Spinach Stuffed Hasselback Pork Tenderloin – Flavorful and Easy
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Hasselback-stuffed pork tenderloin is an easy way to turn pork tenderloin into an impressive dinner without a lot of extra work. The tenderloin is sliced and filled with a mixture of spinach, feta, and sun-dried tomatoes, so every bite has a savory, creamy, and tangy flavor. It cooks quickly enough for a weeknight, but looks great enough to serve when company shows up.
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Pork tenderloin is a lean, tender cut of meat that cooks quickly, but it can dry out in the oven. To help keep it moist, I stuff it with a filling of spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, which adds flavor and helps the meat stay juicy. It’s an easy way to make this cut of pork even better.
Recipe Highlights
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Total Time: 35 Minutes
Serves: 4
- What I love about this recipe: The hasselback cuts create space for the filling in every slice while helping keep the pork moist as it bakes.
Stuffed Pork Tenderloin Ingredients
- Olive Oil: or your favorite cooking oil
- Pork tenderloin: Use pork tenderloin, not pork loin. They are different cuts and do not cook the same way.
- Spinach: Kale, or arugula all work well.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: Dry-packed is best. If using oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drain and rinse them first.
- Feta Cheese Crumbles: Goat cheese, queso fresco, or blue chees work too.
- Fresh Garlic: Or swap with 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder per clove of garlic.
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How to make Hasselback Pork Tenderloin
Prepare: Chop the spinach, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 425 degrees f.
Make the stuffing: Mix the spinach, feta cheese crumbles, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes in a small mixing bowl.
Prep the meat: Use a sharp knife to cut slits in the pork 1 1/2 inches apart, but don’t cut through.
Stuff: Once the entire tenderloin has been sliced, start to add the stuffing with a spoon
Roast: Place the pork on the prepared sheet pan. Bake on the center rack for 15 to 25 minutes, until it reaches 145 F. Remove the tenderloin from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving
Tip! Pork tenderloin cooks fast. Use a reliable instant-read meat thermometer for the quickest and best results.
Make it Your Way
- Protein: Swap the pork tenderloin for boneless chicken breasts and stuff them with spinach and feta. Cook at 375°F until the chicken reaches 165°F.
- Vegetables: Instead of, or along with, the baby spinach, try chopped baby kale, roasted peppers, mushrooms, or olives.
- Fruit: For a sweet and savory twist, add a few thin slices of apple or pear to the filling and use cheddar cheese.
How to Store Leftovers
Since this is a small cut of meat, there’s a good chance you may not have leftovers, but if you do, store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Serving Suggestions
Here are a few side dishes that go well with stuffed pork tenderloin:
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Hassleback Pork tenderloin
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon [extra virgin olive oil]
- 1 pork tenderloin that is about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds
- 1 cup chopped baby spinach
- 1/4 cup [sun-dried tomatoes]
- 1/4 cup feta cheese crumbles
- 2 cloves chopped garlic
Instructions
- pre-heat oven to 425
- clean and trim pork tenderloin and remove the silver skin
- slice the tenderloin by cutting 3/4 of the way through horizontally a half inch apart.
- mix the spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese and garlic together
- use a spoon to stuff each opening with the stuffing mixture
- brush with olive oil and place the tenderloin onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast for approximately 15 minutes – until internal temperature reaches 145.
Notes
- When slicing the pork tenderloin to stuff it, place an object such as a wooden spoon on each side to stop the knife from cutting all of the way through the pork to the cutting board.
- Pork tenderloin cooks quickly, and may not be brown when it has finished cooking. To achieve a browned look, change your oven setting to broil during the last few minutes of cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and can vary based on cooking methods and ingredients used
Stuffed Pork Tenderloin Frequently Asked Questions
A pork tenderloin is a small cut of meat that is from the muscle that runs down either side of the backbone of a pig. It’s lean, tender, and mild. A pork loin or pork roast, on the other hand is a larger cut of meat (usually 2 to 5 pounds) that comes from the pig’s back. Pork loin roast is also fairly lean and you can get it boneless or bone in. It takes longer to cook and isn’t typically a good substitute for pork tenderloin in recipes.
Hasselback is a cooking method in which potatoes or other foods are sliced almost all the way through in thin layers and then stuffed with flavorful fillings. The name came from a restaurant in Stockholm Sweden, Hasselbacken, where the recipe for Hasselback potatoes was first introduced in the 1940s.
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15 mins? Mine was still raw in middle
I am sorry to hear that Brian. The the tenderloins I use are usually a pound or less, I’m not sure what the weight of yours was. If you notice in the instructions I mention approximately 15 minutes and suggested an internal temperature of 145. It’s always a good idea to check the temperature because all ovens are different.
I try to never say anything negative ..please forgive me to start with …but I think you might have a type-o …because read your recipe says for an 11 pound tenderlion it takes fifteen minutes to cook ..I havent heard of that before ..that is why I think you might have miss typed it ..so sorry ..
Hi Brenda! Thanks for your comment. I just read the recipe, and noticed that it really confusing! It should say 1 (quantity) 1 pound pork tenderloin. I just fixed it on the recipe card. Thanks for letting me know.
Amazing my picky son even ate it.
Thank you for your comment, Lauren. I’m glad you liked it!