Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

This fabulous Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Fennel is the sheet pan dinner of your dreams. The pork is tender, the bacon is salty, and the fennel soaks up the juices from both! It’s also fancy enough for “company” and ready in an hour.

Recipe ingredients

At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.

Ingredient notes

• Fennel bulbs: Also known as anise, fresh fennel bulbs reach peak season in the fall and winter. They taste subtly licorice-like, and as the fennel roasts, the flavor mellows out and complements the savory pork beautifully. Look for 1-pound bulbs, each of which yields about 14 ounces after trimming. If you are unable to find it, you can substitute fresh bok choy or fresh leek bulbs trim and cut into 1-inch pieces.
• Pork tenderloin:  Tenderloins are low in fat and small in size, about 10 to 12 inches long and consistently weighing about 1 pound each. When you are shopping, plan on 3 to 4 ounces per person. Pork roast can be used in place of the tenderloin (you will have to increase the roasting time).
• Bacon: Depending on the size of the pork, allocate about 5 slices of bacon per tenderloin.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper for easy clean-up. To prepare the fennel bulbs, lightly trim the base of each bulb and remove the stalks and fronds. Cut the bulbs lengthwise into wedges, which will hold together during cooking. In a large bowl, gently toss the fennel with the onion wedges and a little salt and pepper in some olive oil. Then arrange the slices evenly over the baking sheet and roast for 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the tenderloins. Brush the dijon mustard over each one, then sprinkle on the fresh thyme. The mustard will act as a glue to keep the herbs in place. Wrap each tenderloin in slices of bacon, so that the ends of the bacon meet on the same side of the tenderloin and form a seam.

3. Heat a skillet large enough to fit both tenderloins over medium-high heat with a little olive oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the pork, bacon-seam down, and cook for 4 to 6 minutes. When browned, carefully flip and brown the top of the tenderloins for the same amount of time.

4. Take the roasted vegetables out of the oven and lightly toss. Place the pork tenderloins on the baking sheet with the vegetables and return everything to the oven. Roast for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the tenderloin reaches 145 degrees with an instant-read thermometer.

5. Rest for another 5 minutes before you start slicing. Serve generous slices of pork with the roasted vegetables.

Recipe tips and variations

• Yield: Two pork tenderloins serve 6 people with some leftovers.
• Storage: Eat right away, and store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 to 4 days. Leftovers taste incredible over cooked quinoa or mashed potatoes. Reheat pork in a pan over medium-low heat or in the microwave.
• Make ahead:  This is a quick dinner that doesn’t need much in the way of advance prep, but you can get a small jump start. Wrap the pork in bacon, then refrigerate until you’re ready to proceed with dinner prep. You can also chop and refrigerate the fennel and onions a few hours before you start cooking.
• Paleo and Whole30 Compatible: Choose an uncured no-sugar bacon such as Nature’s Rancher No Sugar Added Hickory Smoked Uncured Bacon and a Dijon mustard that doesn’t contain any wine such as Maille Dijon. 
• Toothpicks: If you find the bacon strips tend to slip, secure them to the pork using a couple of wooden toothpicks or a piece of butcher’s twine.
• Thermometer: A trustworthy digital thermometer can keep you on track when roasting meat, or cooking in general.

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Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

By Meggan Hill

This fabulous Bacon-wrapped Pork Tenderloin with roasted fennel is the sheet pan dinner of your dreams. The pork is tender, the bacon is salty, and the fennel soaks up the juices from both! It's also fancy enough for "company" and ready in an hour.

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Rest time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Servings 6 servings

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Calories 352

5 from 4 votes

ReviewPrint

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ 4 fennel bulbs trimmed and cut into 1-inch wedges, fronds reserved for garnish if desired (see note 1)
• ▢ 2 small red onions cut into 1 inch wedges
• ▢ 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
• ▢ Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 2 (1 pound) pork tenderloins whole, but trimmed if necessary (see note 2)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard divided
• ▢ 2 teaspoons fresh thyme divided
• ▢ 10 slices bacon divided (see note 3)

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, combine fennel, onion, salt, and pepper to taste (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper). Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss until evenly coated.
• Arrange the fennel and onion on the prepared baking sheet, spaced out as much as possible. Roast for about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, brush 1 pork tenderloin with half of the Dijon mustard. Sprinkle with half of the thyme, then wrap with 5 slices of bacon, slightly overlapping the slices until completely covered. Repeat with the second tenderloin using the remaining ingredients.
• Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place wrapped pork tenderloins bacon-seam-side down and cook until golden brown, about 4 to 6 minutes. Turn over and cook the second side until golden brown, about 4 to 6 minutes more.
• Remove the baking sheet from the oven and gently flip the fennel and onions. Nestle pork tenderloins among them and roast until the internal temperature of the pork reads 145 degrees on an instant read thermometer, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Allow the pork to rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with the vegetables and garnish with reserved fennel fronds if desired.

Recipe Video

Notes

1. Fennel bulbs: Also known as anise, fresh fennel bulbs reach peak season in the fall and winter. They taste subtly licorice-like, and as the fennel roasts, the flavor mellows out and complement the savory pork beautifully. Look for 1-pound bulbs, each of which yields about 14 ounces after trimming. If you are unable to find it, you can substitute fresh bok choy or fresh leek bulbs trim and cut into 1-inch pieces.
2. Pork tenderloin:  Tenderloins are low in fat and small in size, about 10 to 12 inches long and consistently weighing about 1 pound each. When you are shopping, plan on 3 to 4 ounces per person. Pork roast can be used in place of the tenderloin, you will have to increase the roasting time.
3. Bacon: Depending on the size of the pork, allocate about 5 slices of bacon per tenderloin.
4. Yield: Two pork tenderloins serve 6 people with some leftovers.
5. Storage: Eat right away, and store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 to 4 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 servingCalories: 352kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 19gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 951mgPotassium: 944mgFiber: 6gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 258IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 96mgIron: 2mg

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Meggan Hill

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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

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