Smithfield Fresh Pork Tenderloin with Cacio e Pepe

 

I've been collaborating with Smithfield for the past four years to develop dishes that use their assortment of hog products. If you missed any of my earlier blogs, you can view all the different meals I've created thus far by clicking here.

They sent me one of their Roasted Garlic & Cracked Black Pepper Marinated Fresh Pork Tenderloins to use in my final recipe of the year, which made me consider a troubling trend I've recently observed at Italian restaurants: the dish known as Cacio e Pepe.

If you don't know Italian, "Cacio e Pepe" (which means "cheese and pepper") is the name of a meal that consists solely of cheese and pepper-topped noodles. I consume a lot of cheese and noodles, so that's not the problem. Because Cacio e Pepe sounds so elegant, I find it to be a complete rip-off that restaurants routinely charge upwards of $20 for it.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not one of those folks who goes to a restaurant and expects the price of their dish to be $5 just because making the same meal at home would cost that much. I am aware of the expenses associated with maintaining a restaurant, but when I do go out to eat, I'd at least want to pay for a dish that has more than three ingredients and takes less than 15 minutes to prepare at home.

But what makes Cacio e Pepe worth the cost, exactly? adding cubes of Smithfield's fresh pork tenderloin that has been marinated in roasted garlic and cracked black pepper! In fact, since Smithfield's Marinated Fresh Pork items are fully seasoned and marinated when you open the container, I'm positive that topping a basic bowl of noodles with any of them would have tasted fantastic. But because I'm from Wisconsin, there's no way in hell I'd skip all that great cheese!

So I cubed my Roasted Garlic & Cracked Black Pepper Marinated Fresh Pork Tenderloin, roasted it in the oven, cooked some bucatini, added Parmesan and Romano cheese, and mixed it with the tenderloin to make something far better than classic Cacio e Pepe in little over 20 minutes!

If tenderloin isn't your thing, Smithfield's Marinated Fresh Pig products come in a range of cuts such as pork roasts, loin filets, chops, ribs, and sirloins and can be purchased at Roundy's, Piggly Wiggly, and Walmart. If you're searching for a side dish to pair with your Cacio e Pepe — or a whole different entrée in general — you can always head over to Smithfield.com's recipes department, where you're almost certain to find something you enjoy!

Recipe for Cacio e Pepe using Smithfield Fresh Pork Tenderloin

Cacio e Pepe is easy and delicious on its own, but it's much better with pork tenderloin!

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time25 mins

Course: Main Course

 

Cuisine: Italian

 

Keyword: meat, noodles

 

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 Smithfield Roasted Garlic & Cracked Black Pepper Marinated Fresh Pork Tenderloin
• 16 ounces pasta such as spaghetti or bucatini
• 6 tablespoons butter cubed
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese grated
• 2/3 cup Romano cheese grated

Instructions

• Cook the Smithfield Roasted Garlic & Cracked Black Pepper Marinated Fresh Pork Tenderloin according to the package guidelines. It can also be cubed before cooked to save cooking time.
• Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil, season with salt, and add pasta.
• Cook pasta until soft (according to package guidelines), then drain and reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.
• In a large pan over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Pepper should be added to the melted butter.
• Bring the 1/2 cup pasta water to a simmer in the skillet. Add the pasta and the remaining butter.
• Reduce the heat to low and stir in the Parmesan and Romano cheeses. Remove from the heat and whisk until the cheese melts.
• If you haven't already, cube Smithfield Roasted Garlic & Cracked Black Pepper Marinated Fresh Pork Tenderloin and stir with noodles.