Cheesy Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
Stuffing meat is a really great way to show off to friends or family, whether it’s for a special occasion like the holidays, date night, or any time you want your loved ones to feel like a king, stuffed meat is the way to go.
With this recipe, I’ll be butterflying and then stuffing a delicious pork tenderloin with a beautiful stuffing made with ricotta cheese, pistachios, and basil. All of these go wonderfully well with pork and will add some wonderful flavor and moisture which, let’s face it, lean pork tenderloin needs.
However, to take it a step further, I will also be wrapping the pork with Italian cured pork leg otherwise known as prosciutto, otherwise known as one of the greatest things on Earth.
You can serve it with polenta, asparagus, peas, or whatever you like to serve with pork.
Let’s get stuffing!
How to trim Pork Tenderloin
While there’s not much that needs to be done to pork tenderloin to get it ready for cooking, there is a thin membrane made of connective tissue that runs along the length of pork tenderloin known as silver skin that will never become tender, even after cooking, so that needs to go.
To remove the silver skin, all you need to do is take a sharp knife and dig it under that silver skin, then carefully slide the knife through to remove the silver skin while leaving as much meat behind as possible.
Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
Serves 4-5
1 cup of full fat ricotta cheese
1/4 cup of roughly chopped pistachio nuts
1/4 cup of thinly sliced basil leaves
1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese
2 egg yolks
Salt and pepper
2 pork tenderloins, trimmed (see above)
10-12 thin slices of prosciutto
Olive oil
Step 1: Prepare the pork
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Carefully cut about halfway down the pork, lengthwise, until you can open it up like a book or the wings of a butterfly. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on top, then use a meat mallet to pound the tenderloins to a 1/4-inch thickness. Lightly season with salt and pepper, then set aside while you make the stuffing.
Step 2: Make the Stuffing
Lightly beat the ricotta cheese in a large bowl to soften.
Add the pistachios, basil, parmesan, egg yolks, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 3: Stuff and Roll the Pork
Lay one pork tenderloin onto a sheet of plastic wrap, then spread a thin layer of the ricotta mixture along the length of the pork, leaving about 1/2 an inch on the top plain. Use the plastic wrap to roll the pork over the ricotta mixture to create a log, then repeat with the other pork tenderloin.
It might not look very pretty at this point and some of the filling will likely get squeezed out, but don’t worry about that because we’re going to wrap it in prosciutto in a bit.
On a sheet of foil, lay out enough slices of prosciutto to create an even layer slightly wider than the length of the pork. Unwrap the pork from the plastic wrap, then lay it on top of the prosciutto. Grab the bottom of the foil and use that to help wrap the prosciutto around the pork entirely, lifting up the foil now and then to check your work.
twist the ends of the foil tight to create a more even shape, then chill for at least an hour.
Step 4: Start Cooking the Pork
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Heat a wide oven-safe skillet to meduim heat with the olive oil. Unwrap the pork tenderloins, then lay them into the pan, seam-side of the prosciutto down, then transfer the skillet to the oven and cook for 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until the prosciutto is browned and the pork reaches a minimal internal temperature of 145 degrees F.
Allow the pork to rest for at least 3 minutes before slicing and serving.
This is the sort of food I love making the most because it’s easy and delicious.
That salty, slightly crisp prosciutto was able to hold in the juices and moisture from the pork to make it incredibly juicy, but then you get a lot of wonderful flavor from the filling that makes me very happy.
