Stuffed Pork Loin

So after I had volunteered to make family dinner, I had to figure out something to make for it! I wouldn't call my family picky eaters (except maybe my dad), we all are pretty adventurous, it just seems that we all happen to have really different tastes, so I was struggling to figure out something that I thought would appeal to all of them. My other issue that I was trying to work around was that I didn't want to actually have to be physically cooking something and be distracted from watching the game....because if you know me....I don't like to miss a minute...I even record and re-watch games! I was going through some recipes that I had saved and came across this one, I thought it would be perfect, it included at least one ingredient that everyone liked; Dad (bacon), Laura (pesto), Mom (spinach) and myself (cream cheese). But the big seller for me was that after I prepared it, I could stick it in the oven for an hour or so and just concentrate on watching the big game!

This really didn't have a lot of ingredients, and the presentation was quite fancy, the most difficult part was just figuring out the best way to cut the pork to get it to lay flat, but once I figured that out, I just pounded away with my meat mallet to flatten it some more! I really should have taken some before pictures of the process, but I was making three other recipes at the same time, so I just didn't have time. The original recipe used a pork tenderloin, but the one at my store were so small and narrow, that there was no way that I was going to be able to get all the stuffing ingredients in the middle, so I substituted the pork loin and it worked out just fine. The whole family really loved this; the pork was tender and the flavors worked really well together, and it just looked so darn fancy on the plate! I served it with Parmesan couscous (which my mom so graciously prepared since it wasn't quite half-time and I couldn't be torn away) and some creamed spinach (recipe coming soon!) It was a wonderful meal, and would work really well for a dinner party since all the prep can be done beforehand.

If you are looking to show off in the kitchen, you must try this!

Stuffed Pork Loin

adapted from Favorite Family Recipes

1 (2-3 lb) pork loin or tenderloin (I used loin because the tenderloins were too small to stuff)

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. jarred roasted red peppers, chopped

6 - 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (I just left them whole)

1 pkg. dried pesto seasoning (Like Knorr brand, usually found near the pasta)

Fresh spinach leaves to taste

olive oil

salt

pepper

Cut the pork almost in half, then starting at the middle, cut each side almost in half again so that it lays flat. Pound with a meat mallet to get the pork an even thickness. Spread the cream cheese over the pork evenly, leaving about 1 inch around the edges. Lay the roasted red peppers over the cream cheese then top with the bacon. Evenly sprinkle the pesto seasoning over the red pepper layer, then top with the desired amount of spinach. Starting at one of the short ends, roll the pork up jelly roll style. Using kitchen twine, tie the roast closed with about 3 or 4 pieces of the twine. (At this point, I wrapped in plastic and chilled until ready to cook.)

To cook the pork, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place pork in a baking dish; drizzle with the olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 60 - 90 minutes until pork is cooked through. Let it stand about 10 minutes, then slice it and serve it!