I love cooking pork tenderloins. I was looking through the recipes on the site recently and realized that I don’t have any recipes for pork tenderloin on here. Crazy! I’ve done smothered pork chops and tacos al pastor with pork roast, but never a tenderloin recipe. Well, better late than never. This roasted and stuffed pork tenderloin is one of my favorite ways to make it. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Are Pork Loins and Pork Tenderloins Interchangeable?
Nope. Not at all. Pork tenderloins are pretty thin and only weigh 1-1½ pounds. They’re lean and very tender. At many grocery stores, they’re sold in packages of two tenderloins. Whole pork loins are much thicker and can weigh 6-8 pounds. They’re not as tender as a tenderloin but are also tasty and versatile.
There are a lot of reasons I love making tenderloins. I love how well they accept marinades and seasonings and how quickly they cook. And I love that they can be dressed up to look elegant and fancy, but they are priced low enough to still be enjoyed as an anytime meal.
How to Stuff and Roast a Pork Tenderloin
The spirals of this stuffed tenderloin look impressive but are actually super easy to do. So easy, in fact, that my kids help out.
First, make the filling. Dice and saute bacon in a skillet. While it’s cooking, dice the mushrooms and onions. When the bacon is mostly cooked, but not too crispy yet, add the mushrooms and onions and seasonings and continue cooking until the mushrooms and onions are soft. Add minced garlic and fresh spinach and cook just a couple of minutes more until the spinach is wilted.
Next, flatten out the pork tenderloins. This is the part my kids like to help with. Carefully slice each tenderloin down the middle along its length, but only halfway through! Then use a meat mallet to flatten it out to about ½ inch thick. If your kids are helping out with this part, keep an eye on them or you might end up with a pork crepe!
Cover each flattened tenderloin with the spinach mixture and roll it up, starting at the narrow end. Secure it with toothpicks so it doesn’t unroll while it’s cooking and put it in the oven. Cook it for approximately 40-45 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 145°F. I know different ovens cook at different speeds — my air fryer/toaster oven cooks much faster than my traditional oven — so just keep an eye on it and check it occasionally. Slice and serve.
While the entree is cooking I make the sides and an easy sauce with olive oil, lemon zest, and fresh parsley to brush over the top of the pork when it’s done. It’s a really simple sauce but adds a nice burst of fresh zinginess.
While I really like my combination of roasted pork tenderloin ingredients best, this Mediterranean stuffed pork tenderloin does sound delicious.
Roasted Stuffed Pork Tenderloin Recipe
Ingredients
Making the Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
- 6 slices bacon
- 8 oz mushrooms
- ½ medium onion
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 2 cloves garlic
- 12 oz fresh spinach (about 6 cups)
- 2 pork tenderloins
Making the Lemon Parsley Oil
- 4 TBSP olive oil
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 2 TBSP fresh parsley (chopped)
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Dice the bacon.
- In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until it is cooked, but not yet crispy.
- While the bacon is cooking, chop the mushrooms and onion.
- When the bacon is cooked add the mushrooms, onion, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to the pan with the bacon.
- Continue cooking until the mushrooms and onion are softened.
- While the mushrooms and onions are cooking mince the garlic.
- Add the garlic and fresh spinach to the pan, cooking and stirring until the spinach is wilted.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.
- Slice down the middle length of each pork tenderloin about halfway through and spread the meat flat.
- Pound the tenderloins with a meat mallet until they are about ½ inch thick.
- Spread the spinach mixture over the two tenderloins evenly.
- Roll the tenderloins, starting at the narrow end, and secure with toothpicks.
- Place the tenderloins on a baking sheet and into the preheated oven.
- Cook for 40-45 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 145°F.
Make the Lemon Parsley Oil
- While the tenderloins are cooking, make the lemon oil by whisking together the olive oil, lemon zest, parsley, and salt.
- Slice the pork and drizzle the lemon oil over the top.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Do you like pork tenderloin? What’s your favorite way to cook it?
Recipe looks great.
Trying to figure out how a serving is 928 calories.
Guesstimating one serving is about 40z of pork which is about 400 cal and a strip of bacon about 50 cal. The rest of the ingredients are relatively low calories. What am I missing?
You’re right. I don’t know what went awry there. It’s fixed now.