Pork loin roast infused with herbs and garlic then served alongside a variety of healthy vegetables for an easy one-pan dinner.
This pork loin roast is seasoned with herbs and garlic for incredible flavor. A quick recipe that’s ready in under an hour and is particularly useful when the time is limited in the kitchen. This one-pan meal has plenty of protein and nutrient-packed vegetables that require minimal hands-on cook time for a near-effortless preparation.
Pork loin is cooked together with spring-inspired vegetables, so each bite infuses all of the delicious flavors into the pan roast. This beautiful dinner has become a hit with my family, plus it’s a clever way to get them to devour their vegetables!
How To Cook Pork Loin Roast
When feeding a larger crowd in a hurry, here’s what you need to know for moist and tender pork slices every time.
Pork Selection
The loin is a moderately lean cut, that is mildly flavored meat and can yield tender pieces when cooked properly. Pork loins range in various sizes, from around 2 to 5 pounds. I chose a 2 ½ pound filet for this recipe which can serve about four people. Some markets carry fresh pork already with a flavorful dry rub seasoning, so you do not need to add any extra ingredients when preparing. It’s so easy to cook, especially when you don’t have time to spare.
Cooking Techniques
To bring out additional natural flavors of the pork loin, I sear the meat in a very hot pan for a few minutes on each side before roasting. This allows Maillard browning reactions to occur, creating a beautiful brown surface and more flavor compounds.
If the large-sized pork loin is cooked only on the stovetop, the meat would be too dry. To prevent overcooking, even and gentle heat is applied in the oven for a slow loin roasting at 400-degrees to maintain the moisture inside the pork.
Timing and Doneness
The size of the pork loin will determine cook times. For a 2 ½ pound roast, 30 to 35 minutes is needed for medium doneness. To check for the doneness of the pork, it helps to use an instant-read thermometer. For a medium cook target 140°F to 145°F (60°C to 63°C) endpoint to allow for carryover cooking. The final internal temperature will be around 145°F to 150°F (63°C to 66°C) after resting for 10 minutes.
Sheet pan dinner
I’m a big fan of roasting pork on one big tray with all of the vegetables. This gives the garlic and shallot aromatics time to infuse into the meat and other vegetables. The zucchini, yellow squash, corn, tomatoes, and asparagus also absorbs the savory juices from the pork loin roast instantly adding more flavor, win-win! The vegetables don’t need as much time to cook, so it’s added to the tray 10 minutes later to give the pork loin a head start in cooking.
You can use these cooking techniques and this recipe with any flavor of pork. There is a variety of fresh pork like tenderloins and larger roast options at the market, so you never get flavor fatigue. If you are feeling bold, try grilling, sauteing or even stir-frying the pork to add different dimensions of flavor and texture to each meal.
This rustic herb pork loin roast with hearty vegetables will satisfy your hunger with wholesome and fresh ingredients! We had some leftovers after the meal, so I pureed the extra vegetables with some hot stock to create a soup, and stirred in some chop pork roast and packed it up for lunch the next day.
Why is it important to rest the pork loin before slicing?
After the roasted loin is removed from the oven carryover cooking occurs, allowing the heat to continue to travel and cook the center of the pork. Resting gives the heat transfer a few additional minutes to get to the desired doneness level. Resting the meat before slicing also helps retain the moisture inside. The water that has been squeezed out of the myofibril muscle fibers in the pork during cooking gets a chance to reabsorb back into the spaces where dissolved proteins now reside. The result, moist and tender roasted pork!
Pork Loin Roast with Herbs & Garlic
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pound pork loin fillet
- ¼ cup olive oil, divided
- 2 ears corn, cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
- 3 cups zucchini, sliced into 2-inch long pieces
- 3 cups yellow squash, sliced into 2-inch long pieces
- 1 cup baby tomatoes
- 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 3-inch spears
- ½ cup shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to the center position and preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a sheet pan with foil and lightly grease with oil or spray. Set aside.
- In a 12-inch skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until just beginning to smoke. Carefully add pork and sear until browned on each side about 90 seconds, 6 minutes total. Turn off the heat and transfer pork to a plate.
- In a large bowl combine corn, zucchini, squash, tomatoes, asparagus, shallots, garlic, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Set aside.
- Place seared pork in the center of the skillet and roast for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer vegetable mixture to a large sheet pan around the pork.
- Roast until thickest part of the pork registers 140°F to 145°F (60°C to 63°C), about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer pork to a cutting board and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve pork with roasted vegetables.
Equipment
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Amara Williams says
Thank u. I made this it was delicious. I had 2 put some veggies in a separate dish cause they were overflowing & the meat took a long time. But came out good. Made rice as a side. We ate all of it.
Jessica Gavin says
Great to hear that you enjoyed the recipe, Amara!
Amara Williams says
Hello. Love this app!! How many squash and zucchini do I buy because I know they shrink down.
Thank you
Jessica Gavin says
Depending on the size, I would say about 2-3 of each type of squash.
David @ Spiced says
I’m all about a single sheet pan dinner, too! I love all of the summer veggies you included in this one. I definitely need to add this to our menu soon. Thanks for sharing!
Jessica Gavin says
I couldn’t agree more! A healthy pork dinner made with ease 🙂