Slow Cooker Pork Loin

I am absolutely LOVING this whole menu planning kick...Why on earth didn't I do this sooner?  It has saved so much of my time, money and sanity!  No more wondering "what's for dinner?" when nothing is thawed or ready.  In my planning on Sunday, I decided to do a crock pot tenderloin.  It turned out so flavorful and moist, it really had a beef-like flavor!  Served with some mashed potatoes and corn, it made a nice comforting mid-week meal.

Slow Cooker Pork Loin

Recipe courtesy of AllRecipes

Ingredients

• 1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
• 1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup red wine
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

 Directions

• Place pork tenderloin in a slow cooker with the contents of the soup packet. 
• Pour water, wine, and soy sauce over the top, turning the pork to coat. 
• Carefully spread garlic over the pork, leaving as much on top of the roast during cooking as possible. 
• Sprinkle with pepper, cover, and cook on low setting for 4 hours. 
• Serve with cooking liquid on the side as au jus.

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

For Sweetest Day (basically a Hallmark Holiday celebrated here in the Mid-West), my parents were coming over to drop off my dog to watch while they go to Vegas.  I wanted to make an easy and different meal than my normal lasagna or pot roast....pork tenderloin fit the bill exactly because I've NEVER made pork tenderloin before!  I decided to be ambitious and make a stuffed pork tenderloin, which turned out absolutely wonderful!!!  Everyone raved about this dish and I have to admit, it turned out so flavorful and delicious, even though I'm not a huge pork fan!  I will make it again, it looked very elegant, but was so easy!

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients

• 1 large or 2 small pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat
• 1/3 cup of olive oil
• 3 tbs. of Dijon mustard
• 2 tbs. of soy sauce
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 tbs. butter
  
• 1 cup of baby Bella mushrooms, chopped
  
• 1 cup of fresh baby spinach, de-stemmed and chopped
  
• 2 cups boxed/bagged stuffing mix
• 1 cup water
• Kitchen Twine

Directions

• In a glass 9x13 baking dish, combine olive oil, Dijon, soy sauce, pepper & garlic.  Whisk together until combined.  
• Lay out pork tenderloin on a cutting board and slice through longways, but not all the way through.  Lay open and pound out into a thin rectangle, as evenly as possible.  (If you have a second smaller tenderloin, repeat with that one as well).
• Lay pork into the marinade mixture and turn to coat each side evenly.  Seal the top with plastic wrap and refrigerate to marinate for up to 8 hours, but a couple hours is good.
• Meanwhile, heat butter over medium high heat and add mushrooms and spinach, sautee until tender.  
• Add the stuffing mix and water, stirring to combine, cover, turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  
• Remove pork from refrigerator and lay out on cutting board.
• Take spoonfuls of stuffing mixture and lay down the middle of the rectangle.
• Roll up the sides of the tenderloin to the middle, covering the stuffing mixture and tying with twine that's been soaked in water to secure.
• Place a rack on a baking sheet and lay the stuffed tenderloin on top of the rack.
• Cook at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes until pork reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees.
• Remove and let rest for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving with the sauce/gravy of your choice.