Keto Pumpkin & Sage Hasselback Pork

Have you tried our Keto Spinach & Feta Stuffed Hasselback Chicken? It works with pork tenderloin too!

This dish has all of the flavours of a good roast dinner without any of the fuss. And the SMELL that wafts through your house when you cook it is simply divine. It's a tasty keto dinner recipe in less than 45 minutes.

If pumpkin is not in season you can always use butternut squash or even zucchini.

Using pork loin means that this low-carb dish cooks very quickly but be careful not to overcook them as they can easily turn tough. Cut your fillings quite thin so as to cook everything through evenly. Enjoy!

Top: Pan-roast the Tenderloins Before Baking

For extra flavour boost, you can optionally brown the tenderloins in a skillet before baking.

To do that, pat the tenderloin dry with a paper towel, and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet greased with a tablespoon of ghee over a high heat. Add the tenderloin, one at a time, and cook until browned on all sides, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the pan and let them cool for a few minutes before making the slits. Bake with the fillings as per recipe for about 20 minutes. Easy!

Step-by-step

1. Preheat oven to 200 °C/ 400 °F (fan assisted), or 220 °C/ 425 °F (conventional).

   

2. Make 12 slits in the top of each tenderloin. (I find that placing a wooden spoon or knife alongside the meat, as a guide, makes it easier to cut each slice evenly, without cutting too far through.) Place the loins onto a lined baking tray and season with salt and pepper.

3. Peel the pumpkin and cut it into 24 slices, sized to fit the slits in the pork. (I cut each one into about ¹/₄ cm/ ¹/₈ inch thick slices.) Push a slice of pumpkin into each slit in the pork.

   

4. Repeat with the mozzarella slices and add next to the pumpkin into each slit.

5. Place a single fresh sage leaf in-between the pumpkin and mozzarella in each slit.

6. Drizzle with olive oil or melted ghee and bake the tenderloins for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they reach 65 °C/ 150 °F internally. Remove from oven and rest for at least 10 minutes prior to slicing.

   

7. Serve with steamed greens or low-carb sides of choice.

   

8. Store, wrapped in cling wrap or foil, in the fridge for up to five days.

   

Recipe

Keto Pumpkin & Sage Hasselback Pork

★★★★★5.0 (7 ratings)

A tasty fall-inspired twist on traditional hasselback chicken using pork tenderloin instead. All you need is 4 ...

Hands on

15m

Overall

40m

Servings

6

4 g

Net carbs

43.2 g

Protein

14.8 g

Fat

330

kcal

1 serving2 servings3 servings4 servings5 servings6 servings7 servings8 servings9 servings10 servings11 servings12 servings18 servings24 servings

US + metricMetricUS

PrintPinRate

Ingredients makes 6 servings

• 2 pork tenderloins (1 kg/ 2.2 lb)
• 200 g fresh pumpkin (7.1 oz)
• 24 fresh sage leaves
• 200 g mozzarella, fresh or low-moisture pizza-style (7.1 oz)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp xtra virgin olive oil or melted ghee for dressing (30 ml)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 200 °C/ 400 °F (fan assisted), or 220 °C/ 425 °F (conventional).

2. Make 12 slits in the top of each tenderloin. (I find that placing a wooden spoon or knife alongside the meat, as a guide, makes it easier to cut each slice evenly, without cutting too far through.) Place the loins onto a lined baking tray and season with salt and pepper.

3. Peel the pumpkin and cut it into 24 slices, sized to fit the slits in the pork. (I cut each one into about ¹/₄ cm/ ¹/₈ inch thick slices.) Push a slice of pumpkin into each slit in the pork.

4. Repeat with the mozzarella slices and add next to the pumpkin into each slit.

5. Place a single fresh sage leaf in-between the pumpkin and mozzarella in each slit.

6. Drizzle with olive oil or melted ghee and bake the tenderloins for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they reach 65 °C/ 150 °F internally. Remove from oven and rest for at least 10 minutes prior to slicing.

7. Serve with steamed greens or low-carb sides of choice.

8. Store, wrapped in cling wrap or foil, in the fridge for up to five days.

Nutrition per serving

Carbs 5%Protein 54%Fat 41% of calories

Net carbs

4 g

Total carbs

4.2 g

Fiber

0.3 g

Sugars

1.6 g

Protein

43.2 g

Fat

14.8 g

Saturated fat

5.6 g

Calories

330 kcal

Sodium

505 mg · 21.9% RDA

Magnesium

59 mg · 14.8% RDA

Potassium

845 mg · 42.3% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per serving	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Pork tenderloin or medallions, raw, lean	0 g	34.9 g	3.6 g	182
Pumpkin, fresh	2 g	0.3 g	0 g	9
Sage, fresh	0.1 g	0 g	0 g	1
Mozzarella cheese (low moisture, for pizza)	1.9 g	7.9 g	6.6 g	98
Salt, sea salt	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Pepper, black, spices	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Olive oil, extra virgin	0 g	0 g	4.5 g	40
Total	4 g	43.2 g	14.8 g	330

• Gluten free
• Egg free
• Nut free
• Nightshade free
• Avocado free
• Coconut free
• Fish free
• Shellfish free
• Beef free