When this bacon wrapped pork tenderloin hits the table, you just know the meal will be spectacular. All the savory, smoky goodness vividly comes to life on your taste buds, then softened out by creamy mashed potatoes and earthy green beans. It's a fine dining experience you'll have a grand time indulging in.
Is This Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin Healthy?
We have calculated the amounts to ensure everything balances out, so you can indulge in this dish without worrying too much about compromising your diet. Each serving offers a whopping 482 calories, 7.7 g saturated fat, and 585 mg sodium—all of which are kept well within health standards.
Nutrition-wise, pork is also a valuable source of various essential vitamins, minerals, and others. Not only is it protein-rich, but it’s also abundant in vitamins B6 and B12, as well as heme iron and zinc. Furthermore, compared to other meat cuts, tenderloin is relatively lean, which keeps the fat to a minimum.
Bacon, contrary to popular belief, is not all grease and unhealthy fats. It can offer B vitamins, choline, magnesium, potassium, and many others. Just make sure you regulate the amount. According to WebMD, a bit of indulgence every once in a while is fine, just make sure it's not an everyday overconsumption issue.
Main Ingredients
Impressive in appearance as it may be, this dish doesn't require too many elaborate ingredients to put together. Here's all you'll need:
- Pork: Obviously, pork tenderloin is the meat cut of choice here. It's lean and boneless with a mild, delicate taste. When choosing this meat cut, make sure to go for a pinkish-red color, with some marbling for extra flavors.
- Bacon: Any variety that you have readily available will do. However, make sure that the strips are long enough to wrap around the pork.
- Seasonings: We used salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder. Simple as this may seem, it's more than enough to infuse the dish with savory flavors.
- Side serving: On the side, we included some mashed potatoes and cooked green beans to round out the dish and enhance its nutritional value.
- Other ingredients: As always, unsalted butter and olive oil are essential. Plus a little chopped parsley for garnishing.
What to Serve With Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
Loaded with vegetables, legumes, and protein, this dish is as complete as can be. That said, a light side dish wouldn't hurt either. If you’d like some freshness to balance out the intense, hearty taste of the main course, salads like this Greek salad or zucchini salad are excellent.
Creamy soups, on the other hand, might be perfect for creating a true fine dining experience. We recommend giving our carrot soup, potato soup, and garlic soup a try.
How to Store and Reheat
There are two ways to store the leftovers:
- In the fridge: You can store the uneaten bacon-wrapped pork in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- In the freezer: Put it in freezer-safe containers and keep it for up to 3 months. Write the date outside, so you’ll know how long it’s been since you started freezing it. When you want to eat it again, defrost it by placing it in the fridge for 24 hours or until completely thawed.
As for reheating, the microwave is always the easiest, quickest choice. However, if you want it to taste as close to the original dish as possible, a quick sear on the pan should do the trick.
How to make Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
A restaurant-worthy dish that comes alive right in the comfort of your kitchen, this bacon wrapped pork tenderloin is a no-brainer for fancy dinner nights.
- by Luna Regina, 2024-04-21
- cook TIME 50 mins
- prep TIME 10 mins
- total TIME 1 hr
- COURSE Main dish
- CUISINE American
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 482 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 20 oz pork tenderloin
- 4 oz raw cured bacon
- 24 oz potato (sliced into cubes)
- 8 oz green bean (ends removed)
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt (divided)
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 2 tbsp parsley (chopped)
INSTRUCTIONS
Season the pork: Dry rub 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp paprika all over 20 oz pork tenderloin.
Sear the pork: In a pan over medium heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil and wait for it to heat up. Then, sear the seasoned pork for a few minutes on each side until it’s golden-brown.
Prepare the wrap: Lay 3 bacon strips lengthwise onto a chopping board or plate, then place the pork tenderloin in the middle.
Wrap the pork: Wrap the pieces tightly around the pork. Secure with toothpicks when done.
Sear the meat: In a pan over medium heat. Then, put the bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin onto the pan and sear for around 5 minutes on each side until the edges are browned.
Preheat the oven to 375 °F to prepare for step 6.
Bake the pork tenderloin: Transfer the pan from the stove to the oven. Bake at 375 °F for around 20 minutes until the bacon is bronze and the meat is nicely browned.
Microwave the potatoes: In the meantime, put 24 oz potato into a microwave-safe bowl, cover it with a plastic wrap, and microwave for 10 minutes.
Mash the potatoes: Add 1 tbsp unsalted butter and 1/4 tsp salt then mash everything together until the potatoes are smooth and creamy.
Microwave the green beans: Put 8 oz green beans into a microwave-safe bowl, cover it with a plastic wrap, and microwave for 10 minutes.
Slice the pork tenderloin: Let the baked pork rest for around 5 minutes, then transfer it onto a chopping board and slice it into thick rolls.
Garnish and serve: Baste the meat with the drippings from the pan before serving it with the mashed potatoes and garnish with 2 tbsp parsley.
NUTRITION
Luna Regina
Writer, Author