This Stuffed Pork Tenderloin is a savory-sweet fundamental dish made by butterflying and filling pork tenderloin with crispy bacon, sautéed spinach, recent herbs, dried cranberries, and toasted pecans, then searing and roasting it till juicy and completely cooked. I slice the pork roulade into fairly rounds, and it immediately appears fancy. It really works for a weeknight dinner or entertaining.
Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Spinach, Bacon, Pecans, and Dried Cranberries
For those who’ve cooked a number of pork tenderloins in your life, it is time to experiment a bit! I extremely suggest making an attempt one thing new, like this roulade-style stuffed pork tenderloin, filled with savory bacon, spinach, herbs, and a sweet-tart pop from dried cranberries plus crunchy pecans.
It is a kind of pork dishes that is cozy and budget-friendly, but nonetheless feels spectacular – good for dinners once you need a restaurant-quality meal.
It makes a stunning fundamental course for holidays like Easter and Christmas, Sunday roasts, birthday celebrations, events, or once you merely need to exhibit your cooking abilities to household and pals (with out investing a lot effort!). Pair it with my garlic-roasted mashed potatoes and lemon Parmesan inexperienced beans. It is also wonderful over mashed candy potatoes or cauliflower mash.
My stuffed pork tenderloin is a protein-packed fundamental dish that deserves a spot in your weeknight dinner rotation – proper up there with my different pork recipes like creamy mushroom pork chops, slow-cooked pork ragù pappardelle, and apple cider-braised pork shoulder.
Why You will Love It
- Fast dinner: Appears restaurant-quality however takes solely about an hour, begin to end.
- Wholesome, well-balanced meal: It is constructed round pork tenderloin, a lean but nonetheless tremendous tender protein. It is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, filled with protein, and the spinach (plus cranberries and pecans) provides fiber, texture, and further vitamins.
- Funds-friendly: Pork tenderloin is likely one of the finest “bang to your buck” cuts in grocery shops proper now. Despite the fact that it is cheaper than many different meats, it is nonetheless extremely tender.
- The four-ingredient filling (bacon, spinach, dried cranberries, and pecans) delivers a spread of flavors and textures in a single chew: savory, candy, tart, and crunchy.
- Dijon mustard brushed contained in the tenderloin retains the filling anchored and provides a delicate tang that enhances the cranberries.
- The sear-then-roast methodology offers you a browned exterior and a wonderfully cooked, juicy inside on the similar time.
- The pan sauce is totally non-compulsory however genuinely elevates the dish and requires zero additional dishes.
- Superb for small dinners or to feed a crowd: Serves 4 comfortably, however scales simply in the event you seize two tenderloins and double the filling. Excellent for particular events like Valentine’s Day, Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, or New 12 months’s Eve.
Elements and Substitutions
- Pork tenderloin: I used a 1½-2 pound tenderloin with the silver pores and skin eliminated. In case your tenderloin is smaller, simply cut back the roasting time and depend on a thermometer. For those who can solely get ahold of pork loin, double the filling and ensure to double butterfly the loin. Unfold the filling evenly over the complete piece of flattened pork loin, then roll it right into a spiral. Safe with twine and cook dinner as directed.
- Salt and pepper: I season each side earlier than filling. Pork wants correct seasoning, particularly for the reason that filling has candy components.
- Thick-cut bacon: I cube it small so it distributes evenly within the filling. Common bacon works, however thick-cut offers higher texture. Pancetta works properly too. I do not suggest turkey bacon right here because it lacks fats for taste.
- Onion: Yellow onion is good. Shallots can be utilized for a milder taste.
- Garlic: Recent garlic offers the perfect taste. Garlic powder will work too, however will not style as vibrant.
- Rosemary and thyme: Recent herbs are finest. If utilizing dried, cut back the quantity since they’re extra concentrated.
- Recent spinach: I roughly chop it so it blends into the filling with out lengthy strands. Frozen spinach works, however it have to be absolutely thawed and squeezed dry, or the filling will probably be watery. Kale or Swiss chard are nice substitutes for spinach.
- Dried cranberries: I chop them so you aren’t getting huge chewy chunks. They add sweetness and distinction. Dried cherries, apricots, or figs can be utilized instead of dried cranberries.
- Pecans: Toasted and finely chopped for crunch. Do not skip toasting – it makes a giant distinction. Walnuts, almonds, or pistachios make nice alternate options to pecans. If you’re allergic to nuts, change them with pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds, or omit them solely.
- Inventory: Veggie inventory or white wine can change the rooster inventory if wanted.
- Dijon mustard (non-compulsory): I like spreading a skinny layer of mustard contained in the pork earlier than including the filling. It provides delicate tang and helps the filling adhere. Strive whole-grain mustard or honey mustard. You possibly can skip it if wanted.
- Olive oil: For searing. Use sufficient to correctly brown the surface.
- Non-compulsory pan sauce (flour, rooster broth, butter): This turns the drippings right into a shiny, savory sauce. For those who’re gluten-free, you’ll be able to skip the flour (or use GF flour) and cut back the broth barely longer.
Variations
- Apple & Sage: Substitute cranberries with diced sautéed apple and use sage as an alternative of thyme for a extra autumnal taste.
- Mushroom & Gruyère: Add sautéed mushrooms and shredded Gruyère cheese to the filling for a wealthy, earthy variation.
- Mediterranean-Type: Fill with sun-dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives, spinach, and feta cheese.
- Fig & Walnut: Use dried figs and walnuts with goat cheese for a sweet-savory twist.
- Italian-Impressed: Add prosciutto and provolone to the filling, seasoned with basil and oregano.
What’s Pork Tenderloin?
Pork tenderloin is an extended, slender muscle that runs alongside the backbone of the pig. It would not do a lot work, which is why it stays so tender – it is usually in comparison with beef filet mignon when it comes to texture and leanness. An entire tenderloin usually weighs between 1 and 1.5 kilos, although you may usually discover them bought in pairs on the grocery retailer.
That is the mildest, leanest lower on the pig – it has virtually no fats marbling, which is why it cooks so shortly and likewise why it is really easy to overcook. Do not confuse it with pork loin (which is wider and requires longer cooking). One 1.5-2 lb tenderloin serves 4. If utilizing two, double the filling.
My #1 Prep Tip: All the time Take away the Silver Pores and skin
That is the skinny, shiny membrane hooked up to 1 aspect of the tenderloin. Not like fats, silver pores and skin would not render or soften throughout cooking – it tightens and toughens, which might make the meat curl and chew awkwardly.
To take away it: slide a pointy boning or paring knife beneath one finish of the silver pores and skin, angle the blade barely upward (towards the silver pores and skin, not the meat), and use brief, light strokes to drag it away in strips. Pull the membrane taut together with your different hand as you go.
Methods to Serve It
I slice the rested tenderloin into ¾-inch rounds and organize them on a platter, overlapping barely so the spiral of filling exhibits. I add just a few recent rosemary sprigs for presentation. I pour the pan sauce excessive or serve it alongside in a small pitcher so friends can add their very own.
If you would like a salad to stability the richness of the pork, my Apple Spinach Salad, Arugula Salad, or Tomato-Cucumber-Avocado Salad are all wonderful decisions.
Aspect Dishes for Stuffed Pork
The pork tenderloin filling already has quite a bit happening, so the perimeters needs to be easy and straightforward to make:
- Roasted Greens: This pairs properly with roasted carrots, parsnips, or butternut squash – something that may go into the oven alongside or proper after the pork.
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic
- Tacky Baked Asparagus with Bacon and Cheese
- Parmesan Garlic Lemon Inexperienced Beans
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
- Roasted Candy Potatoes with Broccoli
- Roasted Butternut Squash with Brussels Sprouts, Pecans, and Cranberries
- Yellow creamy polenta (smooth and buttery) is a tasty, colourful base for the stuffed pork tenderloin. I’ve a polenta recipe included with my braised brief ribs recipe.
- Buttery Mashed Candy Potatoes
- Wild Rice Pilaf
- Cauliflower mash if you’d like lower-carb however nonetheless cozy.
- Buttered Egg noodles or vast pappardelle pasta will flip your stuffed pork tenderloin right into a restaurant-quality dish!
- Salad: Caesar salad or wedge salad on the aspect is basic. Or serve my tomato, cucumber, lettuce salad with blue cheese dressing. I additionally suggest my apple spinach salad or blueberry mango spinach salad.
- Selfmade Garlic butter dinner rolls or a wonderfully smooth bread machine loaf pair superbly with pork!
Make-Forward Ideas
I like how sensible this stuffed pork tenderloin is. You will have 4 other ways to make it forward:
- Make the filling as much as 2 days forward. Cool it utterly, then refrigerate in an hermetic container. Assemble and cook dinner day-of.
- You possibly can butterfly, pound, and season the pork the day earlier than. Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate flat in a single day. Convey it to close room temperature (about 20-Half-hour on the counter) earlier than assembling and cooking.
- Absolutely assemble the pork roulade (filling, roll, and secured with toothpicks or twine), wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for as much as 24 hours earlier than searing and roasting. This really makes for a really clear roll for the reason that filling corporations up in a single day.
- The absolutely cooked and sliced stuffed pork tenderloin will be made a day forward and reheated per the directions under. The flavors are wonderful the subsequent day.
FAQ
Butterflying means slicing it horizontally virtually during, then opening it like a guide. From there, you pound it to an excellent ½-inch thickness utilizing a meat mallet or the underside of a heavy pan. This flattens it sufficient to carry the filling and roll cleanly. Do not rush this step – uneven thickness results in uneven cooking.
Use an instant-read thermometer. Pull the pork at 145°F inside temperature – that is the USDA secure temperature for entire cuts of pork, and it will offer you meat that is nonetheless barely pink within the heart and really juicy. For those who cook dinner it to 160°F or past, it will be dry. Insert the thermometer into the thickest a part of the roll, not by the filling. Let it relaxation for 10 minutes earlier than slicing; carryover cooking will carry it up just a few extra levels.
You possibly can, however they’re fairly totally different cuts, and the method modifications. Pork loin is wider, thicker, and takes for much longer to cook dinner (nearer to 55-70 minutes at 375°F). It additionally has extra fats. Pork tenderloin is the higher selection for this recipe as a result of it rolls simply, cooks extra shortly, and produces clear, presentable slices. For those who do use pork loin (as an alternative of tenderloin), double the filling and ensure to double-butterfly the loin. Unfold the filling evenly over the complete piece of flattened pork loin and roll it like a spiral. Safe with twine and cook dinner as directed. All the time use an instant-read thermometer to verify for doneness.
I depend on three issues: sear first, pull at 145°F, and relaxation 10 minutes. Overcooking is the #1 purpose tenderloin dries out. I additionally keep away from blasting it in a scorching oven too lengthy – this lower is lean and fast-cooking.
Sure – that is one among my favourite make-ahead dinners. I will stuff it, safe it (toothpicks or twine), wrap it tightly, and refrigerate it as much as 24 hours. Then I simply sear and roast after I’m prepared.
Extra Pork Recipes
- Pan-Seared Pork Chops with Caramelized Apples
- Grilled Pork Chops with Dijon Honey Herb Sauce
- Creamy Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Orzo, Spinach, and Mushrooms
- Pork Chops with Apples, Bacon, and Dijon-Apple-Cider Sauce
- Grilled Pork Chops with Mango Avocado Salsa
- Pork Tenderloin with Candy Balsamic Plum Sauce
Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-full svg * { fill: #343434; }#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-33 svg * { fill: url(#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-33); }#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-50 svg * { fill: url(#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-50); }#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-66 svg * { fill: url(#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-66); }linearGradient#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-33 cease { stop-color: #343434; }linearGradient#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-50 cease { stop-color: #343434; }linearGradient#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-66 cease { stop-color: #343434; }
Elements
Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
- 1.5 lb pork tenderloin (as much as 2 lb) silver pores and skin eliminated
- Salt and pepper to style
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon diced small
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon recent rosemary minced (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1 tablespoon recent thyme leaves minced (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 4 cups recent spinach about 10 oz, roughly chopped
- ½ cup dried cranberries roughly chopped
- ½ cup pecans toasted and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoons Dijon mustard non-compulsory, for spreading contained in the tenderloin
- 1 tablespoons olive oil for searing (can use 2 tablespoons)
Non-compulsory Pan Sauce
- 2 tablespoons all function flour (use GF flour to make it gluten-free)
- 1 ½ cups rooster broth scorching (plus extra if wanted)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter lower into small cubes (use olive oil or vegan butter to make it dairy-free)
Directions
Put together the pork
-
Preheat the oven to 375 levels.
-
Butterfly the pork tenderloin: Place the tenderloin on a reducing board and utilizing a really sharp knife or boning knife, slice into it horizontally lengthwise down the center, stopping about ½ inch from the sting. Open it like a guide or pamphlet.
-
Cowl with plastic wrap and pound to an excellent ½-inch thickness. Season each side with salt and pepper.
Make the filling
-
In a medium bowl, mix the cranberries and pecans. Put aside.
-
In a skillet over medium warmth, cook dinner bacon till crisp. Take away with a slotted spoon, leaving the drippings, and place into the bowl with cranberries and pecans.
-
Sauté the onion within the bacon drippings till softened, about 3-4 minutes.
-
Add garlic, rosemary, and thyme and cook dinner for 1 minute.
-
Stir in spinach and cook dinner till simply wilted, about 2 minutes. Switch to the bowl with cranberries, pecans, and bacon. Combine to mix, salt and pepper to style, and let cool barely.
Assemble
-
Unfold Dijon mustard over the within of the flattened pork with the again of a spoon.
-
Mound the filling evenly down the center of the butterflied pork.
-
Matching the seams collectively, overlapping barely, create a “tube” with the pork that wraps across the filling. Don’t roll right into a spiral.
-
Safe with toothpicks alongside the seam so they may lay flat as soon as positioned right into a pan. If you do not have toothpicks, safe the rolled pork with twine in about 4 spots, evenly positioned alongside the roll.
Prepare dinner the pork
-
Warmth 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in an oven-safe skillet over excessive warmth. Sear the highest and sides of the tenderloin till brown. Flip the pork onto the seam, take away any giant bits of filling that will have dropped out, and instantly place the skillet with the pork into the preheated oven.
-
Roast for 18-20 minutes, or till the thickest a part of the pork reaches an inside temperature of 145 levels.
-
Take away to a reducing board and let relaxation for 10 minutes earlier than slicing into ¾-inch rounds.
Non-compulsory Pan Sauce
-
Place the empty skillet with drippings over medium warmth. Sprinkle flour into the drippings and whisk for 1 minute to kind a paste.
-
Slowly whisk in scorching inventory, scraping up browned bits. Simmer 3-5 minutes, till barely thickened.
-
Off warmth, whisk in butter till shiny. Season with salt and pepper.
-
Spoon over the sliced pork and luxuriate in!
-
Word: I present useful step-by-step pictures + suggestions under this recipe card. ⬇️⬇️
Notes
- It is actually necessary to pound the meat evenly to make sure even, uniform cooking.
- When utilizing kitchen twine, house it about 1-2 inches aside to finest assist maintain the form of the tenderloin whereas baking.
- Browning on all sides provides taste and locks in juices.
- Resting: Hold your tenderloin juicy by letting it relaxation for at the least 10 minutes previous to slicing and serving.
- Doubling the recipe: Since most luggage of tenderloin include two items (2 tenderloins), be at liberty to double this recipe and have leftovers! This recipe is for one pork tenderloin (1.5 – 2 lb).
- Diet: This recipe (excluding the pan sauce) is of course gluten-free and dairy-free, protein-rich, and excessive in fiber. You can also make the pan sauce gluten-free and dairy-free through the use of GF flour as an alternative of standard flour and utilizing olive oil or vegan butter as an alternative of standard butter.
Make-Forward Ideas
- Put together (stuff) the pork as much as 1 day forward. Refrigerate till able to sear and bake.
- Be sure that to let the pork come to room temperature for Half-hour to 1 hour previous to cooking.
Storage Ideas
- Fridge: Retailer leftovers in an hermetic container for as much as 3 days.
- Freezer: Wrap the uncut pork tenderloin tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, and freeze for as much as 2 months. Thaw in a single day within the fridge earlier than reheating.
- To reheat: Heat slices gently in a 300°F oven, coated with foil, till heated by. For faster reheating, microwave briefly bursts, however be aware the pork might dry out barely.
Tools/Provides:
- Knife
- Reducing board
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Massive oven-proof skillet
- Twine or kitchen string
- Mixing bowl
- Rolling pin or mallet
Diet
Methods to Make Stuffed Pork Tenderloin (Step-by-Step Photographs)
- PREPARE THE PORK: Preheat oven to 375°F. Butterfly the tenderloin by slicing horizontally lengthwise, stopping ½ inch from the sting, then open like a guide. Cowl with plastic wrap and pound to an excellent ½-inch thickness; season with salt and pepper.
- MAKE THE FILLING: Mix cranberries and pecans in a bowl. Prepare dinner bacon till crisp; add to the bowl (reserve drippings). Sauté onion in drippings 3-4 minutes, then add garlic, rosemary, and thyme for 1 minute. Stir in spinach simply till wilted (~2 minutes), then add to the bowl; season and funky barely.
- ASSEMBLE: Unfold Dijon over the pork, then mound filling down the middle. Convey edges collectively to kind a “tube” across the filling (do not roll right into a spiral). Safe seam with toothpicks or kitchen twine
- COOK THE PORK: Sear stuffed pork tenderloin in an oven-safe skillet with olive oil over excessive warmth till browned. Flip seam-side down and switch to the oven. Roast 18-20 minutes till 145°F inside temp. Relaxation 10 minutes, then slice into ¾-inch rounds.
- OPTIONAL PAN SAUCE: Whisk flour into skillet drippings 1 minute. Slowly whisk in scorching broth, scraping up browned bits; simmer 3-5 minutes to thicken. Off warmth, whisk in butter; season and spoon over pork.
