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My stuffed pork loin makes the most impressive main dish at dinner parties, holidays, or when I want to throw a special dinner for my family. It’s easy to prep and cooks in under 30 minutes.
Try my stuffed salmon, stuffed pork chops, stuffed chicken breast, and stuffed meatloaf next.
If you thought my classic roast pork was impressive, wait until you try my family-favorite stuffed pork loin recipe.
I love serving this show-stopping stuffed pork for elegant dinner parties and holidays, but it’s simple enough to throw together during the week. You can assemble the stuffed pork ahead of time and cook it whenever you need a stress-free dinner.
Pork loin VS pork tenderloin
It’s super important before you make my recipe to understand that pork loin and pork tenderloin are NOT the same cut of pork!
Pork loin is a larger, wider cut that comes from the back of the pig and is best for roasting or stuffing, while pork tenderloin is a smaller, leaner cut from the muscle along the backbone and is more tender.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- It’s quick and easy. Stuffing, rolling, and cooking the pork loin is surprisingly simple and on the table in less than 30 minutes.
- The wow-factor! Pork loin on its own is impressive, but once you stuff it with cheese and prosciutto, it’s a showstopper.
- Easy to customize. I like to change up the cheese, add different vegetables, and even skip the cured meat completely.
Ingredients needed
- Pork loin. Choose a center-cut pork loin that is uniform in shape, bright pink in color has very little marbled fat and has no odors or discoloration. I like to get my pork loin from the butcher. You’ll need to butterfly the pork before prepping my recipe so check the notes below on how to do so.
- Dry spices. You need salt, garlic powder, and black pepper to season the meat.
- Prosciutto. The first layer of the stuffing is thinly sliced prosciutto. I tested this with Pancetta and it worked just as well.
- Baby spinach. Use fresh spinach, please, not frozen.
- Mozzarella cheese. I recommend slicing your own mozzarella VS buying the pre-shredded kind. It not only holds its shape better (no cheese seeping out!), but it melts better, too.
- Pickled red pepper. For a layer of tart, sweet, and slightly spicy flavors.
- Oil. For greasing the cast iron skillet and searing the meat.
How to butterfly a pork loin
- Use a knife to trim the excess fat or silver skin.
- Lay the meat on a cutting board and make a lengthwise cut directly down the middle, but not all the way through. Pull the two halves apart like a book.
- Place a taut piece of plastic wrap over the meat and gently pound it with a meat mallet to get an even thickness.
How to make stuffed pork loin
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1 – Season the pork. After butterflying, season the meat on both sides with salt, garlic powder, and black pepper.
Step 2 – Stuff the pork loin. Place a single layer of prosciutto slices on top of the butterflied pork, followed by a layer of baby spinach. Next, add the mozzarella cheese, and pickled peppers.
Step 3 – Roll the meat. Starting at the bottom, roll the pork loin into a tight pinwheel. Secure the seams with toothpicks and meat twine.
Step 4 – Brown the meat. Heat the oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, place the stuffed pork in the skillet and sear it on all sides until browned and golden.
Step 5 – Finish it in the oven. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the pork is cooked through. Rest, slice, and serve.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Don’t skip the sear! Searing the pork in the cast iron seals in the succulent flavors and creates a golden, crisped crust.
- You’ll know the pork is fully cooked when a meat thermometer inserted in the center reaches an internal temperature of 63°C/145°F.
- Remember to let it rest. Let the pork rest for 10 to 15 minutes after it’s done cooking. This gives the pork juices time to soak back into the meat, making it more tender.
- Slice the pork against the grain so everything stays in place and it’s a seamless cut.
Variations
- Meat. Try cooked bacon, sausage crumbles, or thinly sliced ham.
- Vegetables. Swap the pickled peppers for sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, olives, or a mix of sauteed mushrooms, onion, and garlic.
- Fruit. Apples, pairs, and cranberries pair perfectly with pork. Just be sure to cook them until fork-tender beforehand.
- Cheese. You can stuff any good quality melting cheese into the pork, like cream cheese, gouda, feta, or Swiss.
Nuts. Add a layer of chopped almonds, pecans, or walnuts for a soft crunch.
Herbs. Sprinkle in freshly chopped parsley, rosemary, thyme, or sage.
Storage instructions
To store: Allow the leftover stuffed pork loin to cool to room temperature before wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap or foil. Keep the wrapped pork in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To freeze: Let it cool, then wrap the meat in a layer of plastic or foil. Place it in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 4 months.
To reheat: Warm the pork loin in a 135°C/275°F oven until the internal temperature reaches 74°C/165°F.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can butterfly, fill, and assemble the stuffed pork 1 to 2 days ahead of cooking and serving. Wrap the pork in plastic and store it in the fridge. When it’s time to eat, let the meat come down to room temperature by placing it on the kitchen counter for 20 to 30 minutes before cooking.
It’s important NOT to overcook the pork loin, which is why I’m so pedantic about using a meat thermometer. It’s the foolproof method of knowing when the pork is cooked so it will never be dry.
More delicious pork dinners
- Pork butt roast
- Instant Pot pork roast
- Smoked pork roast
- Grilled pork tenderloin
- Or any of my pork recipes
Stuffed Pork Loin
Video
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds pork loin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 ounces prosciutto sliced
- 2 ounces baby spinach
- 3 ounces mozzarella cheese sliced
- 1 1/2 ounces roasted red peppers
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
- Discard the silver skin from the pork loin. Butterfly the pork by cutting a slit down the loin lengthwise and opening the meat flat, like a book. Cover it with plastic wrap and lightly pound it to get an even thickness.
- Cover the pork loin with a single layer of prosciutto slices, followed by a layer of baby spinach. Top it with mozzarella cheese and roasted red peppers.
- Roll the pork loin tightly and secure the seams with toothpicks and tie the meat with meat twine.
- Heat the oil in an iron skillet over medium-high heat until it starts smoking. Sear the meat from all sides until it gets a nice brown color.
- Place the skillet in an oven and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145F. Leave the meat to rest after cooking for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published May 2023, updated and republished October 2024
made this today. I did use a meat thermometer to 145 degrees. The red peppers were great in this recipe. Don’t forget to season with salt, pepper and garlic powder before layering.
I made this a couple of months ago and remember I had opened it in my browser. Hopefully I pinned it as well, I will for sure now! I’m so glad it’s still open in my browser this morning, because it’s whats for dinner!
This is definitely a keeper! I will make extra sure to pound my pork loin more thin than I did last time and I’ll layer in extra prosciutto to use the whole package (I had let half pack go bad last time). This pork loin is delicious, juicy and tender!
I’m giving this five stars for ease and simplicity. (Except for wrapping it with butchers twine, I needed my husband’s help but I think my pork loin is more than 1-1/2#.) I went to Google to remind myself of the proper internal temperature to bake our dinner tonight. It should be 145*-160* but its recommended clpser to 145* unless uou cant handle the brighter pink. I’ve seared my pork loin and have it roasting in the oven now. I believe this recipe will be a keeper! Thank you so much!
I’m giving this five stars for ease and simplicity. (Except for wrapping it with butchers twine, I needed my husband’s help but I think my pork loin is more than 1-1/2#.) I went to Google to remind myself of the proper internal temperature to bake our dinner tonight. I’ve seared my pork loin and have it roasting in the oven now. I believe this recipe will be a keeper! Thank you so much!