Pork Tenderloin With Stuffing

The kitchen is in full spring mode. The oven at 375 (always 375), the crockpot on the counter, the pantry stocked with jars from last August's canning — the evidence of a woman who preserves summer against winter and loss against forgetting and food against everything.

I made homemade pasta with butter and parmesan this week — the spring version, the one that fills the kitchen with the smell that means this time of year, this stage of life, this specific Tuesday when the stove is warm and the family is fed and the feeding is the point. Kevin ate seconds. The man always eats seconds. The eating is the approval and the approval is the marriage.

Seed starting continues at the Holloway household — the windowsill green, the grow lights purple, the soil mix precise. The annual miracle of February and March: things grow even when everything says they shouldn't. The growing is the argument against everything.

The crockpot was already on the counter when I started thinking about what to make next — something that rewards the kind of afternoon where the grow lights are humming and the seeds are doing their quiet work and all you want is a dinner that fills the kitchen the way a good meal should. Pork tenderloin with stuffing is that recipe for me: it goes in, it does its thing, and when Kevin sits down and reaches for seconds, I know the whole evening was worth it. It’s not fancy. It’s just right.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 1 hr 15 min | Total Time: 1 hr 30 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 lbs pork tenderloin (about 2 tenderloins)
1 box (6 oz) herb-seasoned stuffing mix
1 cup chicken broth
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kitchen twine, for tying

Instructions

Preheat oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish or roasting pan and set aside.
Make the stuffing. In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add celery and onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat, stir in stuffing mix, chicken broth, thyme, and sage until just combined. Let cool slightly.
Butterfly the tenderloins. Slice each tenderloin lengthwise down the center, cutting about 3/4 of the way through, then open like a book. Gently pound to an even thickness of about 1/2 inch.
Fill and roll. Spoon stuffing mixture evenly down the center of each tenderloin. Fold the sides up over the filling and tie closed with kitchen twine at 2-inch intervals to hold the shape.
Sear. Heat olive oil and remaining 2 tablespoons butter in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the stuffed tenderloins on all sides until browned, about 3–4 minutes per side. Transfer to prepared baking dish.
Roast. Season the outside with salt and pepper. Roast uncovered at 375°F for 25–35 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 145°F.
Rest and slice. Remove from oven and tent loosely with foil. Let rest 10 minutes before removing twine and slicing into 1-inch rounds to serve.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pork Tenderloin With Stuffing — The Crockpot on the Counter and the People Who Come Back for More