth (about 5 minutes).
5. Remove the caramelized onions to a bowl and keep warm.
6. Pat the chops with a paper towel to dry. Spread Dijon mustard on both sides of the chops and season each with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Heat more olive oil if needed over medium-high heat and brown the pork chops on both sides (about 2 minutes per side depending on thickness). Remove chops to a plate.
8. Deglaze the skillet with the red wine, making sure to scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the skillet. Return the caramelized onions to the skillet along with the browned pork chops.
9. Place the skillet in the preheated oven and cook for about 12-15 minutes depending on thickness, until the internal temperature is almost at 145 degrees F. Remove the skillet from the oven and top each chop with a cheese slice. Return the skillet to the oven and cook until the cheese is lightly browned and melted (about 5 minutes), and internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F.
10. Garnish with additional thyme, if desired. Enjoy!