Bacon, Kale, and Pepperjack Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Tenderloin was on sale this week here at our store. Normally those packages come with 2 tenderloins and 1 is usually plenty to feed my family of 4, with a bit of leftovers even. So I froze one and decided to butterfly and stuff one. I had some kale and pepperjack in my fridge I needed to use up and I decided that bacon would compliment those flavors nicely.

Stuffing the pork loin sounds more complicated than it is. Don't be discouraged. Just set aside 30 minutes to prep earlier in the day (or the night before) and you can throw this into the oven later that night.

If you don't have food twine, you can use toothpicks. Just soak in hot water for 20 minutes (while you prep)

Bacon, Kale, and Pepperjack Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

1 pork tenderloin (I bought a 2.5 pound package and there were 2. You can freeze one or double the other ingredients)
4-5 slices bacon
2ish cups kale, curly or straight, stems removed and chopped. (I had the bagged, chopped, washed kale from the store by the lettuces)
1 tbsp balsamic or red wine vinegar (or even lemon juice)
3-4 oz pepperjack cheese, cubed, sliced, or shredded (I got cubes from Target.)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp parsley
3/4 tsp salt
black pepper

Butterfly the pork tenderloin. Here are some visuals.

Preheat the oven to 350

Cut the bacon into 1/2 inch strips and cook in a medium pan on medium heat. Cook until crisp, 5-8 minutes, stirring often. Use a slotted spoon and remove bacon.

Add kale to the pan with bacon juice. Stir 2-3 minutes, until wilted. Lightly salt and pepper and splash with vinegar or lemon juice. Let cool a bit.

Put a line of cheese down the middle of the pork. Distribute the bacon evenly, and top with the kale.

Slide pieces of twine under the pork loin at 2-3 nice intervals. Fold the pork over so it overlaps slightly and tie tight with the twine. Repeat for all. Roll pork over so seam is on the bottom.

Mix garlic, onion, parsley, salt, and pepper together and sprinkle over the pork.


Cook for 40-50 minutes, until 145 internal temperature. Let rest 5 minutes before removing twine at cutting.