Herb Crusted Pork Roast
Tender and juicy, this Herb Crusted Pork Roast is coated in savory herbs and roasted to perfection for a flavorful dinner that’s easy but impressive!
A SAVORY ROAST DINNER RECIPE
This Herb Crusted Pork Roast is very flavorful and impressive for a fancy dinner but easy enough for just a regular meal night. That’s my kind of dinner roast! If it means that I can make a tender, juicy pork roast dinner that looks like I spent all day on it without having to actually spend all day on it, I am all about that! This roast goes with so many side dishes, so you can easily change things up.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
No, the gravy is optional, but why not make the gravy?! There are those delicious drippings to take advantage of!
As you can see in my pictures, I served this with Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes and some fresh Green Beans. But you can use any vegetable or steamed vegetable side dish, other Mashed Potatoes, Baked Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, or even Twice Baked Potatoes and a big Olive Garden Copycat Salad with Dressing.
The key with pork is to not overcook it. Pork is such a lean meat that it can easily dry out. The best way to make sure it’s cooked without over cooking it is to use a meat thermometer in the roast. Once that thermometer reaches 145F, it’s ready to come out of the oven. The other great thing about this recipe is the gravy. If you accidentally overdo it, the gravy will help moisten up the meat.
Fresh herbs really are key here. I know it’s tempting to use dried herbs for convenience, but you just won’t get the same flavor. But, if you really must use the dried herbs, the general rule is you use 1/3 the amount of dried herbs than fresh herbs since the dried version is more concentrated. So, instead of 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme, use 2/3 teaspoons dried thyme. Instead of 1 teaspoon of fresh rosemary, use 1/3 teaspoon dried rosemary flakes. For dried parsley, use about 4 teaspoons to replace ¼ cup of fresh parsley leaves. But, again, I really think using fresh herbs is the way to get the perfect pork roast with this recipe. You could also change the rosemary and thyme out for other fresh herbs if desired.
I have not tested this particular recipe with a pork tenderloin. It should work but I can’t give you cooking time instructions. You could use the cooking times it gives on the pork tenderloin packaging.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container and should be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
When ready for leftovers, heat the slices of pork up on the stove with some leftover gravy to keep it moist. You could serve over top of some mashed potatoes too.
Also know that the leftover thin slices of pork make great sandwiches later!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- garlic
- fresh parsley, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary – see my Frequently Asked Questions above about using fresh versus dried.
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- boneless pork loin roast – look for a roast that has a layer of fat on top. This is great for keeping that pork moist!
- unsalted beef stock– you can use the salted, regular beef stock, but this dish already has salt from the pork loin, so I tried to scale back on it here.
- cornstarch – this is just used to thicken the gravy.
HOW TO MAKE HERB CRUSTED PORK LOIN:
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Chop the garlic, parsley, thyme, and rosemary together until it is very fine on a cutting board. Add to a small bowl.
Stir the herbs with the olive oil, salt, and pepper, and set aside.
Pat the pork roast dry with a paper towel and place it in a baking dish. Optional: poke holes all over the roast with a pairing knife; this will help the herbs penetrate the meat.
Rub the herb mixture all over the roast, and place the roast fat side up.
Place in the oven (on the middle rack) for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350°F and continue to cook until the internal temperature reaches 145°F. Take out of the oven and cover with foil, allow to rest for 10 minutes. Mix ½ cup of the beef stock with the cornstarch and set aside. Add the remaining beef stock and pan drippings to a sauce pot and bring to a simmer. While whisking constantly, slowly stream in the cornstarch mixture into the pot until combined. Allow to simmer for an additional 5 minutes until thicken.
Slice the roast and serve with the gravy.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Herb Crusted Pork Roast
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 pound boneless pork loin roast
- 1 ½ cups unsalted beef stock (divided use)
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (yes, that is the correct temperature.)
- Chop 4 cloves garlic, ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves, 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves and 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves together until it is very fine on a cutting board. Add to a small bowl. Stir the herbs with 3 Tablespoons olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and set aside.
- Pat a 3 pound boneless pork loin roast dry with a paper towel and place it in a baking dish.
- Optional: poke holes all over the roast with a pairing knife; this will help the herbs penetrate the meat.
- Rub the herb mixture all over the roast, and place the roast fat side up.
- Place in the oven (on the middle rack) for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350°F and continue to cook until the internal temperature reaches 145°F.
- Take out of the oven and cover with foil, allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- Mix ½ cup beef stock with 2 Tablespoons cornstarch and set aside.
- Add the remaining cup of beef stock and pan drippings to a sauce pot and bring to a simmer.
- While whisking constantly, slowly stream in the cornstarch mixture into the pot until combined. Allow to simmer for an additional 5 minutes until thicken.
- Slice the roast and serve with the gravy.
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Turned out juicy and very delicious. Kept it simple with your Million Dollar mashed potatoes and some corn.
Love hearing that Bob – thanks so much! Those mashed potatoes really are so good. Thanks so very much for coming back to comment!