Featuring Filippo Berio Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

Please note: This post has been sponsored by Filippo Berio. All opinions are our own.
Stuffed roasts are a great main course during the winter and holiday season. We happen to love pork loin and combining it with some special ingredients creates both a stunning visual dish and one that tastes absolutely amazing. And this holiday, we have teamed up with Filippo Berio and their wonderful products to make this Spinach and Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Stuffed Pork Tenderloin.
What is in this Spinach and Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Stuffed Pork Tenderloin?
Filippo Berio produces great olive oils and pesto products, and for this recipe we used both! This year is far from normal, but we feel that it should be just as special even if we cannot gather with our loved ones in the usual way.
For our holiday roast this year, we chose a smaller pork tenderloin – which is about 1-1.5 lbs and serves between 2 and 4 – but you could certainly use a large pork loin and adjust the stuffing and ingredients as needed for larger groups. Either way, the stuffing and flavoring really takes this dish to the next level.
So, let’s break down the dish for you…
The Stuffing

Although any of the pestos Filippo Berio makes would be great choices to flavor the roast, we chose the Sun Dried Tomato Pesto and absolutely loved how it brightened up this roast! Coating the inside of the pork loin with the pesto and then stuffing the loin with sautéed spinach and toasted pecans not only makes a stunning presentation but adds texture and flavor to the pork.
What makes this dish look amazing is the roll on the caramelized pork loin with a vibrant green from the spinach and a hint of bright red from the Filippo Berio Sun Dried Tomato Pesto. If you have never made a stuffed pork loin (or other stuffed roast, for that matter), please don’t be intimidated. This isn’t that difficult, and the only special thing you may need is kitchen twine. Once it is roasted and sliced, the presentation will be a visual hit.
But visual is only part of the battle, and anyone who has seen Christmas Vacation knows that! What makes this roast work so well is the complementary components of taste and the spinach that keeps the pork from drying out on the inside.
The pesto brings the perfect amount of sweetness and pop of flavor needed to make this dish a superstar. You can try the Filippo Berio Sun Dried Tomato Pesto on its own and tell that it will elevate a humble pork loin, among other things. Adding lightly sautéed spinach and just a few toasted pecans for an unexpected texture and flavor enhancer and this dish will probably be made more than once! In fact, it’s perfect for any time of year in our opinion!
How to make Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Making a stuffed pork tenderloin is really quite simple! You will need to butterfly the pork tenderloin. This means you need to make one cut down the middle of the tenderloin, lengthwise, about 2/3 of the way through. Then open the two sides up and lightly pound out the meat about 1/4 inch thick.
The best tool to pound out the meat is a meat mallet. But if you do not own one of these, you can use anything with a flat side that has some weight to it (think hammer) – a wine bottle could work if you don’t have anything else laying around!
Pounding out the meat allows you to roll the stuffing inside easier and create that beautiful spiral. But this also tenderizes the meat a bit.
Once you have a nice flattened piece of pork, stuffing it is easy! Spread the pesto first, followed by the spinach and finally the toasted pecans. Then you just roll it up!
Keeping it together will require some kitchen twine, or toothpicks at a minimum. Kitchen twine is easy to find and is your best bet here. Slide pieces of twine under the rolled pork, then tie it up fairly tight. We don’t want to lose any of that stuffing during the cooking process!
Cooking the Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
The pork is seared then roasted. Searing the pork gives it a nice brown color on the outside with a bit of caramelization before roasting it. Believe us, you don’t want to skip the searing step!
To sear, we used Filippo Berio Olive Oil over medium-high heat. The goal here is to sear for 1-2 minutes a side until all sides are golden brown.
You will then transfer the pork to a roasting pan or place the entire skillet in the oven if using a stainless steel or cast iron skillet.
The pork will take about 12-20 minutes to get to an internal temp of 145°F but use a meat thermometer to check it after 12 minutes. Depending on the size of your pork, it may need a bit more time to cook through the middle.
While the pork roasts, you can complete your sauce.
Red Wine Reduction
The sauce we chose to make is purely optional, but who doesn’t like a light red wine reduction? We’re not talking about a heavy butter-laden sauce here, but just a tart-sweet red and port wine concoction with some thyme and a touch of honey. This is easy to make and doesn’t need much babysitting, but it does take a bit of time and patience so it can be started well ahead of time.
We generally like to get the sauce going before preparing the pork, just to ensure that it reduces properly so plan ahead on this one, so the sauce is ready as soon as the pork comes out of the oven.
This red wine reduction can be made to drizzle over the Spinach and Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Stuffed Pork Tenderloin!
Enjoy!
We hope you enjoy this recipe for Spinach and Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Stuffed Pork Tenderloin! This dish is simple but refined – both in looks and taste. Give it a try and you won’t be disappointed!
If you give this recipe a try, leave us a comment below, or tag us on Instagram @cooking_with_wine!

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This is stunning! Love how you used the pesto and I can just imagine how flavorful this roast is! Happy Holidays to you two!! xo – Anita
Thank you! The flavors are phenomenal!
This looks so good! I am putting this on my must-make list for Sunday dinner!
Wonderful! I hope you like it!