Bobby Flay’s Perfectly Comforting High-Protein Dinner

With the weekend approaching, Bobby Flay shared his favorite weekend dinner that will leave you cozy and satisfied.

In a recent segment on Today Food, Flay showed us how to make a dinner recipe from his new book, Bobby Flay: Chapter One. The chef whipped up Porterhouse Pork Chops and Polenta because as he puts it, “Who doesn’t like porterhouse pork chops?” Here’s the breakdown of this dish, why we love it and similar recipes to try at home.

Flay notes that these pork chops are made to emulate Osso Buco, a classic Italian dish that stars veal shanks that are braised with a brothy pan sauce. But instead of veal, of course, pork is highlighted in Flay’s version. 

After adding a mirepoix to a large pot, the chef adds pork bones, which will add more flavor to the sauce. Like a stew, he then includes beef broth and red wine in the pot.

“This is a great Sunday afternoon dish to kind of get going, make your kitchen smell good,” Flay notes. Then, with raw pork chops, Flay uses a homemade spice rub, made with cumin, coriander, mustard, salt, pepper and more. The chef notes that the spice rub is entirely customizable and you can use your favorite spices in lieu of his choices. One tip: Flay says he waits to coat the meat with the spice rub until the last second before it hits a hot pan. That way, the spices won’t absorb the moisture and instead will make an aromatic, tasty crust on the outside of the pork.

Adding spices to your diet can have some incredible health benefits. Spicy pepper powders may help reduce blood pressure and support your heart health thanks to compounds like capsaicin, and black pepper can be an anti-inflammatory, brain-healthy choice to add to your routine due to its antioxidants and piperine compound, respectively. And these are just a couple of examples of spices’ amazing properties.

Back to Bobby: the Iron Chef recommends crusting the meat on both sides in a pan with avocado oil (or your preferred cooking oil) and cooking it the rest of the way in the oven. That way, the meat cooks all the way through but you’re still left with a vibrant crust.

In a pot of prepared polenta, Flay swirls in romesco sauce—a tomato-based sauce made with peppers, almonds and garlic—and lightly swirling the two together looks gorgeous when plated. On each plate, the chef adds the polenta-romesco combo, along with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, the cooked pork chop and he tops the meat with the brothy pan sauce and a herbaceous gremolata. It’s peak comfort on a plate, and Today co-host Dylan Dreyer agrees, exclaiming that the dish is “amazing.”

Being high in protein, this dinner will leave you fulfilled for the rest of the night. To bring up the heat and add more veggies, our Cajun Skillet Pork Chops with Asparagus & Cheesy Polenta highlights the same comfort as Flay’s dinner, and it only takes 35 minutes to prepare.