Gourmet Stuffed Pork Tenderloin: A Flavorful One-Pan Recipe with Caramelized Onions, Bacon, and Gruyère

This Stuffed Pork Tenderloin recipe was born from a desire to introduce something truly special and exciting into our regular meal rotation. I envisioned a dish that combined rich, comforting flavors with an elegant presentation, and the result is a culinary masterpiece. This “KendellKreation” brings together a symphony of tastes I adore, creating a dish that’s not only visually stunning but also incredibly satisfying. It’s more than just a meal; it’s an experience designed to impress and delight.

While the delicate art of caramelizing onions requires a bit of patience and time, the overall execution of this recipe is surprisingly straightforward and accessible to home cooks of all skill levels. The most crucial tool you’ll need is a very sharp knife for butterflying the pork tenderloins. However, if you have a trusted butcher, don’t hesitate to ask them to prepare the tenderloins for you; it’s a fantastic time-saver and ensures perfectly prepped meat. This initial prep sets the stage for a truly remarkable dish, proving that gourmet flavors can be achieved with relative ease in your own kitchen.

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Essential Ingredients for a Flavorful Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Each ingredient in this thoughtfully crafted recipe plays a pivotal role in building a complex and harmonious flavor profile. From the savory depth of the pork tenderloin to the sweet, umami-rich caramelized onions, every component contributes to a truly memorable dining experience. The star of the stuffing, creamy Gruyère cheese, melts beautifully, imparting a delightful nutty tang that perfectly complements the crispy, salty notes of the bacon. This combination creates a rich and luxurious interior. Furthermore, the slow caramelization of the onions, deglazed with aromatic white wine and savory chicken stock, and infused with fragrant thyme, evokes the comforting essence of a classic French onion soup. This deep, savory base pairs exquisitely with the Gruyère, creating layers of flavor that will tantalize your taste buds.

It’s crucial to distinguish between pork tenderloins and pork loin when selecting your meat for this recipe. We specifically call for pork tenderloins, which are significantly smaller, leaner, and inherently more tender than the larger, tougher pork loin. As their name suggests, tenderloins offer a melt-in-your-mouth texture and rich flavor that is ideal for stuffing. Their compact size also makes them much easier to butterfly, stuff, and cook evenly on the stovetop. While pork loin has its place in other dishes, for this elegant stuffed preparation, the tenderloin is truly non-negotiable for achieving the desired tenderness and gourmet appeal. They’re also fantastic for grilling whole or slicing into quick-cooking medallions, much like small steaks.

Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of the post, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe card with ingredient measurements and instructions.

Step-by-Step Method: Crafting Your Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

The journey to creating this exquisite Stuffed Pork Tenderloin begins with building foundational flavors right in your skillet. We start by crisping four slices of thick-cut bacon, carefully halved, in a generously sized skillet. This isn’t just about cooking bacon; it’s about rendering its fat, which will infuse the entire dish with a smoky, savory depth. This recipe is intentionally designed as a one-skillet wonder, minimizing cleanup and maximizing flavor. Opt for your largest, heaviest skillet – cast iron works beautifully – to ensure even cooking and enough space to comfortably manage all the components, ultimately leaving you with just one pan to wash.

Once the bacon has reached a perfect crispness, carefully remove it from the skillet and set it aside, reserving about one tablespoon of the rendered bacon fat in the pan. This precious fat will contribute immense flavor to our caramelized onions. Add the unsalted butter to the skillet, allowing it to melt and combine with the bacon fat. Then, introduce the thinly sliced yellow onions to the pan. Begin cooking them over medium heat, stirring occasionally. As the onions soften and start to glisten, and after they’ve taken on a light golden hue, season them generously with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Now, it’s time to deglaze the pan: pour in the white wine, scraping up any delicious browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. The wine not only adds a wonderful acidity but also helps lift all those flavorful fond bits, integrating them into the onions.

Allow the wine to simmer gently until it has completely evaporated, and the pan appears dry once more. This process concentrates the wine’s flavor and leaves a subtle sweetness. Next, add one-third of the chicken stock along with the fresh thyme sprigs. Continue to cook, stirring periodically, until this portion of the chicken stock has also evaporated. Repeat this process two more times, adding the remaining chicken stock in two equal increments. This slow and steady liquid addition, followed by evaporation, is the secret to achieving deeply flavorful and perfectly caramelized onions. By the time all the stock has been absorbed and evaporated, the onions will have transformed into a rich, deep golden-brown color, significantly reduced in volume, and boasting an incredibly sweet, savory, and umami-rich flavor.

The caramelization process for the onions is the longest step, typically requiring 30-40 minutes. This provides the perfect window to prepare your pork tenderloins. To butterfly each tenderloin, place it on a clean cutting board. With a very sharp knife, make a long, steady cut horizontally through the center of the tenderloin, stopping about half an inch from the opposite side, as if you’re opening a book. Then, open the tenderloin flat. For a thinner, more uniform thickness, you can gently pound the butterflied meat with a meat mallet or the flat side of a heavy pan, but for this recipe, a simple butterflying is often sufficient, allowing for a good amount of stuffing without being too thin. This technique creates a generous surface area for your delicious filling.

Once butterflied, season both sides of the pork tenderloins generously with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Now, it’s time for the delightful stuffing! On the butterflied side, evenly spread a layer of the shredded Gruyère cheese, followed by the wonderfully crisp, crumbled bacon you prepared earlier. Finally, spoon half of the richly caramelized onions over the bacon and cheese. Carefully roll up each filled tenderloin, securing it tightly with kitchen twine in four to five places along its length. This trussing ensures that the tenderloin maintains its shape during cooking and keeps all that incredible stuffing locked inside, creating a beautifully presented and perfectly stuffed pork tenderloin.

With your tenderloins expertly stuffed and trussed, it’s time to bring them to perfection in the very same skillet used for the onions – a testament to this dish’s one-pan efficiency. Return the skillet to medium heat and carefully place the trussed tenderloins in the hot pan. Sear them until beautifully browned on all sides. I find it helpful to visualize the tenderloin as having five distinct “sides,” gently turning it every 4-5 minutes to ensure an even, golden crust all the way around. This searing step not only adds incredible flavor and texture but also helps lock in the juices.

For those living in warmer climates, or simply preferring to keep the oven off, this recipe is designed to be completed entirely on the stovetop. Living in Texas, where oven usage is often avoided for much of the year due to heat, I’ve perfected this method. However, you certainly have the option to sear the tenderloins on about 3 sides until well-browned, and then transfer them to a preheated 400˚F (200˚C) oven to finish cooking. Continue baking until the internal temperature reaches 145˚F (63˚C) when measured with a meat thermometer, ensuring a perfectly cooked and juicy interior.

To ensure the pork tenderloins are cooked through and remain incredibly juicy when using the stovetop-only method, a crucial final step is to cover the pan. Towards the end of the searing process, once a beautiful crust has formed, place a tight-fitting lid on your skillet. If your skillet lacks a lid, a sheet of aluminum foil crimped tightly around the edges will work just as well. This traps the heat and moisture, allowing it to gently penetrate the center of the meat, finishing the cooking process without drying out the exterior. Reduce the heat to medium-low during this covered cooking period for optimal results.

Once cooked to perfection, the most important (and often overlooked) step is resting the meat. Turn off the heat and allow the tenderloins to rest, still covered in the pan, for approximately 10 minutes. This resting period is vital; it allows the juices within the meat to redistribute, ensuring every slice is succulent and tender. After resting, carefully remove the kitchen twine. Garnish the tenderloins generously with the small portion of caramelized onions you wisely reserved earlier, adding another layer of flavor and visual appeal. Now, your magnificent Stuffed Pork Tenderloin is ready to be sliced into thick, inviting rounds and savored. I particularly enjoy serving this dish over a bed of my Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette, which adds a bright, tangy counterpoint to the rich pork and onions, transforming this homemade meal into a truly restaurant-quality experience.

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📖 Recipe

Yield: 2 pork tenderloins

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Prep Time:
50 minutes

Cook Time:
30 minutes

Total Time:
1 hour 20 minutes

This gourmet Stuffed Pork Tenderloin recipe was created to bring something truly special to your meal rotation. Featuring luscious caramelized onions, crispy bacon, and creamy Gruyère cheese, it’s a one-pan culinary delight that’s both impressive and surprisingly achievable.

Ingredients

• 4 slices Thick-Cut Bacon
• 3 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
• 4 large Yellow Onions, sliced (about 4 cups)
• Kosher Salt, Morton’s
• Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
• ¼ cup White Wine, Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay
• 6-8 Thyme sprigs
• 2 cups Chicken Stock
• 2 Pork Tenderloins, butterflied
• 2 cups Gruyère Cheese, shredded

Instructions

In a 12 or 13-inch skillet, first cook the bacon till crisp over medium low heat. Pour out all but 1 tablespoon of the fat.

Add the butter and onions to the pan and turn the heat up to medium.

After 3-4 minutes and the onions begin to take on some color, season the onions with some salt and pepper and deglaze the pan with the wine.

Continue cooking till the pan goes dry again, then add the thyme and ⅓ of the chicken stock, and cook the onions stirring occasionally until the pan goes dry again. Add ⅓ more stock and continue this process till all the stock has been used.

By the time the last of the stock has dried up in the pan, the onions should be well caramelized. This whole process will take about 30-35 minutes.

While the onions are caramelizing, butterfly the tenderloins and season them on both sides with salt and pepper.

On the cut side of the tenderloin, layer on the cheese, bacon, and caramelized onions, reserving about ½ a cup for topping the loins once they have finished cooking.

Roll up the filled tenderloins and tie them up with kitchen twine in 4 or 5 places.

Place the rolled and trussed tenderloins back in the same pan you cooked the onions in, over medium heat until well browned all the way around, 4-5 minutes on each of 4 sides.

After you have browned the tenderloins all around, put a lid on the pan or cover it with aluminum foil and reduce the heat to medium low for 5 minutes.

Then turn off the heat and let the lions rest in the covered pan for 10 minutes.

After they tenderloins have rested, remove them from the pan and take off the cooking twine.

Top with the reserved onions, slice and enjoy!

Notes

Expert Notes & Tips for Stuffed Pork Tenderloin Success

To ensure a smooth and enjoyable cooking experience, keep these valuable tips in mind:

• Plan Ahead for Onions: The caramelization of onions is a slow, meditative process that cannot be rushed. Allocate a dedicated 30-40 minutes for this step, starting it well in advance. For ultimate convenience, especially when entertaining, you can caramelize the onions up to three days beforehand. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator, ready to be added to your tenderloins when needed. This foresight will significantly streamline your meal preparation on the day of cooking.
• Mastering the Butterfly Cut: When preparing your pork tenderloins, envision them as a rectangular block. With a very sharp, long knife, make precise, shallow cuts lengthwise, stopping just short of cutting all the way through. Continue making these parallel cuts until you can unfurl the tenderloin into a flat, even sheet. This method often requires about 6-8 strategic slices to achieve a perfectly butterflied piece of meat. While you can lightly pound it flatter with a meat mallet, it’s often not essential, as the meat naturally comes together beautifully when rolled. The goal is an even thickness that cooks uniformly and holds the stuffing securely.
• Don’t Fear the “Hole”: Even experienced cooks can sometimes make an accidental cut all the way through when butterflying. Should you inadvertently create a small hole or tear in your tenderloin, there’s no need to panic! Simply do your best to overlap the edges of the meat around the opening when you roll it up. A little cheese or onion might inevitably bubble out during cooking, but this is perfectly normal and often creates delightful crispy bits that add to the dish’s charm. The kitchen twine will also help hold everything together.
• Seasoning is Key: Don’t be shy with salt and pepper on your butterflied tenderloins. Pork tenderloin is a lean cut and benefits greatly from generous seasoning on both sides before stuffing to ensure every bite is flavorful.
• Resting is Essential: As with any cooked meat, allowing the stuffed tenderloins to rest for 10 minutes after cooking is critical. This period enables the internal juices to redistribute throughout the meat, resulting in a more tender, succulent, and moist final product. Skipping this step can lead to dry pork.
• Internal Temperature: For perfectly cooked pork tenderloin, aim for an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C) when measured with a reliable meat thermometer. This ensures the pork is safe to eat while remaining wonderfully juicy.

Versatile Substitutions to Customize Your Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

This recipe is wonderfully adaptable, allowing for several substitutions to suit your pantry, preferences, or dietary needs without compromising on flavor:

• Bacon Alternatives: While fresh, thick-cut bacon offers the best flavor and rendered fat, you can certainly opt for high-quality, real bacon bits if you’re short on time. If using pre-cooked bacon bits, I recommend lightly toasting them in the skillet for a minute or two before adding them to the stuffing. This step revitalizes their flavor and texture, ensuring they contribute that essential smoky crispness to the dish.
• Fat for Sautéing: Unsalted butter is preferred for caramelizing onions as it lends a rich, nutty flavor and promotes beautiful browning. However, if dietary restrictions or availability require, a neutral high-heat oil such as avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or even olive oil can be used in its place. While the flavor profile will be slightly different, the onions will still caramelize effectively.
• Onion Varieties: Any variety of onion will work for caramelizing, but yellow or red onions are particularly well-suited. Their slightly higher sugar content means they caramelize more readily and develop a deeper sweetness and richer color, enhancing the overall depth of the dish. Sweet onions like Vidalias are also an excellent choice.
• Wine Choices: A dry white wine, such as a Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay, is ideal for deglazing and infusing the onions with subtle complexity. You only need a small amount, so feel free to use a wine you enjoy drinking. If you prefer to avoid alcohol, a splash of apple cider vinegar or even a little extra chicken stock can be used for deglazing, though the wine adds a unique depth.
• Herb Options: Fresh thyme provides a classic, aromatic touch that harmonizes perfectly with the “French onion soup” notes. However, you can experiment with other hearty herbs like fresh rosemary, which offers a robust piney flavor, or oregano for a slightly bolder, more earthy profile. A blend of herbs de Provence would also be a fantastic addition.
• Broth Variations: Chicken stock is a fantastic base for caramelizing the onions, enriching their flavor significantly. For a deeper, more savory profile, beef stock or even vegetable stock can be used interchangeably. The key is to use a good quality stock to amplify the onion’s natural sweetness and umami.
• Pork Cut Confirmation: Reiterate the importance of using pork tenderloins (fillets), not pork loin (roast). Pork tenderloins are smaller, incredibly tender, and cook much faster, making them ideal for this stuffed and pan-seared preparation. A larger pork loin would require a different preparation method, likely involving significant oven time, and would not yield the same delicate results.
• Cheese Selection: Gruyère cheese is selected for its superior melting qualities and distinct nutty, tangy flavor. However, other creamy, good-melting cheeses can be wonderful substitutes. Consider Irish white cheddar for a sharper tang, Emmental for a classic Swiss flavor, or even a good quality fontina or provolone for a milder, buttery note. The goal is a cheese that adds moisture and flavor without becoming oily.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• Rösle Stainless Steel 12-inch Lock and Release Tongs
• John Boos MPL1812125G Chop-N-Slice Select Maple Edge Grain Cutting Board, 18 Inches x 12 Inches x 1.25 Inches
• Shun Classic 7″ Hollow Ground Santoku Knife w/Custom Engraving
• Lodge Manufacturing Company GL12 Tempered Glass Lid, 12″, Clear
• Lodge Cast Iron Skillet with Red Silicone Hot Handle Holder, 12-inch

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 299Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 428mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 1gSugar: 5gProtein: 17g

This is an estimated caloric value, actual numbers may differ based on the ingredients used.

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