Italian stuffed pork loin is a wonderfully flavored roast that’s perfect for holidays and gatherings. Pork loin is stuffed with a mixture of garlic, pignoli, orange zest, and rosemary, and roasted until golden on the outside, but incredibly moist and tender on the inside.
Italian stuffed pork loin is one of our favorite roasts to make for the holidays.
While we also love porchetta, this stuffed pork loin is easier, quicker, and less expensive to make.
It’s loaded with the same flavor combo of orange/rosemary/garlic/pignoli and is picky eater approved!
We love to serve stuffed pork loin with a variety of sides like rosemary lemon smashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, baked cauliflower, or asparagus.
How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- In the bowl of a food processor combine 1/4 cup pignoli nuts, 2 tablespoons of fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, 3 tablespoons of fresh rosemary leaves, 1/4 cup of chopped flat-leaf parsley, 5 cloves of garlic, 3 tablespoons of orange zest, and 1/4 cup of olive oil. Blend until a paste is formed, adding more olive oil as needed if the mixture is too dry. If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a mortar and pestle or chop it all by hand. Set the paste aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350f and set a rack to the middle level. With a very sharp knife, cut lengthwise about 1/3 from the bottom of a 3 1/2 to 4-pound pork loin taking care to not cut all the way through. If the loin is thick, you may need to continue cutting and unrolling it. If the loin is thinner, it can be cut in the middle and simply be opened like a book after the initial cut.
- Cover the unrolled loin with plastic wrap and pound with the flat side of a meat mallet.
- Dry off both sides of the pork loin and place it fat side down. Place 4-5 lengths of butcher’s twine (about 2 inches apart) under the loin and season the inside of the pork with 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and half of the paste.
- Roll up the pork loin.
- Once rolled, tie up the loin tightly with a double knot.
- Season the loin with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and the remaining paste until it’s completely coated. Place the loin in a baking dish or oven-safe pan. If you have one, insert an oven-safe digital thermometer into the center of the roast so you can easily monitor the temperature of the pork and place it in the oven.
- Roast the loin until the internal temperature reaches 135-140f, about 60-70 minutes. Remove from the oven and tent with foil while it sits for 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Top tips
- The fat. The beautiful color on this roasted pork loin can be attributed to the fat. While roasting, the fat gets ultra crispy and brown and is just wonderful. For this reason, it’s important you place the fat side down when seasoning. This will ensure that once rolled, the fat side is exposed to the outside.
- Rolling vs. not rolling. If you prefer to not roll the pork loin, you can leave it intact and cut slits into the loin in which you can stuff some of the paste. Rolling will create a prettier presentation but not rolling is slightly easier, so do whichever you prefer!
- Temperature. Pork should be cooked to an internal temperature of 140f. For this reason, I recommend using a digital oven-safe thermometer.
- Pork tenderloin? A pork loin makes a lot of pork and for that reason is great for holidays or gatherings. If you want to make a smaller version for fewer people, you can use a tenderloin. You’d need less paste, and less cooking time, but the tenderloin should still be cooked to 140f.
- Sauce. This stuffed pork loin is delicious as is and you don’t really need a sauce. But if you want one in about 15 minutes do this: transfer a 1/4 cup of the fat drippings into a saucepan. Saute 1 minced shallot in the drippings until soft over medium heat then add in a 1/4 cup of flour and cook for 1 minute or until golden. Whisk in 1 1/2 cups of low-sodium chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste and there you have a simple pork gravy.
More roast recipes
Here are a few more roast meat recipes we think you’ll love.
- Boneless leg of lamb – roasted with rosemary and garlic.
- Prime rib – tender and juicy beef with au jus.
- Roast chicken – with garlic butter, rosemary, and thyme.
- Turkey breast – dry brined and super moist.
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Italian Stuffed Pork Loin
Ingredients
- 1 3 1/2-4 pound pork loin
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
For the paste
- 1/4 cup pignoli nuts
- 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves only
- 1/4 cup flat leaf Italian parsley chopped
- 5 cloves garlic chopped
- 3 tablespoons orange zest
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
For the paste
- Mix together all of the paste ingredients in a food processor or mortar and pestle until a paste is formed. If the paste is too dry add a touch more olive oil.
For the pork
- Preheat oven to 350f and set the rack to the middle level.
- With a very sharp knife cut lengthwise about 1/3 from the bottom of the loin without cutting all of the way through. You can then continue to cut to unroll the loin and then pound it flat to equal thickness with a meat mallet. If the loin is on the thinner side it can be simply cut open like a book and pounded flat to equal thickness.
- Dry off both sides of the pork loin and lay it facing fat side down. Place 4-5 lengths of butcher's twine under the loin. Season the inside of the pork loin with 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and distribute half of the paste.
- Roll up and tie the pork loin. Season the loin with the remaining salt and spread on all of the remaining paste until completely coated.
- Place the loin into a baking dish or oven-safe pan and roast until the internal temperature reaches 140f (about 60-70 minutes). An oven-safe digital thermometer placed into the center of the roast while cooking makes the process very easy.
- Tent the roast with foil and let it sit for 15 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use an oven-safe digital thermometer placed into the center of the roast while cooking to ensure a juicy perfectly cooked pork loin.
- Leftovers can be saved in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Jim! I’m making this for a family dinner this Sunday. I would like to prep the day before. Should I wait to apply the outside paste until ready to put in the oven or applying the day before will work? Also, we ordered a 6 lb pork loin…should I adjust paste ingredients up? Thank you!! Love your recipes 😊
Hi Daria, you can apply the outside paste ahead of time, however, it may not brown as well so you’d be better off holding off on applying the outside paste until right before you plan to cook it. You can adjust the paste ingredients up by 50% to accomodate the 6 lb. Hope you enjoy!
Thank you!
Jim, I did a test, using a 2lb roast, it is outstanding so will be making a 4lb version for a special dinner party in 2 wks. I want to order a roasting pan, looks so much nicer than my old stainless roast pan. Is your pan stoneware? Can you tell me the approx size of yours and if there is a particular brand you love. Thank you for any direction you can offer on this.
Hi Den, the pan used in these pictures is stone and it was from the Williams Sonoma outlet. It was about 9×13. Jim often finds his pans from Home Goods or Home Sense, Williams Sonomoa outlet. When he does use something found on Amazon, he adds it to the shop here on the website. Hope that helps and glad you enjoyed the pork loin!
I could swear I watched a video on this a few weeks and now I can’t find it or YouTube nor can I find a link here. Am I crazy? Thanks!
Hi Kathe, we do not have a video for this one yet so perhaps you watched one from another creator?
Can I assemble this on Christmas Eve and then cook on Christmas Day for dinner? I am trying to assemble a menu that isn’t too taxing
Hi Suzanne, yes, you can prep the day before and cook on Christmas Day. Just be sure to pat it dry before you put it in the oven to remove any excess moisture. Jim recommends leaving it uncovered in the fridge (if you can), as it will help dry it out.
Your recipes are always amazing. They are easy to make and extremely delicious . Thank you for sharing.
Hi Fran, we’re so happy you’re enjoying the recipes and thanks for the comment!
Everything is delicious. I love your recipes. Thank you for making them available.
Hi Ann, thanks for the comment. We’re so happy you’re enjoying the recipes!
This was so delicious! Because there was only 3 of us we had fabulous leftovers for days!
Hi Patricia, I’m so happy you enjoyed the pork loin! Thanks so much for the comment and rating.
This Looks wonderful. Can i make in crockpot?
Hi Marilyn, I haven’t tested this recipe in a crockpot so I can’t say for sure. If you do happen to try it, please let us know how it turns out.