Stuffed Pork Tenderloin is the perfect easy holiday meal. Though it has a few simple ingredients and is simple to make, it is a show stopper!
Nathan and I love doing Christmas Eve and Christmas morning at home. We are able to have this really quiet and wonderful time with our kids. We love doing things to make it special and that means a fancy dinner on Christmas Eve where everyone dresses up and the kids drink sparkling cider out of wine glasses.
This delicious Stuffed Pork Tenderloin is perfect for a Christmas Eve dinner. It plates up like a meal you spent all day on. It tastes like you worked on it for hours, but it is actually really simple and delicious.
How to make Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
Despite its gorgeous presentation, this dinner recipe is pretty simple to make. Below is a brief overview of how to cook a pork tenderloin stuffed with a delicious combination of bacon, mushrooms, spinach, and spices.
- Make the filling. Sauté bacon, then garlic, and shallots. Add in mushrooms and cook them until tender. Finally, add spinach and allow it to wilt.
- Prepare the pork tenderloin. Trim the fat and then cut the tenderloin into a single thin piece. Read more on how to do this below.
- Add the filling. Top the pork with the filling you made in step one.
- Roll it up. Carefully roll the tenderloin up, and use toothpicks or kitchen twine to hold it together.
- Season and bake. Place the tenderloin on a baking sheet toothpick side down and slather with extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Pop it in the oven, read more about how long to cook it and when it is done below.
Pork Tenderloin vs. Pork Loin
When buying meat for this recipe, note that pork tenderloin and pork loin are two different cuts of pig. Pork loin is a bigger cut of meat and is often used by the butcher to cut pork steaks. Alternatively, pork tenderloin is a smaller, thinner, and more tender cut of pork which makes for a delicious dinner when stuffed. If you are looking for a delicious pork loin recipe, try this Pork Roast Recipe.
Cutting Pork Tenderloin
A big part of this recipe is to cut the pork tenderloin so that it is a flat layer of pork that can be topped with stuffing and rolled. It looks complex, but it’s quite simple.
- Trim the extra fat from the pork tenderloin. Don’t spend a lot of time on this, just the extra. (The strip of fat you see in the photo above is what is left after peeling off a thick section.)
- Slice open the tenderloin. Using a sharp knife slice down the center of the pork tenderloin being careful to not slice all the way through. You want it to be about 1/2 inch thick at the thinnest part after cutting it.
- Flatten the tenderloin. Cover it with another piece of plastic wrap. Using a the flat side of a meat mallet or a rolling pin, flatten out the pork tenderloin until it is about 1/2 inch thick.
How Long to Cook a Pork Tenderloin
Pork should be cooked to 145 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature is what. you should go off of rather than the color. I highly recommend that you get a thermometer that you can leave in the tenderloin inside of your hot oven. It is beneficial to use an instant-read thermometer in any meat recipe, including this one. It allows you to end the cooking process at the exact right temperature.
For this stuffed pork tenderloin recipe, it will take about 25-35 minutes to reach 145 degrees. This will keep you from overcooking your pork tenderloin, something that is easy to do and will result in pork that is dry. You can find my recommendation below.
Instant Read Thermometer
It Can Be Pink!
Please note that fully cooked pork can be pink and still safe to eat. This is a stark contrast from what home cooks were taught decades ago, but farming practices have changed a great deal since then. I assure you as long as pork is cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit it is safe to eat. The major bonus to this is that you will never eat a piece of dried out pork again.
Making Ahead of Time
You can definitely make this recipe in advance. Wrap your stuffed pork in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator. A well-wrapped pork tenderloin can stay in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
When ready to make, remove it from the refrigerator, put it on the baking sheet, and add the olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Special Diet Friendly
One of the things that I love about this recipe is that it is friendly for several different diets. It can be really tricky to find holiday meals that accommodate specialty diets. This recipe is keto friendly, low carb, dairy free, and gluten free.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Store your leftover pork tenderloin in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. To reheat, place your desired portion in the oven in a baking dish with a little chicken stock. Cook, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes at 300 degrees. Always use your best discretion with leftovers
What to Serve with Pork Tenderloin
You can see my Winter Salad pictured here. It goes perfectly with this pork recipe. Other great side dishes that are easy to make, but nice enough for holidays are:
- Bacon Wrapped Asparagus: Another easy to make show stopper.
- Smashed Potatoes: These are cheesy, delicious, and easy to make.
- Roasted Baby Potatoes: These are a hit, and so simple.
- Crispy Brussels Sprouts: This recipe is easy to make and would compliment the pork so well.
If you make this easy pork dinner or any of my other recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know!
Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pound pork tenderloin butterflied and pounded thin; read more about this in the post (680.4 grams)
- 4 slices bacon diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small shallot minced
- 8 ounces mushrooms minced (226.8 grams)
- 5 ounces spinach (141.7 grams)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the diced bacon, cook until just crisp. Add in shallots and garlic, cooking until just fragrant, about thirty seconds. Add the diced mushrooms to the pan, cooking until tender. Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Place a layer of plastic wrap on a clean cutting board. Then put the pork tenderloin on top of it. Pull off any thick layer of fat that remains.
- Slice the pork down the middle (in a butterfly fashion), being careful to not go all the way through. It should be 1/2 inch thick at the thinnest part after slicing.
- Lay another layer of plastic wrap on top. Use a meat tenderizer or a rolling pin to flatten the pork tenderloin. It should be about a 1/2 inch thick all the way through when you are finished.
- Remove the top layer of plastic. Add the mushroom and spinach mixture.
- Very carefully roll up the pork tenderloin. Use multiple toothpicks to secure it.
- Place the stuffed pork tenderloin toothpick side down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Rub with olive oil and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Roast until an instant read thermometer registers 145 to 150 degrees, about 25 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Kim B. says
Can I do this with a pork loin (roast)? What would the cooking time be?
I’m really sorry, I’ve only tried it with a tenderloin.
Arlene says
I have an air fryer that is really a convection oven. How high should I set the temp and how long should I bake it. I’m not very good at converting bake time to convection but I know it should be less time and lower heat.
Hi Arlene! I’m so sorry, I haven’t tested this in an convection oven. I found this article, which suggests that it should be 25 degrees less. You could go off of that and then use an instant read thermometer for the temperature.
Jenny says
I wonder if I could do this with a turkey tenderloin…?
Probably! I love working with turkey tenderloin and my guess is it would do well with this recipe.