Garlic and Herb Pork Roast...A One Pot Recipe (2024)

Roasted pork does not have to be scary, difficult or unhealthy. This super simple one pot garlic and herbpork roastuses a lean pork loin! It’s perfect for any fancy dinner party or a simple weeknight dinner.

I am a huge fan of roasts. All of you should be!!! Is there anything more beautiful than a gorgeous roast surrounded by aromatic herbs and vegetables? No. It is one of life’s greatest pleasures. And I feel we all need to know how to properly cook a roast. Because in all fairness…it’s stupid easy.

I make pork loin roasts several times a month, mostly because it is brainless, simple and tasty…unless it’s dry…dry roasts are the absolute worst. And they can happen to anyone. Present company included.

Bad roasts are evil, stringy and unforgettable. I am willing to bet that those of you who never went back to making roasts, probably had one of these severely off-putting and slightly devastating experiences with their roast. But there is a weapon against this evil.

And it’s a food thermometer.

Control meats temperature

I mentioned in my 51 Ultimate Kitchen Hacks, that the food thermometer was one of the tricks that chef’s use to control their meats and pin point their accuracy. It’s true. We are not psychic. With a piece of a large roast you need a thermometer to be able to gauge the right temperature to remove your meat.

There are a few tricks to cooking a good roast. One of them lies in the fact that you HAVE to remove your meat several degrees before doneness. WHAT?!? You mean you are removing raw meat out of the oven?

Ok…settle down. Here is how this works, it’s science and unlike Pinocchio, science does’t lie.

The Technique

1. Anything that is cooking will have a carryover process. That means that the heat that has been trapped inside the food will continue cooking it AFTER it is off the heat. This is the same reason that you shock green veggies in ice water after you cook them…to STOP the cooking process. <—— That’s another tip for you… when cooking green veggies or any veggies for that matter… after they are cooked dump them immediately into ice water…they will stay bright green for you!

2. When you are cooking a hunk of meat, like our roast pork for instance, that is about 5-6 pounds…there is A LOT of residual heat left in there. So if the FDA says that the safe temperature to consume pork is at 165-degrees Fahrenheit (which I think = dry meat) then for a roast this big I would remove it at 150-degrees Fahrenheit. That carry over heat will cook the roast to the perfect temperature.

3. HOWEVER this is a pork LOIN AKA= very lean. So you do not have much fat to keep it nice and juicy. Therefore removing it at the right temperature is crucial. I personally like my pork’s final destination between 150-155, sometimes 145. So I take my pork loin’s out at 135-140.

4. Once you remove your meat you can slice right? NO!!! Cover it loosely with a foil tent and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. Why? Well when meat cooks all the juices flow into the center. Yay juices! If you cut into it right away…all those juices flow out of your meat and with them goes your flavor and moisture 🙁 When the meat rests, those juices find their way back to their designated homes and leave your meat perfectly moist and wonderfully tasty.

Think of the difference of a good steak in a restaurant? A good steak will look moist and juicy but not have the juices running out of it. That’s one of the ways I judge whether a chef is good or not. Even a 6 oz steak or chicken breast needs to rest for just 3-5 minutes or so those juices can disperse evenly and not pool up on your plate.

5. Where you measure is very important as well. Your thermometer goes right smack in the middle of the roast. Not too deep in so that it hits the bottom of the pan. My favorite thermometers are those that you can just leave in the roast as it cooks. This thermometer has that capability so it makes like a lot easier!

Feel a little better about your roast now? Good! We are moving on!

Good pork roast from shoulder or loin must have the accompaniments

One of my favorite things about a good roast is the accompaniments. Usually because I cook them in the same pan. So…

A. It’s super easy.

B. There is only one pan to clean up

C. They all cook in the same juices as the meat. And all that flavor permeates them until they are utter perfection.

A few weeks back I was at my in laws house and my MIL was making a roast chicken. She went to go take a shower and I said I would keep an eye on everything in the oven. I removed the chicken and noticed there were a few potatoes around it. By a few I mean 8, cut in half. So 16 little pieces. I was starving and picked up a piece to taste it.
“OH MY GOD”, I exclaimed. This is ridiculously good. I kept eating them. They were sweet, crispy, juicy and tender. I couldn’t stop. I needed my fix.

Before I knew it…there were none left.

And I was in a carb coma. I sat in the kitchen chair innocently watching the Russian version of “Voice”. When my MIL came into the kitchen she said,

” Oh wow the chicken looks grea…” She stopped mid sentence. “Mila where are the potatoes?”

I turned to look at her, head hung in shame, “I ate them.” She started laughing.

“Good, maybe you can finally put some weight on.” I apparently am too skinny. At least someone thinks I’m thin.

ANYHOW. As incredible as this roast is. For me the potatoes shine even more so. YUM.

I made this in a foil pan. One pan. No clean-up. YES! That sounds like a plan.

Want to see how quickly we can do this?

Pork marinade

Whip up a marinade of white wine, olive oil, garlic, red chili flakes, rosemary, salt and pepper. Taste the marinade make sure it tastes good and seasoned.

Spray your pan down with olive oil or pan spray. Cut your potatoes in half and place them cut side face down on the pan on the edges of the pan. Place the pork right in the middle of them. Season your pork with salt and pepper.

Pour marinade all over your pork loin roast and let it drip down on the taters. Oh by the way…see how my roast is trussed? I bought it that way. Your butcher will do that for you if you ask nicely.

Let that marinade for at least 30 minutes and up to over night.

How to cook pork loin

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and let it cook for about 30-40 minutes or until your internal temperature is at 145. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes. Slice and enjoy! Look at that crispy skin. Heaven.

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If you like this make sure you check out this other DELICIOUS One Pan Oven Roasted Tenderloin with Veggies!

An incredibly flavorful Roasted Pork Tenderloin is absurdly simple to make and filled with mustardy and garlicky flavors! The best part is all the glorious juicesfrom the pork act as a sauce for the veggies creating one uber flavorful one pan meal! Plus learn the ultimate trick to getting agorgeously browned tenderloin in only 30 minutes!