Pork Loin Stuffed with Spinach, Arugula, Goat Cheese & Fennel

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

4.5 lb pork loin

11 oz goat cheese

5 oz bag of spinach & arugula mix

1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced (discard green tops or use for future recipe!)

1 onion, thinly sliced - half for filling, half for roasting pan

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 cup white wine, divided

1 cup chicken broth

2 tbsp ground mustard

Olive oil for cooking

Directions:

Start by making your filling --

Heat a pan over medium heat and a drizzle of olive oil. Add fennel, garlic, and half the onion to the pan. Cook until fragrant and onions are translucent, about five minutes.

Add in the spinach and arugula. Cook until wilted, about three minutes.

Remove from pan and finely chop the mixture. Place into a bowl with goat cheese and mix until combined. (*Tip* - bring your goat cheese to room temperature to mix more easily).

While making your filling, pre-heat oven to 375*F. Time to prep the pork loin!

Carefully cut open the pork loin with a sharp knife. You can butterfly the loin to make this step easier, but we essentially cut ours in a spiralized motion to create one long flat surface, about 1/2 inch thick. This method allows us to evenly disperse the filling throughout the pork.

TADA!!!

Stab the pork with a meat tenderizer if you have one. Coat one side of the loin with mustard, spreading evenly. Spread your filling mixture over the mustard layer, leaving two inches at the top of the loin (filling will move as you roll up the pork).

Carefully roll the pork into a tight spiral. It is ok if some filling comes out the sides.

Once rolled, tie butcher's twine around the loin to keep it intact for cooking (or use toothpicks).

At this point, you can sear the loin in a hot pan prior to roasting but we didn't feel it was necessary (and we wanted to be a little lazy). Instead, we scored the fat on the top of the loin and crisped it in the oven. To do this, simply add some small cuts to the fat at the top of the rolled pork loin, without cutting through to the meat.

Place the pork loin in a roasting pan with a wire rack. Add remaining half onion slices to the bottom of the pan, along with 1/2 cup of white wine. This will be the base for your pan sauce once the pork is finished cooking, along with all the pan drippings from the pork.

Roast your pork loin at 375*F for 45 minutes. Increase the heat to 475*F and cook for an additional 15 minutes, or until the fatty areas start to crisp and pork is fully cooked.

Place pork loin on a cutting board and allow to rest for about 15 minutes. Let's make the sauce!

While the pork is resting, bring a small saucepan of chicken broth and remaining wine to a boil. Add in onions and pan drippings, decrease heat and allow to simmer until thickened, whisking occasionally. If you prefer smooth sauces, you can strain this once cooked. We did not.

Slice your pork loin and serve with sauce drizzled on top! We served ours with bacon & cheese mashed potatoes, but you can opt for a healthier option (like green beans or a side salad). "Healthy" has not been our strong suit since this pandemic started. :-)

Enjoy!