Project Meal Plan: 5 EASY AWESOME DINNERS
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 chopped
Side of Wild Rice
- Cooked rice minus 1/4 cup used to stuff tenderloin
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 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 1/4 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 1/4 cup wild rice followed by the cheese mixture. Roll pork tenderloin up the long way and tie with kitchen string every 1 1/2 - 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 1/4 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.