Fall doesn’t technically start until next week, but the chill in the air over the weekend sure felt like fall. Today I am teaming up with some of my favorite Chicago food bloggers for another virtual dinner party. This time around we are sharing recipes with a Fall Harvest theme and I made a Goat Cheese, Butternut Squash, and Sage Stuffed Pork Tenderloin.
When I think about fall flavors the first things that come to mind are butternut squash (one of my all time favorite foods), sage, and pork, and I wanted to find a way to bring these ingredients together. I decided that I would roast the squash with butter, salt, brown sugar, and a touch of maple syrup and then use it to stuff a pork tenderloin, along with sage and goat cheese. The result was a tender juicy pork tenderloin exploding with fall flavor. I loved this recipe so much that I made it for Christmas dinner and it was a big hit!
My recipe is below, but first click around to see everyone else’s recipes!
Jenny of Honey & Birch made an Autumn Spiced Rum Cider Cocktail
Lauren of Lakeshore Lady made Brussels Sprouts Salad
Brett of Her Tasty Life made Brie, Fig, and Cranberry Pinwheels
Lindsey of Butter & Type made Vanilla Apple Chai Cupcakes
And here is how to make my Goat Cheese, Butternut Squash, and Sage Stuffed Pork Tenderloin – it is the perfect elegant but easy recipe to make when you are having guests over. Plus once the squash as been roasted (and you can do that a day ahead) the pork comes together in just 20 minutes.
Kit Graham
Yields 3-4
30 minPrep Time
40 minCook Time
1 hr, 10 Total Time
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 small Butternut Squash
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup
- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1.5 pounds Pork Tenderloin
- 1/4 cup Crumbled Goat Cheese
- 8 Sage Leaves
- 2 teaspoons Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
- Butchers Twine
Instructions
- Start by roasting the butternut squash; you could do this a day ahead. Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Slice in squash in half, and then cube that half into 1/2 inch pieces, removing the seeds and cutting off the skin. Place the cubed squash in a bowl. (You can reserve the other half of the squash for something else, or serve it as a side).
- Melt the butter and pour it over the squash. Add the brown sugar, maple syrup, and salt and toss together. Then spread the squash out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake the squash for 20 minutes, flip with a spatula, and bake for another 10 minutes, or until soft. Once cooked, remove from the oven and increase the heat of the oven to 425 degrees.
- Let the squash come to room temperature and prepare the pork. Slice the pork from top to bottom so that it will lay flat. Sprinkle the goat cheese over. Then add half of the squash, and top with the sage.
- Prepare 5-6 pieces of butcher's twine to tie the pork together. Then pull the pork tenderloin together, pressing the filling inside of the pork. Tie with the butcher's twine. Sprinkle the pork with salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over high heat. Add the pork tenderloin, cooking it for 2-3 minutes per side, rotating it 3-4 times to brown all sides.
- Then put a lid on the dutch oven and let the pork roast in the oven for 12 minutes, or until it reaches 145 degrees.
- Take the pork out of the oven and place it on a cutting board to rest. The pork needs to rest for 5 minutes before cutting, so use this time to make a simple sauce. Pour the chicken broth into the dutch oven and heat over medium heat. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits, creating the sauce. Let simmer and reduce until thick.
- Slice the pork, removing the twine as you work your way through the pork. Serve with the sauce drizzled over.
Want to see the last virtual dinner party? Here it is! Or if you want another pork recipe here is one of my favorites:
My Shallot and Mushroom Pork Tenderloin Recipe is really easy to make and it’s the perfect thing to serve on a special occasion.
