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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 crusted pork loin is just so good and a real family favorite.
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.
If you enjoy the flavors in this dish, you might also like to try air fryer fiesta chicken stuffed poblanos, easy chicken madras or unsloppy joes biscuit pockets. Any of those makes a delicious dinner!
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 Parmesan Crusted Pork Loin Max Flavor!
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
Parmesan Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 3 Pounds pork tenderloin , 2.5-3lb
- 2 Tablespoon honey
- 1 Tablespoon grape seed oil
- 2 Springs rosemary
- 3 Springs thyme
- 2 Springs sage
- 1/2 Tablespoon lavender , dried
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 Cup grated parmesan
- 1 Cup panko, bread crumbs
- 2 Cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a small bowl combine honey and grapeseed oil. Whisk well, then brush over the pork loin.
- Remove leaves from rosemary, thyme, and sage sprigs and chop. In a small bowl combine rosemary, thyme, sage, lavender, salt, pepper, Parmesan, bread crumbs, and minced garlic.
- Stir to mix with a fork. Spread breading mixture onto a plate **To easily chop all of the fresh herbs for the topping, place them into a food processor and pulse 5 to 6 times.**
- Roll the pork in the herb seasoning and gently press the crumbs into the pork to help them adhere.
- Lightly spray a wire rack lined baking sheet with olive oil or non-stick cooking spray. Place pork onto the wire rack and put into the oven on the center rack. Cook for 40 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to check to be sure the pork has reached 145 degrees F. Depending on the weight and thickness of the pork cooking times may vary.
- Let pork rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve with potatoes and vegetables.
Nutrition
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
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
I love this tenderloin recipe! It was so good when I made this. So flavorful!
I am always scared to cook pork because it might get too dry. But this one was absolutely juicy and flavorful! Love this recipe.
yum! this looks so good. must try this week