Make Ahead Oven Roasted Pork Loin

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Oven roasted pork loin with green peppercorn sauce is fancy enough to serve for your holiday feast but easy enough to make for a weeknight dinner. We love this as a Christmas Eve dinner or for a main dish at Easter brunch.

The roasted pork loin is served on a platter with a drizzle of green peppercorn sauce.

If you're looking for a new holiday recipe for your Easter or Christmas dinner beyond the traditional holiday ham, you need this tender and delicious oven roasted pork loin with green peppercorn sauce.

Once I discovered this crazy easy method for oven roasting pork loin with just a few ingredients, it became one of my favorite dinner party entrees to prep for friends.

The dish is mostly hands-off and the resulting pork is moist, flavorful, and so tender. You can easily make it a day in advance if you follow my reheating tricks below.

The entire family gobbled this one up on an average weeknight. As long as you've got the time for the roasting, this meal is so easy you truly could make it any night of the year.

For really crazy weeks, you could cook it on Sunday evening and have an amazing meal on Monday night to start your week off right!

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Why This is the Best Recipe

If you're looking for a unique holiday roast to serve instead of the more traditional turkey or ham, this oven roasted pork loin is a perfect choice because:

  1. Light and Lean: It is a light cut of meat with very little fat. A perfect choice if you're avoiding red meat for the holiday dinner.
  2. Budget-Friendly: Pork is so much more affordable than beef but is still tender and delicious.
  3. Make-Ahead Friendly: Save time during the dinner party and enjoy your family and friends. You can make this ahead of time and gently reheat it before serving.
  4. Filled with Flavor: Do not miss the delicious peppercorn sauce recipe at the end. It helps to reheat the meat and adds so much flavor to the meal.

Pork Loin Ingredients

The mustards and oils are on the counter ready to season the pork loin.

This oven roasted pork loin only needs a few simple ingredients:

  • Boneless Pork Loin
  • Olive Oil
  • Dijon Mustard
  • Whole Grain Mustard
  • Dried Fennel Seeds
  • Kosher Salt and Pepper

Ingredients for the Green Peppercorn Sauce

To make the amazing peppercorn sauce with the pan drippings from the roasted pork, you will also need:

  • Green Peppercorns in Brine: Perhaps the trickiest ingredient to find is a jar of green peppercorns in brine. These soft peppercorns season the sauce so well. If your grocery store doesn't carry them, you can order the same ones I used right here. For a special holiday meal, this is a must-have. But for a Sunday dinner with the family you could just add extra fresh cracked peppercorn to the sauce.
  • Butter
  • Flour
  • White Wine
  • Chicken Stock
  • Dijon Mustard
  • Whole Grain Mustard

How to Make Oven Roasted Pork Loin

The key to cooking oven roasted pork loin is to use an oven-proof saute pan that is just big enough to hold the pork loin and to let the meat come to room temperature for 30 minutes before you cook it.

The pork will cook in the oven in the saute pan. After it is finished, the pork will rest on a cutting board and you'll whisk together the sauce with the drippings in the pan on the stovetop.

I used a 4.5 pound pork loin and doubled the mustard glaze when I photographed this recipe for you, but you can scale this easy recipe up or down to meet your family's needs.

Place the pork loin in the saute pan, fat side up.

In a small bowl, mix together the Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, olive oil, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper.

The mustard and olive oil and seasonings are in a mixing bowl.

Spread the mustard sauce evenly over the top of the pork.

The pork loin is in a large saute pan and has been rubbed down with a mustard glaze.

Baking Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Place a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. Set the alarm to 145°F.

Bake the roast for about 20 - 25 minutes per pound.

When it registers 145°F on the thermometer, take the pork roast out of the oven and let it rest for 20 minutes so the juices can redistribute throughout the pork loin before cutting.

The probe thermometer has saved many a roast over the years. I can't do an oven roasted pork loin properly without it.

The model I use has a temperature alarm that goes off right when the pork is perfect. You can get a budget-friendly probe thermometer right here.

The pork loin has finished roasting and has deep brown crispy edges.

You can learn how to make a smoked pork loin on your Traeger, too!

Best Way to Use the Pan Drippings

I think having a savory and delicious sauce for the pork loin is an absolutely essential element to a festive meal.

The first time I ever remember truly loving pork loin was with this easy green peppercorn sauce.

Your oven roasted pork loin has now dripped all kinds of goodness into your saute pan over the last hour+.

Once you move the pork loin to a cutting board to rest, you will whisk together the green peppercorn sauce right in the saute pan where the pork roasted.

The sauce has finished reducing in the skillet where the pork was cooked.

The full instructions are right in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but you can also see full step-by-step instructions and photos on my green peppercorn sauce recipe here.

NOTE: The peppercorn sauce is thinner than gravy so it isn't as heavy. It's just a light and tasty way to accent the delicious pork loin slices.

If you serve mashed potatoes or even roasted potatoes with the dish, the green peppercorn sauce would be totally delicious drizzled over those as well.

Make Ahead Tips

The pork loin is ready to go in the fridge, the sauce has been stored in a separate container with a lid.

You can absolutely make the oven roasted pork loin and the green peppercorn sauce up to a day ahead.

This makes it a perfect dish to serve when you are entertaining or hosting Easter or Christmas at your house.

You can do all the work ahead of time, and just reheat it when you're ready to serve.

Be sure to store the pork and the green peppercorn sauce separately in the fridge in airtight containers.

How to Reheat the Pork Loin and Sauce

Reheating the oven roasted pork loin and green peppercorn sauce is easy peasy as long as you follow these tricks:

  1. After you've roasted the pork, be sure to let it rest the full 20 minutes and then slice it thinly.
  2. Store the pork slices in one container and the green peppercorn sauce in a second separate container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
  3. Before you reheat the dish, let the container of pork rest on the counter and come closer to room temperature while you reheat the sauce.
  4. In a large saucepan, gently reheat the green peppercorn sauce over medium-low heat. If the sauce has gotten too thick overnight, you can add a splash of chicken stock and whisk it in.
  5. Once the green peppercorn sauce is just barely bubbling, lay the slices of pork into the sauce to warm through. I turned the slices over once to make sure they were heating evenly. I never let the sauce get too hot. You're not trying to cook the pork any more, just gently heat it all the way through.

This is a far superior way to reheat the pork than attempting to microwave it where it will get chewy or drying it out in the oven.

Serving Suggestions

The sliced pork is served with a drizzle of green peppercorn sauce.

Since this gorgeous roasted pork and elegant sauce can be made ahead, it is a perfect holiday dinner to serve for Christmas or Easter.

You can scale the size of the roast to match the number of guests at your table and prep the whole thing in advance for easy entertaining.

Serve the sliced pork on a pretty platter and drizzle the green peppercorn sauce over the top or place the sauce in a gravy boat and let your guests drizzle it themselves.

What to Serve with Pork Loin

For a delicious and elegant meal, here are a few side dishes I think you'll really love pairing with this dish.

Mashed potatoes will be perfect with a drizzle of the peppercorn sauce instead of gravy.

If you prefer your potatoes crispy, my oven roasted mini potatoes are an elegant choice.

This easy wild rice pilaf is loaded with tender veggies and adds a dash of color to the plate.

In the fall, my make ahead sweet potato casserole would be a delicately sweet and crispy addition to the meal.

Leftover Pork Recipes

If you make a larger roast than you need for one meal, don't let the leftovers go to waste!

Plan to bake a pan of my saucy pork and noodle bake or a tray of my easy Cuban sliders recipe.

You could always use it to make a roasted pork sandwich with my easy caramelized onions.

More Easy Holiday Main Dishes

Looking for more make-ahead or easy holiday main dishes?

Here are a few of our current family favorites:

📖 Recipe

The roasted pork loin is served on a platter with a drizzle of green peppercorn sauce.

Oven Roasted Pork Loin with Green Peppercorn Sauce

4.60 from 10 votes
Make ahead oven roasted pork loin is an easy holiday upgrade when drizzled with the simple green peppercorn sauce made right in the same skillet. This budget-friendly dinner recipe is elegant enough to serve to company but easy enough for a weeknight dinner.
TOTAL TIME 1 hour 30 minutes
PREP TIME 5 minutes
Additional Time 30 minutes
COOK TIME 55 minutes
YIELD 6 servings

Ingredients
  

For the roasted pork loin:

  • 1 (2.5 pound) boneless pork loin
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp whole-grain mustard
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper

For the green peppercorn sauce:

  • 3 tbsp butter only if there isn't enough fat in the saute pan
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp whole grain mustard
  • 1 (3.5 oz) container of green peppercorns in brine drained

Instructions

How to Roast the Pork Loin:

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the pork loin on your counter and let it come to room temperature for 30 minutes while the oven preheats.
  • Spray an ovenproof saute pan with a light spritz of cooking oil. Place the pork loin with the fat side up in the pan. 
  • Combine the olive oil, mustards, fennel seed, and salt & pepper in a small bowl. Spoon them evenly over the top of the pork loin. Insert a probe thermometer into the center of the pork and set the temperature alarm for 145 degrees.
  • Place the saute pan in the oven and roast the pork until it reaches 145 degrees. Generally, this takes 20 - 25 minutes per pound.
  • Once the pork is at the proper temperature, remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the pork loin to a cutting board and cover it loosely with a tent of aluminum foil. 

Prepare the Green Peppercorn Sauce:

  • There should be some drippings in the pan. Pour out anything more than 1/4 cup of the drippings. If there's not much in the pan, just leave everything as is and add 3 - 4 tbsp of butter. Melt the butter over medium heat.
  • Add the flour to the pan and whisk it into the fat until it is bubbling and lightly golden. Pour in the wine and use it to deglaze the pan. The wine will help release all the dark bits left behind by the pork.
  • Add the chicken stock, the mustards, and the drained peppercorns to the pan. Whisk everything together and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to whisk until the sauce has thickened and slightly reduced, about 10 - 15 minutes. Take a taste of the sauce and add salt and pepper as needed.
  • Serve the pork with the sauce drizzled over the top. 

Recipe Notes

Make Ahead Tips & How to Reheat the Pork Loin:

If making ahead: store the pork and sauce separately in the fridge for up to 1 day.
Gently reheat the sauce in a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat. If it has thickened too much overnight, add a splash of chicken stock to thin it out.
Once the sauce is gently bubbling, carefully add the sliced pork back to the sauce. Let the warmth of the sauce reheat the pork. You are not trying to cook the pork anymore, just warm it through. So this should only take a few minutes and then you should serve the pork and sauce immediately.
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The photo collage shows the sliced pork next to a photo of the pork loin going into the oven in a skillet.
Make-ahead oven roasted pork loin with an easy green peppercorn sauce recipe

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