Pork Loin Pasta with Mushroom Herb Sauce

This Pork Loin Pasta recipe has a delicious mushroom herb sauce. It makes an elegant yet easy dinner that is perfect for any night of the week -- plus it's dairy free!

It's the end of the second full week of school for us, and wow, what a week! My daughter started fourth grade, my son started seventh grade, and I have been busy juggling work, travel, the usual hectic back-to-school activities, and coaching my daughter's soccer team (our second game is tomorrow!).

Has anyone else been feeling unprepared for the back-to-school fall crunch? One area I can always use extra help in is in preparing delicious, fast, easy weeknight meals. We can never have enough recipes to fill that category, am I right?

Well, today's pork loin pasta recipe totally fits that bill, and I am over the moon giddy to share it with you!

Pre-Marinated Pork

Over the summer, I discovered Smithfield® Marinated Fresh Pork at our neighborhood Safeway. We grilled them for fast, flavorful summer dinners.

I honestly bought the first one on a whim because it sounded good Applewood Smoked Bacon Pork Filet? Hello! I love Applewood smoked bacon! But then felt guilty because I wasn't doing anything but throwing them on the grill... ahh, mom guilt. We've just got to let that go, moms.

You can grill it, roast it, or even sauté it! We can all use a little help in the kitchen to save us time. And after seeing how fast it was to get a fancy, tasty meal from grill to plate that was ready in 30 minutes or less... I was hooked.

Call it kismet, call it fate, but soon after, the opportunity came up to work with Smithfield Marinated Fresh Pork. And heck yes, I jumped onboard! I love any chance I get to work with products I already know and love. And I love being able to share them with you.

Can I use my own pork marinade?

Absolutely! If you can't find pre-marinated pork loin, feel free to make your own marinade. Then be sure to marinade the pork in your herb sauce for at least two hours before cooking, up to overnight.

How to Make This Pork Loin Pasta Recipe

This dish looks fancy, but it's SO easy to put together.

There's no prep time with the pork, since it's pre-marinated. So you just sear it for a couple of minutes on each side on the stove to give the outside a nice coating, then pop it into a 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. SO easy, right?! Real flavor, real fast!

Once the pork goes into the oven, start a pot of water for your pasta and cook the pasta according to package directions while you make the sauce.

I personally love, love, LOVE the fresh flavor and aroma of freshly cut herbs and garlic in my meals, so that's what I went with for this sauce. However, you could save even more time by using dried herbs instead of fresh, and using bottled pre-minced garlic instead of fresh garlic. It's all up to you. You do you, my friends.

Once you've got the sauce items prepped, you sauté the onions and garlic in a large skillet or pan with olive oil over medium heat. After a couple of minutes, you add the mushrooms, then the coconut milk, white wine, and flour for thickening. The fresh or dried herbs and lemon juice are mixed in at the end to give the sauce that lovely hit of herb and bright citrus flavor.

Mmmm...I love that nice zing of lemon at the end with my pasta!

Dairy-free herb mushroom sauce

Most of you know that I am 90% dairy-free due to some food intolerances, so I made the pasta sauce dairy-free by using coconut milk. However, if you aren't dairy-free and want to use heavy cream instead, I would absolutely co-sign that decision.

By the time the sauce is about done and starts thickening, the pork should be about done as well.

How to tell when pork is done

More than just going by timing, be sure to check the temperature of the pork. A meat thermometer should read 150 degrees when it's done.

Let the pork rest for a few minutes on a cutting board before slicing into it. This helps keep the lovely juices inside and helps the pork cook more evenly, making it flavorful and tender.

Plate the pasta and top with the sliced pork loin filet.

Fancy it up if you want with some garnish of fresh herbs and lemon. You can then chop it up, then put into a plastic bag. Save it in the fridge to top any leftovers for added flavor the next day.

I LOVE this easy and flavorful pork loin pasta recipe! It easily feeds 4-6 people, depending on your serving size.

This dish is perfect for any night of the week. Yet it's also elegant enough to serve at special occasions and dinner parties!

Recipe Substitutions and Cooking Shortcuts for Pork Loin Pasta

• Substitute heavy cream for coconut milk
• Switch out dried herbs for fresh cut herbs
• Use chicken stock for white wine
• Buy pre-sliced mushrooms instead of slicing whole mushrooms yourself
• Use pre-minced garlic instead of mincing the garlic yourself

What wine goes with pork?

This is the type of dish that can pair well with either a white wine or a red wine.

If you enjoy white wines, try a medium- to full-bodied white varietal. A lovely Viognier or even a buttery California Chardonnay would pair nicely.

A light- to medium-bodied red wine would pair beautifully with this pork pasta recipe. Because of the mushroom herb sauce, an Oregon Pinot Noir would be the perfect food and wine pairing companion for this dish.

Pork Loin Pasta Recipe

Pork Loin Pasta with Mushroom Herb Sauce (dairy-free)

5 from 1 vote

Recipe by Marlynn Schotland

Servings: 6

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Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 Smithfield Marinated Roasted Garlic & Herb Pork Loin Filet
• ▢ ½ pound of rotini pasta
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ ½ cup finely chopped yellow onion
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ▢ 2 cups cremini mushrooms sliced
• ▢ 1 14.5 ounce can full-fat coconut milk
• ▢ ¼ cup dry white wine can substitute chicken stock
• ▢ 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 tablespoons thinly sliced or finely chopped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried basil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano or ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage leaves or ½ teaspoon dried sage leaves
• ▢ fresh lemon juice
• ▢ Optional: grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Cook pasta according to package directions.
• While pasta is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place pork loin filet in skillet and sear all sides for just a couple of minutes each, until you get a nice lightly browned color on all sides. Place pork onto a shallow roasting pan (or even a cookie sheet with slight lip as shown here will do). Roast for 25-30 minutes, flipping over halfway for evenness.
• Using the same skillet, add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil and sauté onions and garlic for 1-2 minutes, until the onions are slightly softened and translucent.
• Add mushrooms to the pan, stir to combine, and sauté for another 2-3 minutes, until the mushrooms are slightly softened.
• Slowly add the coconut milk to the pan, and stir regularly, so the veggies don't stick to the pan while the coconut milk heats up and starts to thicken. After a couple of minutes, slowly pour in the white wine (or chicken stock); stir. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk into the sauce until the flour is well blended. Keep stirring the sauce as it thickens; this could take anywhere from 3-7 minutes.
• Meanwhile, your pasta should be done. Add 2 tablespoons of the starchy pasta water to the sauce, and stir. Drain the pasta and pour into the skillet with the sauce. Gently fold the pasta into the sauce until all of the pasta is coated. Sprinkle in the freshly chopped or dried herbs (basil, sage, oregano) and squeeze lemon juice over pasta; gently stir until all ingredients are well mixed.
• Remove pork from the oven. If you have a meat thermometer, it is done at around 150 degrees. Let rest for 5 minutes, then slice on a diagonal.
• Plate the pasta and sauce and then top with the sliced pork. Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese over individual servings as desired.
• Serve immediately.

Tried this recipe?Please leave a star rating and comment! Then snap a pic of your dish and share it on social media. Tag @UrbanBlissLife and #UrbanBlissLife!

Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.

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More Pork Recipe Ideas

• Shrimp and Pork Wontons
• Filipino Pork BBQ
• Instant Pot Pulled Pork

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Smithfield® Marinated Fresh Pork. As always, all opinions and photos are my own.