Today had been a productive day of writing, but I began cooking dinner much later than I had planned. It was one of those, “Do I really need to cook dinner?” days. We had taken meat out of the freezer the night before because of course, I had been excited to cook…then.
Don’t get me wrong- I LOVE to cook. However, I almost feel like calling this dish “I didn’t want to, but I did, featuring pork”. If I was able to make this when every lazy bone in my body was telling me to just relax instead, it’s proof that you can make it, too!
Inspired by The Healthy Foodie, this stuffed pork tenderloin was a hit! This recipe is for 2 tenderloins, which is great if you’re able to get a 2-pack on sale. If you only have one, adjust the recipe accordingly.
4 Ingredient Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
1lb spinach, chopped
2 454 g/1lb pork tenderloins
3 spicy Italian sausages, removed from the casing (of course, if they’re too spicy use mild sausages)
With the help of butter, salt and pepper.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add onion, a dash of salt and pepper, and cook until the onion turns translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the sausage to the onion. Break it up with a spoon as it cooks.
- Add the chopped spinach and cook until just wilted.
- Transfer the cooked spinach and sausage to a sieve. Set it aside to allow it to cool for a few minutes.
- To cut the tenderloin, make sure you have a good knife, and as always, be careful. One way to do it is to place the blade of your knife parallel to your cutting board. Put your hand flat on top of the tenderloin and carefully slice down the middle almost all the way to the end. You’ll want to stop about ¾ of the way through. If you’re new to this, don’t worry! So was I! If having visuals is helpful for you, view this video to see how it’s done.
- Lay the tenderloins open on a cutting board and pound them with a mallet until they’re about ½ inch thick. Place them in a large oven-safe, basting/roasting pan.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Spread some of the sausage and spinach mixture on the tenderloin. Try to do this as evenly as possible but without going all the way to the edge. To make rolling the tenderloin easier, you should leave about an inch all the way around.
- Roll the tenderloins as tightly as you can, taking care to place the seam underneath.
- Transfer your wrapped pork to an oven-safe baking dish, and top it with more of the sausage and spinach mixture.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 375F oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove foil and continue cooking for a maximum of 25 minutes. Baste every now and then to keep the meat juicy.
- Remove from oven, tent loosely, and let the meat rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting.
Serve with a fresh salad, and/or rice.
Enjoy!
Related
Delicious Pork Tenderloin with Mushrooms, Carrots and Onions