Spinach & Sausage Pork Loin

My kids love this dish.  They maybe, kinda-sorta think it's chicken, but really, does that matter when they all gobble it up?  


Stuffing a pork loin with sausage and spinach looks a bit fancy and impressive, but it's pretty much the easiest thing ever.  The hardest part is paying attention to the clock and getting it in the oven so it's ready at suppertime.  {I might have issues with that.}  Pre-supper conversations go a lot like this at our house:


What time do you think supper will be ready?


Oh, about 15 minutes or so.


So, like an hour?  I'm going to mow for a bit, call me when it's ready.


Okay.


{An hour later}


Come to the table, supper's ready! 


Honestly, many times I just don't know the actual time and he generally likes a time and I kind of throw out the ---- minutes, OR SO and call it good. I take a lot of friendly harassing because of it, rightfully so.


My world without time is going to come to a screeching halt come fall when my girlies head off to kindergarten!  No more sleeping in and staying up late and flying by the seat.


The key to this recipe is to watch the temperature of the pork to 160 degrees.  Once it reaches 160, or slightly under, remove it from the oven to prevent drying out the loin.  The original recipe card I have reads 2-2 1/2 hours and you end up with very dry pork.  After an hour, no longer than a hour and a half, check the temperature.  I've made the mistake of cooking it for two hours, checking the temperature and finding it had reached 180 degrees.  Dry pork is not fun to eat, even if it looks pretty.  




Begin by unrolling or butterflying a pork loin and topping it with the stuffing.

Spread the stuffing evenly over the surface...

Roll it up and secure with toothpicks...

Or, tie it up neatly.  {I toothpick it to hold the shape while I tie it up}

Bake until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees, or just under.  The temperature will continue to rise a little as it rests before cutting.

Spinach & Sausage Pork Loin
recipe by Stella B's Kitchen
printer friendly version


1 boneless pork loin, about 2-3 pounds
1/2-3/4 pound Italian pork sausage
1 cup chopped fresh spinach leaves (or 1/2 cup chopped frozen spinach, drained well)
1 egg beaten
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
2 Tbsp fresh parsley or 1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 Tbsp onion soup mix
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp fresh black pepper
1/2 salt, *optional
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
additional dried thyme for sprinkling


Butterfly pork loin and lay flat on a foil lined baking sheet.  Mix all other ingredients.  Spread stuffing evenly on pork.  Roll up and secure with toothpicks and/or baking twine.  Drizzle olive oil and rub to coat loin.  Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp thyme.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours, checking the temperature after an hour or so.  Once pork reaches 160 degrees or slightly under, wrap up with the foil it baked on and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.


Enjoy!!  


*Cook's notes:  
Fresh spinach leaves are my preference, but you can certainly use frozen chopped spinach.  Thaw and drain well.  I find the frozen spinach to have more of a distinctive and sometimes overpowering flavor, which I don't like and we usually have spinach leaves on hand.  The fresh, chopped leaves look a bit prettier too.


Also, season the stuffing with salt according to your tastes and how seasoned the sausage is that you use. 


We buy the huge loins and divide them into smaller portions and freeze.  The loin is somewhere between 1 1/2 to 3 pounds.  Baking times will vary slightly depending upon the size of your loin.  I still use the same stuffing recipe no matter the loin size. 




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