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This Stuffed Pork Loin is quite possibly the best pork tenderloin I have ever had. The tender pork loin has a savory stuffing that looks and tastes fancy, but is really easy to make.
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This Stuffed Pork Loin recipe is quite possibly the best pork tenderloin recipe I’ve ever tried. I made this pork recipe on Valentine’s Day this year. We called it “Love Me Tenderloin” and it was the perfect fit. Gorgeous presentation, savory stuffing, this dinner is perfect for any special occasion. Your guests will love the savory stuffing and the juicy pork, and you’ll also love the fact that you can make a quick meal that will wow your favorite people with minimal effort in the kitchen.
Ingredients in Stuffed Pork Loin
This is possible the most simple stuffed pork tenderloin recipe you’ll ever find. No hard to find ingredients here, just simple, whole ingredients that you can find in all grocery stores. Here’s what you need:
- Pork Tenderloin – about three pounds. You’ll use a meat mallet to pound the pork to even thickness to make it easy to spread the filling inside.
- Cream cheese – two 8-ounce packages of softened cream cheese
- Roasted red peppers – You can find roasted red peppers on Amazon or at your regular grocery store. They come in cans or jars and add such a gorgeous deep flavor to this dish.
- Bacon – about a cup, or several slices bacon, cooked and crumbled. You can also use prosciutto, which will give the dish a nice, salty bite just like bacon.
- Pesto seasoning – I like to use the Knorr or McCormick brands. They can be found by the gravy/dressing mixes.
- Spinach leaves – Find baby spinach in the produce section at the grocery store.
- Olive oil – Extra virgin olive oil works great for a light flavor.
- Salt & Black pepper – to taste
- Paprika – to taste, and also adds beautiful color to the outside of the pork roast.
Networking for Food
I actually got this recipe from a friend that I met on a cruise ship. It should come as no surprise that I love finding out people’s favorite recipes. Food can create such a connection with people. I think you can learn a lot about a person by discovering the kinds of foods they like (and dislike). It speaks to the culture in which they were raised and the adventurous nature of their palate. This stuffed pork dish is the one that Trish was kind enough to share! Thanks Trish!!
Preparing Pork Tenderloin
It only takes a few easy steps to prepare your pork tenderloin:
- First thing to remember, make sure the tenderloin is thawed. Butterfly the loin with a sharp knife (or cut it almost in half). Secondly, wrap the loin in a sheet of plastic wrap and pound the meat with the flat side of a meat mallet. The meat should be about half an inch thick.
- Layer in the stuffing ingredients, the spinach, roasted red peppers, pesto seasoning, bacon, cream cheese, salt and pepper.
- Then, roll the meat as you would cinnamon rolls, tucking in the ends as you go. Use a couple of toothpicks or some kitchen string to keep it held together. Now that the meat is rolled, rub olive oil, paprika, salt and pepper all over the pork.
- Finally, place in a roasting pan and bake.
Additional Ideas for Stuffing Mixture
In addition to how versatile pork is, you can quite literally pair it with a variety of flavors and it will taste delicious. Here are some ideas to try adding into your stuffing mixture:
- Garlic – mince or finely chop a clove or two.
- Onions – thinly sliced or diced.
- Rosemary – a few fresh sprigs of this fragrant herb chopped up would certainly taste glorious with pork!
- Garlic powder – generally just a teaspoon garlic powder packs a big punch of flavor if you don’t have fresh garlic to work with.
- Tomatoes – a perfect way to use some of your garden tomatoes for a fresh flavor.
- Dijon mustard – this adds a sharp, bright flavor to the filling.
- Fresh parsley – use this as a garnish on top.
When is the Pork Loin Done?
- Start with the correct baking temperature. Set your oven to 350 degrees, and bake for 60-90 minutes.
- You can use a meat thermometer to test the internal temperature (145 degrees).
- Remove the pork from the pan. Let it rest on a a rack for a few minutes.
- Slice and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions about Stuffed Pork Loin
Loin and tenderloin are actually two different cuts of meat. Pork tenderloin is more long and narrow and is always a boneless cut of meat. Pork loin is wider and flatter and can be found boneless or bone-in. For this recipe we use a pork tenderloin but you could use either type.
If you want a crisper outer crust on your stuffed pork tenderloin, make sure the oven is completely preheated before baking and do not cover it with foil or anything else.
Make sure to check the internal temperature so the pork doesn’t dry out. Longer cooking times can lead to dry and tough meat.
This makes quite a lot, so leftovers are likely unless you are serving a large group. Store leftovers in an airtight container or wrap in plastic wrap, then foil. Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you know ahead of time you will have more than you need, after rolling, but before baking, cut it into thirds or fourths. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.
READ MORE: 25+ Traditional and Easy Sunday Dinner Ideas
What to Serve with Pork Tenderloin
Try some of these delicious side dishes next time you serve this pork tenderloin.
How to Make Stuffed Pork Loin
Stuffed Pork Loin
Video
Equipment
- Conventional Oven
Ingredients
- 1 pork tenderloin (about 3 pounds, see notes above)
- 16 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup roasted red peppers
- 1 cup bacon cooked, crumbled
- 1 ounce pesto seasoning (Knorr or McCormick brand can be found by the gravy/dressing mixes)
- 1 cup fresh spinach leaves
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- paprika to taste
Instructions
- If you are using the large tenderloin from Costco, cut it almost in half, then cut the halves almost in half again so that you kind of unfold it a few times and try to pound it out flat to about 1/2" thickness or slightly thinner. If you are using a smaller pork tenderloin, cut almost in half and pound it flat.
- Once the tenderloin is flat and has a good surface area, spread the cream cheese all over the top. Lay the roasted red peppers over the cream cheese then sprinkle on the crumbled bacon. Evenly sprinkle on the packages dried pesto seasoning and lay the spinach leaves all over the top.
- Roll the pork up (like you would if you were making cinnamon rolls) and tie it shut with 3 or 4 pieces of kitchen twine if needed. Next, rub olive oil, paprika, salt and pepper all over the pork and place in a greased baking sheet.
- Bake at 350-degrees about 60-90 minutes or until pork is cooked through. Once cooked, slice and serve!This makes quite a lot. After rolling, but before baking, cut it into thirds or fourths. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.
Notes
- Start with the correct baking temperature. Set your oven to 350 degrees, and bake for 60-90 minutes.
- Pork loin is fully cooked at 145 degrees, and you can use a meat thermometer to test the internal temperature.
- Remove the pork from the pan. Let it rest on a a rack for a few minutes.
- Slice and serve.
This was amazing! My husband and son said put this on the list to do it again!!! Loved it. I didn’t have the pesto seasoning but I did have pesto and I put that in instead. Was so great! Thanks
This recipe seems to be more suited to a pork LOIN, not a tenderloin as they are completely different cuts of meat but sometimes confused with a universal label of “tenderloin”. It’s my understanding that the loin is the cut of meat that a pork chop comes from and thus lends to being flattened and rolled/stuffed with a cook time of about an hour as this recipe indicates. The loin is also referred to as a roast as well. The real tenderloin is usually much smaller cut of meat (usually only about 1-1.5 lbs) from the same loin muscle, but from a different area. It is darker and is much more tender. It lends better to a marinade and shorter cook time so it doesn’t dry out. Have you made this particular recipe with the smaller tenderloin? Or am I correct in my assumption that you were indeed using a LOIN cut even though your recipe indicates it was a tenderloin? (I have seen Sam’s and Costco label their loin cuts as a universal tenderloin but they really are different cuts of meat so that mislabeling can be very confusing.) I would love to know what cut you used for this recipe if you have the time as it looks delicious!
You may be right, I have bought the “tenderloin” at Costco but maybe it is more of a loin. The cut that I use is easy to flay out and make flat. I know the tenderloin from other grocery stores come cut up more and you can’t really cut them thin like that because they are more in pieces. I go for the larger cut of meat so I can flatten it out and have a big surface area. Hope this helps!
Did you watch the video? It be looks like a tenderloin.
I am going to make this for Easter. I will be replacing the bacon with Portuguese chourica. Can’t wait!
Let us know what you think!
Did exactly as recipe called for but added thinly sliced Prosciutto for that little extra something..
delicious and thanks
Yum! I little sliced Prosciutto never hurt anyone 😉 Sounds delicious!
Just tried your recipe with a couple of tweeks and it was great. Used garlic/herb and vegetable cream cheese instead of regular cream cheese. Also i used thin sliced virginia ham instead of baking because i find bacon can sometimes overpower the taste of things.
Can you stuff it the night before you cook it?
Yes, that should work fine 🙂
Loved this dish. I used a 2-1/2 pound pork loin. I tweaked the recipe by using just one package of Knorrs pesto and 1 -8 ounce cream cheese. Also I sprinkled some garlic powder and dried thyme before I rolled it. I nuked the spinach leaves for about a minute to wilt them so I could roll the pork more easily. All six of us loved this stuffed pork recipe. Thank you for sharing it!????
This was wonderful! The cream cheese made of t soooooo moist. We all loved this dish. I will definitely make this again!
So glad you liked it! It is definitely one of our fav ways to use tenderloin!
This looks really good and I would love to try it. Did you find out if it is the thin pork tenderloin or the bigger pork loin..very important before I make this..Thanks
I used the BIG one (makes a TON) but you can use the thinner one as well if you don’t want to make so much
Wonder how this would be adding a glaze type sauce over it once sliced for serving. Sometimes pork tends to be dry?? Thoughts anyone with a recipe for a sauce? Thanks
You can definitely make some kind of glaze, a brown sugar glaze might be kinda good– never tried it but it sounds tasty 🙂
What was the approximate weight of your tenderloin
Pretty close to three or 4 pounds
OK, I have a special dinner party Tuesday night and I’m going to fix this! I just happened to buy the large pork tenderloin at Costco yesterday!! did you cover it baking at all? or just leave it out uncovered? and big question: what did you fix to go with it? that’s what I need to know to make this a perfect dinner….thanks!!!
It is great with roasted potatoes and a fresh slad. I usually leave it uncovered but you can probably cover it if you want. 🙂 Hope this helps!
Thanks! that will be perfect!
I missed it somewhere. What do I set the oven to cook and for how long?
It is 350 degrees for 60-90 minutes. Hope this helps!
Oh My Gosh, this was the most delicious pork loin dish I have ever tasted! I left out the bacon and threw in some swiss cheese and my husband and I could not stop eating this. I’ll definitely be making this one again!
Opps, I just saw the last step of the instructions and thought the “freeze” comment meant there were no cooking instructions. sorry!
That’s fine! I’m glad you found it!
Where are the instructions for cooking this lovely piece of meat?!
Looks great!! Gonna try this for Easter! Will let ya know how it goes!
UPDATE: My family LOVED it!! Wasn’t a bit left over, will make a bigger one next time! Thanks so much for our new family favorite!
I’m wanting to make this, but you talk about using the pork tenderloin from Costco…do you mean the really skinny long ones that come in a 2 pack? I’m trying to figure out how to make it super thin to roll!
The tenderloin from Costco has gotten smaller. You may need to just get the regular pork loin so you can slice it better, just maker sure it’s laid out nice, flat, and thin.
Seems to me that you used pork loin not pork tenderloin, not that the recipe doesn’t sound appealing.
The pork at Costco that I used was labeled “tenderloin” but it may have just been loin. I will need to double check! Thanks for the catch!
Tweeked your recipe a bit. Added one table spoon of fresh chives and one Finley chopped leek(no green part) to cream cheese before spreading. Followed the rest of the recipe exactly. OH MY ! To say that Christmas dinner was festive and outstandingly successful doesn’t begin to describe it. Thanks so much for a delicious main course.
Wow! That does look impressive and delicious!
Can I use jar pesto