I love pork tenderloin and there are so many different ways you can cook it up! This herb and garlic cream cheese stuffed tenderloin is amazing, bursting with different seasonings, and the cream cheese and bacon filling finishes it off and makes for a delicious meal.
You butterfly the tenderloin, spread the filling down the middle, close it back up and roast it in foil. The filling melts into the meat as it bakes, so every slice comes out creamy in the center with a rosemary and sage crust outside.
It looks like something you fussed over. It is really 10 minutes of work and 40 minutes where the oven does everything. Makes 4 servings at 2 Points each, which for a stuffed roast still makes me happy every time.
If pork is on regular rotation at your house, you will find plenty more in our pork recipes.
Why you’ll love this stuffed pork tenderloin
- The filling does all the work. Light cream cheese, garlic, crumbled bacon and herbs, stirred together in one small bowl. That is the whole trick.
- Seasoned inside and out. Herb seasoning in the filling, then rosemary, sage and oregano rubbed over the outside. Nothing about it is plain.
- Tenderloin is a lean cut. The leanest part of the pig, which is why a rich filling still fits inside the points.
- Foil keeps it juicy. Lean pork dries out fast. Sealed in foil, it traps the steam and stays moist.
- It slices like a proper roast. Pinwheel rounds with a creamy center. Nobody guesses it is a light dinner.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 4
Serving Size: 4 oz
2 WW Points Per Serving. You can view the recipe on the WW App here. (WW login required.)
Ingredients
- 1 lb raw pork tenderloin
- 1/4 cup light cream cheese, softened
- 2 slices low point bacon (I used Market Pantry center cut from Target)
- 1 clove of garlic, diced
- 1 tsp natural herb seasoning, or similar, for the filling
- Juice from 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 tsp rosemary
- 1/2 tsp sage
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp natural herb seasoning, for the rub
- Dash of salt and pepper
Make sure you pick up a tenderloin and not a pork loin. They get mixed up at the meat counter all the time, and a loin is a much thicker, bigger cut that needs a lot longer in the oven than this one does.
Two decisions keep the points where they are. Light cream cheese rather than full fat, and only a quarter cup for the whole roast. Spread thin down the length of a tenderloin that is plenty, and you get creaminess in every slice without a heavy pocket of cheese in the middle.
Same thinking on the bacon. Two slices of center cut, cooked crisp and chopped small, scattered right through the filling so the smoke reaches all of it. The bacon here goes inside the roast, not around the outside of it, which is why two slices are enough to taste. If you want it on the outside instead, my maple brown sugar version does exactly that.
The “natural herb seasoning” is a salt free all purpose blend. Whatever is in the cupboard will do. It goes in twice, once in the filling and once in the rub.
How to make cream cheese stuffed pork tenderloin
- Cook the bacon first. Fry the slices, drain them well, then chop them small. Big shards tear the filling when you spread it.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Mix the filling. In a small bowl, stir together the cream cheese, bacon pieces, garlic and 1 tsp of the herb seasoning until it is evenly speckled.
- Butterfly the tenderloin. With a sharp knife, cut the pork open lengthwise, stopping before you go all the way through, and open it flat like a book.
- Fill and close it. Spread the cream cheese mixture down the middle of the pork, fold it back over and seal the seam with toothpicks or kitchen twine along the whole length, not just at the ends.
- Brush and rub. Brush the outside with the fresh lemon juice. Shake the rosemary, sage, oregano and remaining herb seasoning together in a small bag with a dash of salt and pepper, then sprinkle it over the roast, covering as much as you can.
- Wrap it in foil. Spray a piece of foil with cooking spray, lay the tenderloin on it and wrap it so the pork is fully sealed. Set the parcel on a baking sheet.
- Bake for about 40 minutes. Let it rest a few minutes before you unwrap it, then slice into four 4 oz servings.
Variations and substitutions
- Swap the herbs. Thyme and parsley work as well as rosemary and sage. Use whatever is open.
- Add spinach. A handful of chopped, squeezed dry spinach folded into the cream cheese stretches the filling out.
- Make it garlicky. One clove is gentle. Two or three, or a spoonful of roasted garlic, makes it properly garlic forward.
- Skip the bacon. Without it you have a herb and garlic cream cheese stuffed tenderloin, still very good and lower on points.
Any swap changes the points, so run the new version through the app before you count it.
Tips and tricks
- Soften the cream cheese properly. Cold cream cheese tears the meat instead of spreading over it. Twenty minutes on the counter is enough.
- Do not overfill. A thin, even line down the center stays put. A thick mound squeezes out of the seam the moment the pork heats up.
- Count your toothpicks. Put them in, count them, count them back out before slicing. Kitchen twine avoids the problem entirely.
- Use a thermometer. Forty minutes suits a 1 lb tenderloin, but ovens vary. Whole pork is done at 145°F in the thickest part, then a short rest.
- Serve it with something that catches the filling. A tray of roasted vegetables or potatoes alongside, as in the photos, soaks up what escapes.
Storing and reheating
Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for three to four days. Reheat slices gently, covered, in a low oven or at half power in the microwave. Cream cheese splits if you blast it and lean pork goes tough, so low and slow both times. Cooked slices freeze for up to three months, though the filling comes back grainier than it went in.
You can build the roast ahead too. Stuff it, tie it and rub it, then keep it covered in the fridge for up to a day before it goes into the foil.
More pork tenderloin recipes
Once there is a tenderloin in the fridge there are a dozen directions to take it. The air fryer pork tenderloin is the fastest, and gets a better crust than the oven does. For something brighter, my pork tenderloin with pineapple salsa goes sweet and tangy instead of creamy.
Cream Cheese Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 lb raw pork tenderloin
- 1/4 cup light cream cheese, softened
- 2 slices low point bacon, I used Market pantry center cut from Target, 2 slices is 1sp
- 1 glove of garlic, diced
- 1 tsp natural herb seasoning, or similar
- Juice from 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 tsp rosemary
- 1/2 tsp sage
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp natural herb seasoning
- Dash of salt & pepper
Instructions
- Cook your bacon slices and drain, chop up into small piece.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a small bowl mix your cream cheese, bacon pieces, garlic and 1 tsp herb seasonings.
- Using a sharp knife cut open your pork tenderloin.
- Spread your cream cheese mixture into the middle of the pork, close your tenderloin and seal with either toothpicks or meat rope.
- Use a brush and brush on your fresh lemon juice. In a small bag mix your rosemary, sage, oregano and herb seasonings, add in a dash of salt & pepper. Shake up and sprinkle over your pork loin covering as much as you can.
- Spray a piece of foil with some cooking spray and lay tenderloin in foil, wrap so pork is sealed in foil. Place on a baking sheet.
- Bake in oven for approx 40 minutes. Cut into 1oz pieces. Serves 4-4oz servings
What is natural herb seasoning exactly?
That was the name of the seasoning I used at the time, but any italian seasoning will work just fine
What is the nutritional facts? Calories Etc?
Hi Amanada, sorry this was an older recipe when I was just listing the WW points, you could build it in My Fitness Pal to get the nutritional info