Pan Seared Shallot Stuffed Pork Fillet With Brown + Wild Rice Recipe

Momma Told Me: Anything's delicious when cooked right.

Around here, in the offline world, I have a reputation for being the sweet queen- I make creative, colorful, over-the-top treats for our bowling league each week. It started with me bringing a few leftover servings to the alley because the recipes I'd feature on the blog often yielded enough to serve a small army. For the sake of my waistline, and the fridge space, anything featured on the blog was inevitably served to my league. Before long I was no longer baking an innovating for the blog, but, instead, taking special requests from league-mates and being dubbed their official baker.

To be honest, though, it's the pot-lucks I enjoy most- the times when I can share a little bit of home cooking inspiration, instead of all the sugar. Our alley has a strict 'no outside food policy' so baking and bringing desserts (as the snack bar does not sell sweets) is the only thing I get away with the other 50 weeks of the year. That's why I always get excited over the chance to share a savory recipe such as this Pan Seared Shallot Stuffed Pork Fillet recipe, sponsored by Minute® Ready To Serve Rice.

Of course some of my favorite recipes are ones that are pretty stinkin' simple- recipes that shine on their own as elevated food, with minimal ingredients, and a great plating impact. In the past few years, for dietary reasons, I've had to cut back on my weekly pork consumption greatly. When Jay and I first met, I would cook pork, mostly chops, at least once a week. I still remember the stories he told me about being forced to eat dry, flavorless, tough pork chops as a child- and how he absolutely disliked pork today, as an adult.

Well, dry pork should be a cardinal sin- pork is such a richly textured meat, with beautiful flavor and endless pairing options. And my favorite cut of pork (no it's not bacon) is a tenderloin, often reasonably priced, and even pre-seasoned, in the local grocer's meat case. Pork tenderloin comes in a variety of cuts- so you can serve a family of 2 to a family of 5, and is often pre-trimmed and quite lean.

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My pan seared, shallot stuffed, pork tenderloin fillets are a clear winner- After all it's the recipe that converted Jay back to the 'pork side.' These fillets marinate for 48 hours, inside and out (thanks to the stuffing pockets I slice into them before marinating) and have the most tender, melt in your mouth, full of flavor experience you'll find at about $3 a serving. Even more impressive, they look like they just left the line of a Michelin star restaurant.

My secret, outside of the marinating process, is to baste and pan sear each side before slow baking them to perfection in the oven. I love a light char on the outside of my meat, and this really does lock in the flavor, and add a great texture experience to each bite of this meal. pan searing also allows me to use any of that leftover marinate to help lock in flavor before the final cooking procedure.

If you have a grill pan you can actually take your fillets straight to the oven from the stove- I like to transfer them to a silicone baking mat where it'll be a little easier to turn them during the slow cook process. I find, even with a high quality cast iron skillet my fillets tend to stick from time to time.

Because the pork is the star of this meal I like to pair it with a simple side solution that as both wholesome and nutritious, as it is effortless.

Minute® Ready To Serve Rice comes in packages of 2 perfectly portioned, ready-in-60 seconds, just microwave cups. It's the perfect on-the-go side, or, in this case, last minute meal companion. Jay and I often are the only ones dining at our table, and I am notorious for forgetting to plan our side dishes. With these Minute® Ready To Serve Rice cups we can eat right from the package, mix in some fresh veggies, or spoon it onto the plate alongside our main entree.

For my Pan Seared Shallot Stuffed Pork Fillets, I prefer to enjoy a cup of Minute® Ready To Serve Rice in Brown and Wild Rice. It's the perfect pairing of grains and texture for the spinach and shallot filling of the fillets. Of course this particular dish would go good with just about any of the Ready To Serve varieties including, Yellow Rice, Fried Rice, Whole Grain Brown Rice, or the newest flavors; Brown & Quinoa or Basmati. Thanks to the individual serve portioned cups we can even enjoy our own, different, favorite rice varieties at the same meal. No more arguing over whether brown or white rice tastes better!

When serving alongside Minute® Ready To Serve Rice, you don't have to worry too much about timing your meal. Pork should always be cooked to an internal temperature of around 145F- for this recipe I like to remove them at about 135-140F, and let them rest 5 minutes prior to cutting and serving. The meat will be darker along the edges, as a result of the marinating process, but the texture should be soft and tender throughout- it's also the perfect time to prepare your Minute Rice! I've yet to disappoint with this recipe- and it takes minimal ingredients and effort! Do you have a preferred way of enjoying pork? Tell me a little about your favorite pork dish or pairing!

 This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Minute® Ready to Serve Rice.

What Daughter Says: In my book pork doesn't need any dressing up- this pan seared fillet recipe is the perfect way to enjoy the natural flavor and texture of this classic meal.

Parmesan Shallot Stuffed Pork Fillets

***Click here for printable Stuffed Pork Fillet recipe

Ingredients:

1 18oz Pork Tenderloin Fillet

2 Shallots, Peeled and Quartered

1/2 C Grated Parmesan Cheese 

1 C Frozen, Thawed, Drained, Chopped Spinach

1 TSP Salt 

3 TBS Vegetable Oil

Marinade:

1 C Teriyaki Sauce

3 TBS, approximately 5 cloves, minced garlic

1/2 C Pulp Free Orange Juice

2 TBS Granulated Sugar

1 Package (2 Cups) Minute® Ready To Serve Rice Of Choice

Directions:

1. Combine marinade ingredients until fully incorporated and pour in a gallon sized zipper bag or air tight sealing 1 QT container. Slice trimmed pork tenderloin into 4-5 even servings. Using a pairing knife cut a slit into the center of each portion, approximately 1/2" from all edges, as to create a pocket. Be careful not to cut through to the other side. Add prepared pork fillets to the marinade container and marinate 36-48 hours, rotating/turning the fillets halfway through.

2. Prepare shallot quarters by dicing to about 2" slices. Combine salt, spinach, and Parmesan cheese in a small bowl and generously stuff each pork fillet. Stuff 3-4 slices of shallots into the spinach stuffing mixture of each fillet.

3. Preheat the oven to  375F. Heat oil in a grilling pan/skillet, on medium-high heat, and place each fillet on it's side (stuffing facing out) in the pan. Sear each side, turning 3 times, and basting with a generous spoon of leftover marinade on each turn. Each fillet is ready to turn when the pork has begun to turn white halfway into the fillet (approximately 1 1/2 minutes per side.) Flip each fillet so the stuffing faces up and sear the bottom in the same manner- do not baste the top of the fillet.

4. Remove from the stove and place each fillet, on it's side. Place your grill pan (if using) directly into the oven, or remove fillets and place them, on their side, onto a prepared silicone baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 375F, slipping each fillet onto their opposite side, halfway through. Remove fillets from oven when the internal, pork, temperature reaches 135F-140F. Allow them to rest 5 minutes prior to cutting or serving.

5. Prepare your Minute® Ready To Serve Rice in the microwave according to package directions. Enjoy plated or direct from the cup.

*TIP: If you have the time, saute your shallots, garlic, and spinach over medium-high heat in a TBS of oil and with a pinch of salt for about 2 mins until nearly all oil is cooked off. Remove from heat and stuff your fillets- this will add some extra flavor and color to your shallots when baking.