Bacon, Wild Rice, and Goat Cheese Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
Pork tenderloin stuffed with turkey bacon, wild rice, jalapeño goat cheese, and chopped apples. There’s so much flavor going on here and it’s a perfect “date night in” kind of meal.
Ingredients
- 1-2 pound boneless pork tenderloin
- Salt/Pepper
- 4 strips bacon I used turkey bacon
- 4 oz goat cheese I used jalapeño: was very spicy!
- 1 cup wild rice uncooked
- 1 golden delicious apple cored and chopped
Side of Wild Rice
- Cooked rice minus ¼ cup used to stuff tenderloin
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 fresh basil leaves chopped
- 1 cup shredded parmesan
Instructions
Cook Rice
- In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add wild rice, reduce heat to a simmer and cook covered for about 45 minutes or per package instructions.
Cook Bacon
- Meanwhile, in a large pan add bacon without overlapping. Cook over medium low heat until crispy and fat is rendered. Remove from heat and set aside on a paper towel lined plate.
Make Filling
- In the same pan used for the bacon, add the chopped apple and cook on low for 5-6 minutes. Add goat cheese, chop up bacon and add to pan and stir often until cheese melts. Remove from heat
Prep Pork Tenderloin
- Preheat oven to 450℉. Set tenderloin on a cutting board and cut lengthwise to about ¼ inch thick being careful not to cut all the way through. Flatten the pork tenderloin with a meat tenderizer or place plastic wrap over the meat and use your fist like I did! Season with salt and pepper.
- Leaving a clean border around all the edges sprinkle about ¼ cup wild rice followed by the cheese mixture. Roll pork tenderloin up the long way and tie with kitchen string every 1½ - 2 inches. Season outside with a bit more salt and pepper, place on baking sheet and bake 30-35 minutes or until thermometer reads 160℉ with a 3 minute rest.
Side of Cheesy Wild Rice
- Over medium low heat, add 2 tablespoons butter, salt, pepper, garlic powder to wild rice. Continue stirring until butter melts. Add chopped basil leaves and parmesan cheese, stirring occasionally. Serve with pork.
Notes
For a lightened version serve pork tenderloin with side of fresh chopped apples rather than a side of cheesy wild rice.
If you cook wild rice the night before, go ahead and add ¼ cup refrigerated wild rice to stuff pork tenderloin and then proceed to warm wild rice with other listed ingredients if going to serve the cheesy wild rice as a side.