Stuffed Pork Tenderloin (less than 30 min)

One year ago if you had mentioned stuffing any type of meat and roasting it, I probably would have knocked you down heading for the nearest diner or bistro (depending on the status of my bank account).

HOWEVER, having now conquered my fear of stuffing meat (chicken, pork tenderloin… that’s really it for now), I’m totally obsessed.

In my opinion, a stuffed pork tenderloin is the easiest, tastiest, swankiest meal you might ever make in under 30 minutes.

Ingredients: (for two people)

• 2-3 lbs Pork Tenderloin
• 2 cups finely chopped spinach
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 1/4 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
• 4 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil (divided)
• Salt (to taste)
• Pepper (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon of rosemary
• 1 teaspoon of thyme

What will you have to clean afterwards:

• one oven safe pan
• one medium size mixing bowl
• one cutting board
• your usual chopping knife

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Step One:  make your stuffing. Mix the chopped spinach, sundried tomato, feta, garlic, one tablespoon of olive oil, rosemary and thyme together in a mixing bowl.

Step Two: Prep the tenderloin.  Now we make the cavity for the filling.  This is the most seemingly daunting part…get that out of your head.  Cut the plastic wrapping off one end of the tenderloin (this makes the process much cleaner).  Hold the tenderloin vertically with the open end up and the still covered end on your prep surface.  Place your wooden spoon in the center of the open end and just start shoving it into the tenderloin — it sounds crazy, but it works.  The meat is so tender you will be able to work the spoon all the way through the length of the meat making one long whole through the entire tenderloin.

Step three: stuff the tenderloin. After your hole is made, simply stuff your filling into the tenderloin by using your wooden spoon handle as a ramrod and packing the filling all the way through the meat.  This is when the remaining plastic casing comes in handy, once the filling is all in, rub the meat with salt and pepper and a little bit of olive oil (you can also add Rosemary and Thyme to taste).

Step four: cook the tenderloin. Place your oven safe pan on the cook top on medium-high heat and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.  Sear the tenderloin 1-2 minutes on each side.

Move the pan into the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes.  Meat should still be juicy and thermometer should read around 140 degrees.

Step five: serve. Cut the tenderloins into medallions and serve with a spinach salad or roasted asparagus for a delightful (and fairly “guilt free”) meal.

Eat Hearty!

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Tags: 30 minute meals, cooking, easy cooking, grandma millie, pork, pork tenderloin, recipies, stuffed pork tenderloin, tasty meals, tenderloin