Spinach and Blue Cheese Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Two important things... First, if you haven't figured it out yet, Matt and I have an obsession with cheese. Second, do not be fooled, my little banditos, by the fancy name of this dish. It is just about the easiest thing I have made in a long time!

Inspired by Joelen's Spinach and Feta Stuffed Pork Tenderloin, I bought some low fat Blue Cheese Crumbles and had some fresh spinach around. I must say that this dish was absolutely delicious! The creaminess and intense flavor of the blue cheese paired perfectly with the mild pork. The ingredients in my recipe below are slightly different than Joelen's but the method is the same.

tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup minced yellow onion
3 cups fresh spinach, loosely packed
One pork tenderloin
1/4 cup low fat blue cheese crumbles
Kitchen string
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and let wilt. Remove from heat and let cool.

Cut through the pork tenderloin lengthwise to within a half-inch of cutting all the way through. Open up the pork like a book and pound out each side until it’s about a quarter-inch thick. Distribute the spinach over each tenderloin and top with the cheese.

Roll the tenderloin jelly-roll style from the long side, and tie with string in 5 places. Season the outside of each tenderloin with salt & pepper. Let stand 30 minutes (I omitted this because we were starving).
Roast the pork until a thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 150°F, about 35 minutes. To serve, remove strings from the pork and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Be sure to check Joelen's blog for a killer sauce that she made for this recipe. We were too hungry to make the sauce.