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With a delicious herb dijon crust, this Dutch Oven Pork Roast is comforting and delicious. Paired with sautéed cabbage, buttery apples and roasted vegetables, it’s a meal you’ll love for holidays or weekend dinners at home.
This boneless pork loin roast is covered with dijon mustard and thyme and roasted along with vegetables for knocking out a side dish all at one time. It’s a healthy and gluten free delight. Best of all, roasting pork in the dutch oven gives you a delicious main dish and sides all at one time.
If cabbage and apples aren’t your thing, try pairing with a pear and arugula salad. And if you need a faster recipe, try these air fryer stuffed pork chops or air fryer pork tenderloin.
Table of Contents
Pork Roast in a Dutch Oven
Inspired by Ina Garten’s pork roast recipe, the pairing of cabbage and apples comes from my mother in law. She originally paired Ina’s recipe with applesauce for a holiday meal and I though the combination of flavors was so delicious. The apples are a perfect, sweet and tart compliment to the salty dijon pork loin.
If you’re cooking for a crowd, I strongly recommend this meal. You can just make the pork loin and roasted vegetables, or add all the side dishes. You’ll love this dutch oven pork roast because:
- Dutch oven – Everything is roasted in the dutch oven for minimal dishes and clean up.
- Great for entertaining – This is a beautiful and delicious meal that’s also easy to make.
- Healthy – This pork roast works for lots of different diets – Mediterranean diet, dairy free (with edits), gluten free, paleo, whole30, and migraine-friendly.
Favorite Dutch Ovens
One of my favorite gifts from my mom when I got my own place was a giant dutch oven. I like a smaller one for soups that is about 5.5 quarts and a larger one for roasts like this between 7.5-9 qt. There are so many great brands out there at all different price ranges. Some favorites are:
- Lodge – Affordable and good quality. A great “starter” dutch oven!
- Le Creuset – Great investment for years and years to come.
- Staub – Another good quality investment.
Pork Loin Roast vs. Tenderloin
I can see this being incredibly confusing for shoppers! A pork loin is a larger piece that runs along the back of the pig. It’s also sometimes called a center cut pork loin roast, center cut pork roast, and pork loin center.
It’s a large piece that’s often tied with a string to hold it all together. Generally a roast can range between 2-5 pounds so for this recipe, you’d want a smaller size.
Pork tenderloin is known as a pork filet or pork tender and runs along the backbone, so it’s a narrow strip of meat. It’s often cooked much faster on a grill, or in an air fryer.
Pork tenderloin cannot be substituted for this recipe unless you love really dry meat!
Ingredients
- Pork Loin Roast – It’s important to get a boneless pork loin roast so this recipe turns out exactly the way it should. This does not mean pork chops or pork tenderloin, which will be longer and thin. If you bought a pork tenderloin, check out my pork tenderloin recipe.
- Vegetables – In this recipe I use carrots, potatoes, shallots, and a fennel bulb. But if you hate fennel, this can be substituted with more carrots, potatoes or shallots.
- Butter and olive oil – I recommend using both for the best flavor, but if looking to make this dairy free, use all olive oil or use ghee if tolerated.
- Dijon mustard – Look for one made without wine or sulfites, like Annie’s, or use your personal favorite. Whole grain mustard will also work.
- Thyme – This recipe uses dried thyme, but fresh can also be used if you double the amount.
Recommended sides – For delicious and easy sides that go with pork roast, just get a bag of shredded cabbage and honeycrisp apples!
Step by Step Process
Step 1: Prepare the roasted vegetables
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, meanwhile pull pork out of the fridge to come to room temperature. Toss vegetables with butter and olive oil and roast for roughly 25 minutes.
Step 2: Place pork roast in dutch oven
Remove the roasted vegetables from the dutch oven and set aside. Meanwhile add a little more olive oil to the pan, season the pork lightly with kosher salt and black pepper, and sear for about 3 minutes on the fat side. Then flip, top with the djion and thyme mixture, spreading all along the top, and add the pre-roasted vegetables around the pork.
Step 3: Roast pork
Roast pork loin in the oven at 425F, uncovered, for 40-50 minutes or until the middle of the pork roast comes to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit. A digital meat thermometer is recommended.
Step 4: Make apples and cabbage
Omit this step if you’re happy with just the roasted vegetables, but you can start these in the last 20 minutes of roasting time. Simply use a large sauté pan and add butter or olive oil to it over medium heat. Add cabbage, season with salt and pepper, and stir often as it softens and caramelizes. This will take about 15 minutes.
Remove the cabbage and set aside, then use the same pan to add butter or olive oil and brown the apples for 2-3 minutes over medium high heat until caramelized and softened.
Recipe Edits
- For dairy free – use olive oil for everything instead of butter. For those who are lactose sensitive, try using ghee!
- Vegetable substitutions – If you cannot find fennel or don’t love the flavor, just increase the potatoes and carrots by 1/2 pound.
- Herb variations – Instead of thyme, or in addition to, rosemary or chives would also be delicious here.
Tips for the Best Dutch Oven Pork Roast
- Use boneless pork loin not pork shoulder, pork butt, or pork tenderloin. This is a larger cut of pork that is often tied together with string.
- Dijon mustard is essential. You can also use whole grain, but do not use spicy brown, regular yellow mustard or honey mustard.
- Invest in a meat thermometer. Pork roast is very hard to tell when it’s done, so a meat thermometer will save you a lot of guessing without drying out the meat.
- Cooking time will vary based on size – I find a 1 1/2 pound pork loin roast is perfect for 4 people. If you buy a larger one, the cooking time will need to be increased.
Serving Suggestions
You basically already have the sides for this dutch oven pork roast prepared for you with the roasted root vegetables, but here are other side dish ideas:
Storage and Reheating
Leftover pork will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or in a freezer for up to 6 months. For optimal results, make sure the pork is well-wrapped and sealed in a freezer container or bag.
To reheat, wrap pork in aluminum foil to seal in the moisture and bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for roughly 20 minutes, or until warmed through.
To reheat for one person, cover slices of pork roast with a paper towel and microwave in 30 second increments.
Recipe FAQ
I recommend increasing the time cooked to about 15-17 minutes per extra pound.
Pork is done cooking when it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature may also raise as it sits, covered. Therefore you can pull it out of the oven at around 140 degrees.
Because this is a small roast for 4 people, roasting uncovered in a dutch oven produces great results, but a large and deep roasting pan would also work here. If you buy a larger pork roast, it may be difficult to hold everything.
Pork Recipes
Slow Cooker
Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder
Pork
Stuffed Pork Chops in the Air Fryer
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Dutch Oven Pork Roast
Equipment
- 1 large dutch oven (7.5qt recommended)
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds boneless pork loin roast, *
- 4 large carrots, peeled and chopped into 2-3" pieces
- 1 pound fingerling potatoes, cut in half
- 1-2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and quartered (if really large, cut the quarters down into 2-3" pieces)
- 4 large shallots, peeled and cut into quarters
- 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter or olive oil
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
- 3 tablespoons dijon mustard or whole grain mustard, *
- 1.5 teaspoons dried thyme
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
Buttered Apples
- 1-2 large apples, peeled and chopped into 1/2″ pieces, *
- 1 tablespoon good unsalted butter, like Kerrygold
Sauteed Cabbage
- 1 head of green cabbage (about 16oz), cored and sliced/shredded or pre-shredded cabbage, *
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
- kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Pull pork out of the fridge to take the chill off. In a 7.5qt Dutch oven or deep roasting dish (big enough to allow the veggies to be on a single level), toss chopped vegetables with melted butter and olive oil. Season to your tastes (I recommend around 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and about 1/4 teaspoon fresh black pepper). Roast for 25 minutes, then transfer the veggies to a plate using wood spoon. The veggies should just be softened slightly but not fully roasted or deep brown. Leave the oven on.
- Meanwhile, season pork with kosher salt and pepper on both sides. Place the dutch oven on the stovetop over medium high heat. It should still have a little leftover oil and butter from the veggies, but if not, add 1-2 teaspoons of oil. Sear the pork, fat side down for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Flip the roast so the pork is fat side up, then return the semi-roasted veggies to the dutch oven, surrounding the pork roast.
- Combine garlic, mustard, and thyme in a small bowl and spread on top of the pork roast. Place the dutch oven back in the oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 40-50 minutes, uncovered, until the internal temp of the pork reads 140-145 degrees F. Cover the pork and allow it to rest 10-15 minutes. Slice on a cutting board and serve.
Sautéed Cabbage and Apples
- While the pork is cooking, peel and chop the apples and cabbage. Melt butter in two separate pans over medium heat (or you can use the same one if you'd like and just make one dish after the other). Place chopped apples in the pan and allow them to brown, about 2 minutes, before you toss. Then toss on all sides another 2-3 minutes until softened and nicely caramelized. If using the same pan, melt butter or oil again and sauté the cabbage, until slightly browned and soft, about 10-15 minutes total. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- There’s a difference between tenderloin (long and thin) and pork loin (shorter and fat). Make sure you buy the “boneless pork loin roast”. A tenderloin would require a different baking time.
- If you do not own a dutch oven, you will need a large, deep roasting pan and tin foil to cover the dish at the end.
- I used honeycrisp apples for this recipe, but your favorite, sweet apple will do.
- Buy cabbage pre-shredded, which makes life a lot easier.
- For a Whole30/paleo/dairy sensitive option, use ghee or olive oil, but try to use ghee for the apples if possible. For a migraine friendly dijon mustard, Annie’s Naturals is widely found, but many local brands can be found without sulfites/wine. Or use whole grain mustard. This recipe is naturally gluten free.
- For low sodium, omit any added salt.
- Calorie count does not include apples or cabbage side dishes, which add roughly 190 calories.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Stunning recipe! Just a sidenote for the $$$-conscious, many years ago I got my 7 qt. Martha Stewart Dutch Oven from Macy’s, it was something like 1/5 the price compared to a similar Le Creuset product. I have other cookware by Le Creuset, however this one has held up extremely well over a decade, surprisingly.
Delicious used drippings and made a gravy, cut all meat and roasted veggies into the sautéed apples and cabbage
Thank you!!
Excited to try this! Any ideas on how to make this more of a “slow cook” – hoping to let it roast while I’m out for 2/3 hours in the afternoon. Is that possible? Cover it? Lower temp? Thanks for any thoughts!
Hey Kalyn,
Yes you can slow cook it! It’s best on low for a long time – like 8-9 hours. If you have my Mediterranean Migraine Diet book it’s got a recipe in there for one similar too.
I made this dish because I have been getting a box of fruits & vegetable weekly and I had a few of the ingredients in my fridge for this meal. The apples, fennel and cabbage were the reasons I chose this recipe. I have never used fennel in my life and was concerned about how it would come together, but your recipe has made me a fennel fan. It was not difficult to make and it was a hit from the moment it touched our lips. All the flavorful vegetables were amazing and the pork with the Dijon mustard mix, was a complete compliment to the meal. My family loved every bite and ask if we could make it again! Thank you for the recipe that will forever remain in our family book of favorite recipes!!
Hello Alicia,
I made this last night for my son-in-law’s birthday. It was delicious! The pork was moist and flavorful and the vegetables were amazing. I will increase the veg next time. I roasted Brussel sprouts instead of the cabbage but made the sautéed apples which were a great accompaniment. A perfect fall meal.
Looking forward to your cookbook.
Sounds delicious, Kathy!! So happy you enjoyed it.
Thanks Alicia! Looking forward to trying this out on Christmas day! 🙂
Absolutely delicious. The pork loin is juicy and full of flavor!