Parmesan Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin

I love the versatility of pork. There are so many dishes you can make with this meat and it’s very affordable. Parmesan herb crusted pork tenderloin makes a really tasty dinner. Depending which side dishes you opt for with this easy pork recipe, you can make this look as elegant as you wish. This simple baked pork tenderloin makes great comfort food too. Parmesan breaded pork like this delicious Italian tenderloin is a family favourite.

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This parmesan herb crusted pork tenderloin is about to become your new go-to dinner recipe! It’s packed with flavor, super easy to make, and sure to impress. Get ready to wow your friends and family with your culinary skills because this recipe is a winner.

Serve it on special occasions or as a weeknight main course with mashed potatoes and green beans for a quick and easy pork recipe for a crowd, or consider wild rice and green asparagus tips for an impressive look. This delicious dinner is sure to be a family favourite!

How to Give this Easy Pork Recipe Max Flavour!

You are going to need pork loin to make parmesan herb crusted pork tenderloin. Before we get into the flavourings, you need to make sure you’re using the right cut of pork. Although pork loin might be labeled as tenderloin, they aren’t the same. This is important to know for all kinds of pork tenderloin recipes.

Basically, pork tenderloin is a thin piece of meat from the muscle running along the backbone. A whole tenderloin is about a pound and is suited for stir-frying or other quick cooking methods.

Pork loin might also be labeled as pork loin roast center cut, center cut pork loin roast, pork loin center cut, center cut pork roast, pork center loin roast, pork center cut rib roast, pork loin center rib roast, Italian tenderloin, and pork loin rib half.

This is a larger piece of meat from the animal’s back and can weigh between 2 and 5 pounds. That’s what you need to make this parmesan breaded pork. This recipe serves 9 people (well maybe 7 or 8!) so you will need a large piece of loin meat.

Remember tenderloin is long and narrow while loin is larger and wider. If in doubt just head to the butcher’s counter and ask there. You can also take a look at my photos and see exactly what pork loin looks like.

Parmesan Crusted Pork Ingredients

This parmesan crusted pork recipe is enhanced with simple ingredients such as honey, rosemary, thyme, sage, lavender, and garlic. In addition to all the fresh herbs, I am using parmesan cheese and panko bread crumbs to get the best parmesan herb crusted pork tenderloin result. The amazing crust is what you will love about this dish.

How to Make Parmesan Breaded Pork

The first thing to do is allow the meat to come to room temperature. Whether you’re making baked pork tenderloin or something slow cooked, pressure cooked, or pan fried, it’s best to do this. Using meat straight from the refrigerator means it can ‘seize up’ when exposed to the heat and get tougher. Pat the pork dry with paper towels and trim off any large pieces of surface fat.

Meanwhile combine the oil and honey, then you can spread this over the parmesan pork. Mix all the other ingredients together. This is going to be your crust. Now you can roll the meat in the bread crumb mixture.

Put the coated pork in a hot oven and cook it while you prepare some side dishes.

Tips for Crusting the Pork Loin

This parmesan breaded pork isn’t hard to make but it’s good to know how to prepare the crust. The ingredients need to be finely chopped and combined and of course you’ll want the crust to stick.

I find it useful to pulse the herbs in a food processor a few times when making parmesan herb crusted pork tenderloin. It won’t take more than a few seconds this way. You can also chop them by hand using a herb chopper.

Once you have combined the ingredients for the breading mixture, you can roll the pork loin in it. Ensure it’s evenly covered with the oil and honey mixture first so the crust sticks properly. Also press down firmly when rolling the meat in the breading. This helps it to stick too.

How to Tell when Italian Tenderloin is Done

Even an easy pork recipe can go wrong if you overcook the meat. The best way to find out whether this baked pork tenderloin is cooked through is to use a meat thermometer. If it shows an internal temperature of 145 degrees F, the pork is done and can come out of the oven. It is important to cook pork until it is no longer pink in the middle.

If it’s a few degrees under, I’d still remove the parmesan herb crusted pork tenderloin from the oven because the temperature will go up a degree or so after it comes out of the oven.

It’s important to let the baked pork tenderloin rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving it. This allows the juices to redistribute and keeps the pork extra moist and juicy.

Lavender as an Ingredient

Have you used lavender in cooking before? It’s not the most common ingredient in the average easy pork recipe but does add a special hint to parmesan pork tenderloin. Make sure you use culinary (cooking) lavender because it’s sifted more than the decorative kind to remove dried stems and leaves. It goes really well with strongly aromatic herbs like rosemary, sage and thyme. If you don’t have any or don’t want to use it, the parmesan breaded pork is just as good without.

Parmesan Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin Recipe

Add this parmesan crusted pork tenderloin to your dinner routine. Don’t worry about leftovers because it makes a great addition to your lunch bowl or sandwich the next day.

Other Recipes to Try

• Instant Pot Pork Loin Roast with Vegetables
• Flavourful Instant Pot Hawaiian Pork Tenderloin
• Salt & Pepper Pork Chop Bites
• Delicious Air Fryer Honey Mustard Pork Chops
• Yummy Pork Egg Roll in a Bowl – 15 Minute Meal