Cranberry Blue Cheese Stuffed Pork Tenderloins
Cranberry blue cheese stuffed pork tenderloins bake up so tender and juicy. You can make them ahead and store in the fridge for easy baking right before serving. Slice and dish up with an easy side dish for an elegant holiday meal.
Blue cheese stuffed pork tenderloins are an elegant and easy prep-ahead dinner that would be just perfect for your holiday meal.
I love to serve it for Christmas Eve or any special meal when family is in town. I love that I can have it completely prepped the day before so I just have to bake it before serving.
The ingredient list is so easy, you'll be able to keep just about everything on hand for easy last-minute entertaining, too.
Why This is the Best Recipe
The holidays don't have to be complicated or expensive. I think that this is the best blue cheese stuffed pork recipe because:
- Quick Prep: The filling comes together quickly.
- Custom Flavor: I'm not a big fan of the pre-marinated flavors of pork tenderloin at the grocery store, use a plain tenderloin for this recipe so the blue cheese flavor really shines through.
- Perfect Texture: The pork itself is tender but the blue cheese gives it an ooey gooey bit of cheese while the pecans and cranberries add a chewy crunch.
- Budget-Friendly: Pork tenderloins often go on sale at the grocery store and freeze really well. Buy them when you see the price drop and just thaw them in the fridge the night before you plan to prep them.
Ingredients
This elegant pork recipe only requires a few ingredients:
- Pork Tenderloins: I buy the unmarinated pack of 2 Smithfield pork tenderloins.
- Onion
- Dried Cranberries
- Blue Cheese Crumbles
- Minced Garlic
- Pecans
- Butter
- Fresh or Dried Thyme
- Salt and Pepper
- Vegetable Oil
Prep the Blue Cheese Filling
Prepping the blue cheese stuffing is super easy.
Start by dicing your onion, chopping the pecans, and chopping the dried cranberries.
You can't use the pecans or cranberries whole, they'll be too big for the stuffing. Just give them a quick chop.
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Saute the Onion
In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat.
Add the onion and minced garlic and cook until the onions have just softened.
Then stir together the cooked onions and garlic, pecans, and dried cranberries with the blue cheese crumbles and thyme.
Prep the Pork Tenderloins
To make stuffed tenderloins, you'll need to slice and pound the pork to be easy to roll.
First, use a sharp kitchen knife to slice the tenderloin in half lengthwise.
Do not cut all the way through, leave about a 1/4-inch thick connecting piece so that the tenderloin can be opened up like a sandwich bun.
Use a kitchen mallet to pound the tenderloins so they are a uniform thickness. You may find it helpful to put the pork in a plastic ziptop bag or between two pieces of parchment for this step.
Stuff the Pork Tenderloins
Lay the thin, pounded pork tenderloins on a cutting board.
Top them evenly with the prepared blue cheese stuffing like this:
Carefully roll the tenderloins up like a log.
Tie them with twine to keep them in shape and sprinkle the salt and pepper over the top.
Baking Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
Working one tenderloin at a time, add the rolled pork and brown it on all sides, 1 - 2 minutes per side before turning.
Repeat with the second tenderloin.
Place the browned tenderloins on a baking sheet an bake for 20 minutes or until the pork registers 160°F at the thickest part.
Let the tenderloins rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. This allows the blue cheese filling to set up.
Make Ahead Tips
If you know your meal prep time is going to be super crazy, you can easily prep this recipe ahead up to 24 hours in advance.
Just prepare the filling, stuff the pork tenderloins, and have them ready to go in your fridge.
At dinner time, you can sauté and bake before serving.
Having my holiday dinner entree already prepared means I've got more time to spend with our guests and my family.
Serving Suggestions
This simple stuffed pork tenderloin is such a delicious way to serve pork for an elegant dinner.
You can pair it with simple side dishes and a light salad.
Sweet Potato Casserole: My make ahead sweet potato casserole has a pecan streusel topping that pairs so well with the blue cheese in the pork.
Mashed Potatoes: Keep a batch of Crockpot mashed potatoes warm and they'll be ready when the pork is finished.
Roasted Potatoes: You can roast my oven roasted mini potatoes or crispy roasted sweet potatoes at the same time as the pork is cooking.
Wild Rice Pilaf: The wild rice pilaf has carrots and celery in the mix and is an excellent choice to pair with the pork.
More Holiday Main Dishes
I love to serve pork or ham for an elegant holiday dinner. Don't miss these other easy recipes:
📖 Recipe
Blue Cheese and Cranberry Stuffed Pork Tenderloins
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 cup blue cheese crumbles
- 1/4 cup pecans chopped
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries chopped
- Several sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 plain unmarinated pork tenderloins 1 package with 2 tenderloins inside
- Salt & Pepper
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Instructions
Prepare the Stuffed Pork Tenderloins
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter and saute' the diced onions and garlic until softened. Set aside to cool.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the onions with the blue cheese, cranberries, pecans, and thyme.
- Prepare the pork tenderloin by splitting it lengthwise leaving a 1/4 inch connecting piece. Open the pork like a book and pound flat with a mallet so the meat is even.
- Spread half of the blue cheese stuffing mix on each prepared tenderloin. Carefully roll each pork tenderloin and tie closed with cooking twine. Season the outside of the tenderloins with salt & pepper.
- The stuffed pork can now be covered and stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours or you can proceed directly to the cooking.
Cooking Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- While the oven is preheating, heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Add each tenderloin and brown on all sides, about 1-2 minutes per side.
- Place the tenderloins on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until the pork registers 160°F at it's thickest part.
- Remove from oven and tent with foil for 5 minutes to let the pork rest before slicing.
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