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Juicy Pork Loin Roast with ratatouille is one of my favorite hands-off dinner ideas. After 20 minutes of prep, this easy pork loin recipe and a vegetable side dish are ready for the oven.
Got a dinner party coming up? This new recipe is dressed to impress everyone that’s lucky enough to have a seat at your table. While it’s showy enough for company, this summery one-pan recipe is easy enough to make for your family every Sunday dinner.
In addition to the speedy 20-minute prep time, the vegetables roast in the same pan as the pork loin. Not only does this leave you with less dishes to clean up after dinner, but this one-pan strategy also means that the veggies are infused with juices from the meat. This “sauce” offers a bonus dose of savory flavor to balance out the natural sweetness that’s accentuated as the produce caramelizes.
Juicy slices of tender roasted pork loin layered over a bed of vibrant, garden-fresh ratatouille made of tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, and eggplant; every bite is heavenly.
In case you missed it, ratatouille (rat-tat-TOO-ee) is more than an adorable 2007 Disney movie. It’s also a classic French recipe that tastes like summer. Hailing from the Provence region of France, ratatouille is a rustic vegetable dish typically made with eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, and summer squash, stewed together in olive oil with garlic, onion, and fresh herbs such as basil, thyme, rosemary, or parsley.
Ratatouille recipes vary based on the region and the cook’s preference. Some use thinly sliced veggies layered carefully in a shallow baking dish, and others mix the ratatouille ingredients together in a pot to allow them to simmer together. For my riff on ratatouille, I chop the veggies and scatter them around the star: pork loin.
Not to be confused with pork tenderloin, pork loin is a larger cut of meat that’s ideal for roasting in medium heat or medium-high heat.
Other than turning the vegetables in the oven a couple of times during cooking, this high-protein pork recipe is largely hands-off. That means that you have a little more time to relax in a hammock or patio chair with a glass of rosé. It is summer, after all. Time to eat it up!
Table of Contents
Ingredient notes
- Boneless pork loin roast: Pork loin also comes in bone-in formats. This recipe is designed for boneless, which is still juicy but cooks quicker. Pork loin is also known as center-cut pork loin roast, center-cut pork roast, pork center loin roast, pork center cut rib roast, pork loin center cut, pork loin center rib roast, pork loin roast center cut, or pork loin rib half. Look for any of those synonyms on the label or at the butcher counter.
- Eggplant: Can’t find or don’t love eggplant? Try stemmed button or portobello mushrooms instead.
- Tomatoes: If it’s not tomato season or the fruit you can find isn’t quite ripe, feel free to use canned whole tomatoes (cut into chunks) instead.
- Zucchini: Or yellow summer squash if it looks fresher or if you prefer it over zucchini.
- Capers: Look for these briny orbs in jars near the pickles at the supermarket. I adore the salty, tangy kick these offer, but if you’re not a fan, simply omit them.
Step by step instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt and pepper to taste (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper). Stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil to form a paste and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add bell pepper, eggplant, onions, tomatoes, zucchini, capers, garlic, and basil. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss to coat, then spread in the bottom of a deep roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt (I like 1 teaspoon). Pat pork dry with paper towels and rub all over with spice blend paste. Tie pork roast if desired. Nestle into the vegetables, with the layer of fat side up.
- Roast the pork until it is cooked through but still slightly pink in the center, about 1 ½ hours to 2 hours. An instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the pork should reach an internal temperature of 155 to 160 degrees. Stir the vegetables twice during roasting.
- Transfer the pork to a carving board, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let stand for 10 minutes. Slice and arrange on a warmed platter. Surround with the vegetables and serve.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This Pork Roast recipes makes 6 hearty main dish servings, each with about 5 to 6 ounces of meat and a generous scoop of ratatouille.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Pork Spice Blend: For equally delicious alternative flavors, my pork spice rub is made with garlic powder, ground coriander, ground fennel, and paprika. It’s a key ingredient in my Pork Roast and my Pork Burgers. Or customize your own blend!
- Dry Rub: This easy, versatile Dry Rub seasoning blend is full of smoky spice, heat, and sweetness.It’s made with several spices including smoked paprika, ancho chili powder, onion powder, and brown sugar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Both are relatively lean cuts of boneless pork, but there are some notable differences that make these different cuts of meat. Pork tenderloin is smaller, thinner, and cooks quickly. If you use pork tenderloin for this Pork Roast recipe, it would be terribly overdone. Save it for the grill or Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches. You can also try Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin, which starts with a quick sear, then is cooked at a higher heat for a shorter amount of time. Pork loin is a larger cut; a hearty roast that is ideal for a slower roast or for slow cooker recipes.
Allowing this Pork Loin Roast to rest also allows the juices to be absorbed back into the meat so they don’t spill out onto the cutting board. The foil tent will help keep it warm as it settles down after its time in the oven. Taking the meat out at the low end of the doneness range is also wise to prevent overcooking. This is because proteins, especially larger roasts like this, increase a few degrees (to our desired maximum temperature) after coming out of the oven.
If your vegetables are browning faster than anticipated, simply add some water or chicken broth to the bottom of the roasting pan.
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Pork Loin Roast
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil divided
- 1 bell pepper seeded and cut into chunks
- 1 eggplant peeled and cut into chunks (see note 1)
- 1 onion cut into chunks
- 3 tomatoes coarsely chopped (see note 2)
- 1 zucchini cut into chunks (see note 3)
- 2 tablespoons capers undrained (see note 4)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil or 1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves, torn
- 3 pounds boneless pork loin roast (see note 5)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt and pepper to taste (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper). Stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil to form a paste and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add bell pepper, eggplant, onions, tomatoes, zucchini, capers, garlic, and basil. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss to coat, then spread in the bottom of a deep roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt (I like 1 teaspoon).
- Pat pork dry with paper towels and rub all over with spice blend paste. Tie pork roast if desired. Nestle into the vegetables.
- Roast the pork until it is cooked through but still slightly pink in the center, about 1 ½ hours to 2 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the pork should read 155 to 160 degrees. Stir the vegetables twice during roasting.
- Transfer the pork to a carving board, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let stand for 10 minutes. Slice and arrange on a warmed platter. Surround with the vegetables and serve.
Notes
- Eggplant: Can’t find or don’t love eggplant? Try stemmed button or portobello mushrooms instead.
- Tomatoes: If it’s not tomato season or the fruit you can find isn’t quite ripe, feel free to use canned whole tomatoes (cut into chunks) instead.
- Zucchini: Or yellow summer squash if it looks fresher or if you prefer it over zucchini.
- Capers: Look for these briny orbs in jars near the pickles at the supermarket. I adore the salty, tangy kick these offer, but if you’re not a fan, simply omit them.
- Boneless pork loin roast: Pork loin also comes in bone-in formats. This recipe is designed for boneless, which is still juicy but cooks quicker. Pork loin is also known as center-cut pork loin roast, center-cut pork roast, pork center loin roast, pork center cut rib roast, pork loin center cut, pork loin center rib roast, pork loin roast center cut, or pork loin rib half. Look for any of those synonyms on the label or at the butcher counter.
- Yield: This Pork Roast recipes makes 6 hearty main dish servings, each with about 5 to 6 ounces of meat and a generous scoop of ratatouille.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
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.
This is my first time visit and I made this and it was so good thank you
Pork is already my favorite, but this one is definitely a keeper!