Need an easy and elegant dinner party dish? See below. One reason this dish is great for entertaining is because—after you pop the pork in the oven—you can forget about it, and instead, focus on all the other things you need to do to get ready for your guests. Another reason I love it is because pork tenderloin is a nice lean protein that even picky eaters tend to enjoy. Finally, the finished presentation is lovely, even if “plating” food isn’t your thing.

Pesto and Pancetta Pork Tenderloin
- Difficulty Level Easy
Ingredients
- 1 (1 ¼-pound) pork tenderloin
- Salt and pepper for seasoning
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup homemade or store-bought basil pesto
- 5 pieces thinly-sliced pancetta
Nutrition Info
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Pat pork dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and brown all over, about 3 minutes total. This will give the pork a nice golden brown color.
- Put pork on the lined baking sheet. Spoon pesto over the pork and then spread so that top, sides, and ends of pork are covered. Place sliced pancetta, slightly overlapping, over the top of the tenderloin.
- Place in the oven. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meat registers 150°F, about 10 to 12 minutes. (If you like your pork more well-done, cook 3-5 minutes longer.) Switch oven to broil; broil the tenderloin for about 2 minutes, to give the top a nice crisp texture. Transfer to serving platter and let pork stand 10 minutes before slicing. Surround with simple roasted asparagus, and serve!
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