Marry Me Pork Chops
1 hr
Juicy pork chops in a creamy sun-dried tomato and spinach sauce — the kind of dinner that makes people ask for the recipe. Great for a weeknight but fancy enough for date night.
porkcreamydinner
Thick, velvety carrot soup that actually fills you up — the pork strips on top make it a proper dinner, not just a starter.
Instructions
- 1
Peel the carrots and potatoes. Cut the potatoes into large chunks and about two-thirds of the carrots into rough pieces. Drop them into a bowl of cold water.
- 2
Peel the onion and cut it into wedges. Fry it in a pot with a little oil until it turns translucent.
- 3
Drain the vegetables and add them to the pot with the onion. Let everything fry together for a couple of minutes.
- 4
Pour in the stock and let it cook for 10–15 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, slice the remaining carrots and the leek into thin rounds.
- 5
Blend the soup smooth with a stick blender or in a food processor.
- 6
Bring the soup back to a boil, add the leek and the rest of the carrots, and cook for another 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Season with salt, pepper, and stir in the sour cream.
- 7
Fry the pork strips in batches in a hot pan with oil, 2–4 minutes per batch. Season with salt and pepper. Serve on top of the soup.
Per average serving
304
Calories
kcal
15
Protein
g
39.3
Carbs
g
10.1
Fat
g
8.9g
Fiber
14.1g
Sugar
610mg
Sodium
Family Portions
2portions
Adults
2
Children
No children added
Ingredients
Per average serving
304
Calories
kcal
15
Protein
g
39.3
Carbs
g
10.1
Fat
g
8.9g
Fiber
14.1g
Sugar
610mg
Sodium
Tips from the kitchen
- Holding back a third of the carrots is the whole trick here. The blended base gives you the velvety body, and those thin rounds added at the end keep a bit of bite so the soup isn't one smooth note.
- Drop the cut potatoes and carrots straight into cold water while you work. They sit there fine until you need them, and it stops the potatoes going gray on you.
- Don't let the pork sit crowded in the pan. Fry it in batches like the recipe says, otherwise it steams and goes gray instead of getting that browned edge. A hot pan and a bit of space is all it needs, 2 to 4 minutes a batch.
- Stir the sour cream in off the boil or right as it settles down. If the soup is roaring hot it can split and go grainy. Take it down a notch first.
- Taste before you trust the salt amount. Beef stock varies a lot in saltiness, so check after you've stirred everything together rather than at the end of the blend.
Ways to vary it
- A pinch of ground cumin or a thumb of grated ginger fried with the onion gives the carrot base a warmer edge, if you feel like a change.
- Swap the pork strips for strips of chicken thigh or even chickpeas crisped in the pan if you want it lighter or meat-free one night.
- A swirl of the sour cream left on top instead of all stirred in, plus a scatter of chopped leek greens, makes it look a bit nicer for company.
Storage & leftovers
The soup keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge in a covered container, but store the pork strips separately so they don't go soggy. It freezes well for up to 3 months, though the texture is best if you freeze it before stirring in the sour cream and add that fresh after reheating. Warm it gently on the stove, stirring now and then, and fry the pork fresh rather than reheating it.
What to serve with it
A chunk of crusty bread or a buttered slice of rye is all you really need to mop the bowl. A green salad on the side rounds it out if you want a bit more on the table.
UC
By Untrained ChefPublished 20 April 2026 · Updated 11 July 2026
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