And if you think it’s too complicated to pull off, THINK AGAIN. It’s so easy you are in for a big surprise! Many of us assume something this pretty can only be achieved after taking some master chef class. But often these fancy looking dishes are so straight forward and downright simple to cook they can be a regular weeknight meal. I always loved seeing those stuffed meat pinwheels in our grocery store and wanted to try them myself. A few years back we made our first attempt cooking these pork medallions. We enjoyed the flavors the stuffing imparts to your regular otherwise plain pork loin so much that we keep cooking it every now and then. We vary the stuffing depending on what we have on hand, but most days it’s spinach, mushrooms and some kind of cheese. Sometimes it’s shredded mozzarella, but usually we use my favorite, feta. All of these flavors penetrate nicely into the pork. We are thinking of our keto friends today, and thought this would go great with some zucchiccine. Yes, my take on zoodles… fettuccine style!!
Let’s start these easy peasy, rollie pollie pinwheels:
You need a nice sharp knife to unroll the pork loin. You can follow along with the collage if the instructions seem confusing.
First, you make a lengthwise cut into the pork about 1/2-3/4 inches above the bottom of the roast. Stop about 1/2 inch before cutting all the way through. Now open the roast like a book. Make another cut from the seam into the thick half, again about 1/2-3/4 inches above the bottom. Now open that cut. See how it is beginning to unroll? Continue until you have a nice flat meaty surface.
Now all you have to do is season the meat generously with salt and pepper and spread your spinach…
Then lots of feta…
Finally sautéed mushrooms (you can use raw but we like to sauté them for a few minutes in butter)…
Roll all these things up in your roast and secure them with 3 or 4 pieces of kitchen twine.
Sprinkle a little more salt and pepper on top with a bit of paprika. AND THAT’S IT! See how easy it is? Seriously, just cut and spread your meat and stuff it. And now it’s all hands-free cooking, as you are just going to stick that chunky roll in the oven and relax until it’s ready. While it’s cooking, you can check out my roundup of the 35 best Spinach Recipes.
One important thing though. To roast perfect, moist, succulent pork, the trick with these leaner cuts is you need to get that magic cook time to make it cooked but not dried out. The answer to that is a good kitchen thermometer. For pork loin roasts, the suggested is 145-160F, though we prefer on the higher side of that range.
For our side dish, we are going low-carb today with my zucchiccine. I love my spiralizer for zoodles. This time I am using fettuccine settings to get them a little broader than spaghetti style. BTW, by this time your kitchen would start smelling divine. After spiralizing I just sauté them for a few minutes in butter with salt and pepper.
When the roast is ready, rest it for about 10 minutes before cutting. Then cut the pinwheels out of the roll and serve it over the bed of your zucchiccine… does such a term exist? Yes, in my dictionary! These pork pinwheels also go great with a variety of other sides, like mashed potatoes or mac and cheese.
So… what are you waiting for? Try rolling these pinwheels and perfect them before the holiday company gets here. Make them a part of one of your big family dinners. As I said in the beginning, they are elegant, sophisticated and gourmet delicious!!
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Pork Pinwheels with Zucchiccine, on my Gypsy Plate… Enjoy!!!
Looking for more great ideas for your holiday spread?Lazy Sweet Potato MashClassic Squash CasseroleFruity Nutty Crispy Brussels SproutsSweet Potato Casserole with Pecan StreuselButternut Squash BlossomCherry Tomato GratinCreamed Peas and Pearl OnionsChili Maple Roast Sweet Potatoes For a tangier twist, sometimes I add strips of sun dried tomatoes.
