Taking a classic name and making it even more delicious. The other white meat reigns supreme! If you don’t already have a homemade nut butter lying around, this recipe could take an extra few minutes. We almost always have some Pecash butter in our refrigerator. Feel free to use any nut butter combo you want.
We prefer a slightly more tart apple when baking most anything. Granny Smiths work really well. If you don’t have a food processor, well go get one! If that is not an option, you can get away with chopping the apples up really finely and mixing in a bowl with the other ingredients.
2 pounds (900 g) pork tenderloin
2 apples, peeled and cored, cut into chunks
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon (15 ml) honey
1 teaspoon lemon zest
½ cup (125 mL) Pecash Butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon (5 ml) black pepper
1 pinch salt
½ cup (125 mL) hot water
- Butterfly the pork tenderloin lengthwise and roll out to form a flat, uniform piece of pork . Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Place apples, cinnamon, lemon zest, and honey into food processor and pulse until the mixture looks like a chunky applesauce. Careful not to overdo this. Chunkier is better.
- Pour the apple mixture onto the flattened tenderloin and spread around evenly. Carefully roll up the pork starting at the long side, then place roll into a baking dish.
- Bake for 45–60 minutes (about 25 minutes per pound). Remove from oven when internal temperature reaches around 150°F (75°C). Let rest in pan for 10 minutes.
- Mix Pecash Butter, minced garlic, pepper, and salt in bowl. Slowly add water until you reach the desired consistency (think thick soup).
- Using a large spatula, place pork on serving dish and pour ½ of your sauce over the top. Serve the remaining sauce in a bowl (or keep it for yourself . . . it’s yummy).
Tips & Tricks—Once butterflied, pound the meat into a consistent thickness if needed. You can then more easily fold it like a sandwich or roll it up. You will want to cut the finished product into thick slices before freezing this one.
More Recipes You'll Love
This stuffed pork tenderloin is a showstopper that hides how easy it is. The tenderloin is butterflied, rolled around a chunky apple-cinnamon filling with honey and lemon zest, roasted until juicy, then sliced and sauced with a garlicky Pecash Butter drizzle.
Pro Tips
- Butterfly the tenderloin and pound it into an even, flat sheet so the roll cooks uniformly — uneven thickness means one end dries out before the middle is done.
- Keep the apple mixture chunky when you pulse it; a coarse, applesauce-like texture stays put inside the roll and gives you distinct bites of fruit.
- Roll from the long side and place the roll seam side down in the baking dish so it holds its shape without needing twine.
- Pull the roast at about 150°F (65–70°C) internal temperature and rest it 10 minutes in the pan; the juices settle back into the meat while you whisk the sauce.
- Thin the Pecash Butter sauce slowly with hot water until it's the consistency of thick soup, then pour half over the sliced roll and pass the rest at the table.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Pecash Butter?
It's the recipe's nut butter sauce base — pecan and cashew butter loosened with hot water into a pourable sauce, sharpened with raw garlic and black pepper. Any smooth paleo nut butter works in a similar way.
Can I make this stuffed pork tenderloin ahead of time?
You can butterfly, stuff, and roll the tenderloin a day ahead and refrigerate it, then roast when ready. The sauce is best whisked fresh since it takes two minutes.
How do I butterfly a pork tenderloin?
Slice lengthwise down the centre without cutting all the way through, then open it like a book and gently pound it flat to about ¼ inch (0.6 cm) thickness.
Is this pork tenderloin recipe paleo?
Yes — the filling is apple, honey, cinnamon, and lemon zest, and the sauce is nut butter based with no dairy or flour. Just confirm your nut butter is pure with no added sugar.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- Place apples, cinnamon, lemon zest, and honey into food processor and pulse until the mixture looks like a chunky applesauce. Careful not to overdo this. Chunkier is better.
- Pour the apple mixture onto the flattened tenderloin and spread around evenly. Carefully roll up the pork starting at the long side, then place roll into a baking dish.
- Bake for 45–60 minutes (about 25 minutes per pound).
- Remove from oven when internal temperature reaches around 150°F (75°C).
- Let rest in pan for 10 minutes.
- Mix Pecash Butter, minced garlic, pepper, and salt in bowl. Slowly add water until you reach the desired consistency (think thick soup).
- Using a large spatula, place pork on serving dish and pour ½ of your sauce over the top.
- Serve the remaining sauce in a bowl (or keep it for yourself . . it’s yummy).
