Stuffed Pork Loin

I rarely put a lot of effort into the dinners that I prepare. There are a few occasions that I make something nice, but on a normal night when I'm just cooking for little ol' me I'd rather save the time and effort and whip up a quick, easy dinner. But a blog full of quick, easy dinners isn't fun! So to challenge myself, I found a stuffed pork loin recipe off of the Poor Girl Eats Well blog, made a few adjustments to the original recipe, and made this dinner.

The prep work and time spent in the kitchen was a little excessive, at least compared to what I'm used to, but the outcome of the meal was very good! I was impressed with how well the pork rolls stayed together, which made a nice presentation (this picture doesn't do it justice). I made this stuffed pork loin with quinoa (and included this in the recipe), but you can certainly make the pork and serve it with rice, potatoes, or any other sides. If you feel like putting a little extra effort into your next dinner, give this stuffed pork loin a try!

Stuffed Pork Loin
(Serves roughly 3)

Stuffed Pork Loin:
1 lb. pork loin
1 bag spinach
1 tsp minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp Mediterranean seasoning
1/4 cup reduced fat feta cheese
1/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth
toothpicks

Mediterranean Quinoa:
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup low sodium vegetable broth
1/4 cup reduced fat feta cheese
1 tsp Mediterranean seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Mediterranean Quinoa: Prepare quinoa by adding vegetable broth and quinoa to a pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer, and cover for 15 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. When quinoa is done cooking, add all of the seasonings and feta cheese.

Stuffed Pork Loin: Heat a skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray; add entire bag of spinach, salt and pepper to taste, Mediterranean seasoning, and minced garlic. Saute until spinach is wilted.

Prepare pork loin by slicing it in half horizontally. Next, cut each half into 2 inch wide slices. Cut these slices in half. You should end up with pieces that are about 2 inches wide by 3 inches long. Season each side with salt and pepper. Take one piece of pork and put some spinach and feta cheese in it. Roll it up, and secure with toothpicks. Repeat for each piece of pork.

Spray saute pan with cooking spray. Place rolled pork in saute pan over medium heat. Cook pork for about 4 minutes. Turn to cook other side. Cook for another 3-4 minutes. Continue turning pork to cook evenly. Add vegetable broth to de-glaze pan. When pork is nearly done (very little pink is left), reduce heat to med-low, cover, and steam the pork for another 5 minutes.

Serve pork over quinoa. 

Print this recipe!

Nutritional Info (for pork and quinoa)
Servings Per Recipe: 3
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 347.0
Total Fat: 13.7g
Cholesterol: 68.2mg
Sodium: 1043.0mg
Total Carbs: 24.2g
Fiber: 4.1g
Protein: 35.6g

Nutritional Info (for pork)
Servings Per Recipe: 3
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 229.2
Total Fat: 11.1g
Cholesterol: 61.5mg
Sodium: 782.4mg
Total Carbs: 5.6g
Fiber: 2.4g
Protein: 28.0g

Pros:
-Impressive presentation
-Tasty
-Ready in an hour

Cons:
-High in sodium (mostly from feta cheese and pork loin; try getting low sodium versions)
-Extensive prep work

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5