Full disclosure, this is the kind of recipe I would normally never even consider making. Stuffed tenderloin sounds so fancy and complicated that I always assumed it wasn’t worth the effort to make. Turns out I was completely wrong.


This pork tenderloin is one of those, “wow this looks so impressive” kind of dishes that is actually incredibly easy to make. Trurthfully this is the first time I have ever attempted stuffing tenderloin and I had visions of the entire thing self destructing in the pan. Not only was it a million times easier to make then I ever imagined, it was also a complete success.



The filling is a delicious mixture of bacon (or pancetta), mushrooms, onions, garlic and spinach. Once everthing is cooked until tender, it’s time to prep the meat.


After cutting the tenderloin in half lengthwise (but not all of the way through!) you open it up like a book, place a sheet of plastic wrap overtop and then use all of your pent up anger to beat it until its approximately 1/2 an inch in thickness.


Rolling and securing the tenderloin was the step I was most worrried about. While you could use string to tie it together, I found that toothpicks worked just as well and are a lot simpler to use. Just make sure that they are all pointing in the same direction to make searing the tenderloin easier.


After quickly searing the tenderloin on all sides until it’s a nice golden colour, the meat is transferred to the oven and baked until it’s cooked through. Make sure that you leave the tenderloin to rest for 10 minutes before slicing it, this will cause the meat to be juicier and more flavourful then if it is cut right away.

I absolutely love the flavours of this dish. This is a great one to prepare when you are trying to impress guests. Pork tenderloin is a really afffordable cut of meat, and it is very easy to double or triple the recipe depending on how many people you have to serve.

If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbR6EAKBwcY[/embedyt]

Mushroom and Bacon Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

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Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 35 mins
Total Time 55 mins

Ingredients
  

  • 1/3 cup bacon
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small onion finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1 1/2 cups diced mushrooms
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup parsley chopped
  • 1 cup chopped spinach
  • 2 tbsp roughly chopped pine nuts
  • 2 lbs pork tenderloin (approx 900g)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (400 degrees F)
  • In an oven proof skillet cook the bacon in olive oil until crisp. Add in the diced onion, garlic and mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and cook for about 8 minutes until the mushrooms have softened. 
  • Add in the spinach and parsley and leave to cook for a few minutes until the spinach has wilted. Stir in the pine nuts, remove the pan from the heat and set aside. 
  • To prepare the tenderloin, start by cutting the silver skin off the top of the tenderloin (this makes the meat quite chewy). Cut lengthwise down the side of the tenderloin through the middle horizontally to within one-half inch of the other side. Open the tenderloin flat like a book and lay it open on a cutting board. Place plastic wrap over the meat and then beat it down with a mallet or rolling pin until approx 1/2 an inch thick. 
  • Spoon the mushroom and bacon mixture evenly over the tenderloin and then roll it up, pressing down to ensure its very tightly wrapped up. Secure the loose end with toothpicks, skewers or alternatively twine (watch the video above for clarification). Season the outside of the tenderloin roll with salt and pepper.
  • Heat the olive oil in the oven proof skillet and sear the tenderloin on all sides. Once golden in colour, transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 15-17 minutes until a meat thermometer inserted in the centre reads 145 degrees. 
  • Remove the tenderloin from the oven and place on a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes. Brush the tenderloin with any of the drippings left in the pan before slicing.