Roast Pork Loin (Arrosto di Maiale) Italian Family Recipe

This roast pork loin, arrosto di maiale, is one of the most satisfying Italian dinners I know - rubbed with rosemary and sage, roasted with carrots, celery, and onion, and finished with a rich blended pan sauce that uses every last bit of flavor from the pan.

If you love Italian pork recipes, you will also want to try my Rosemary and Garlic Pork Tenderloin, Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder, and Pork Chops with Pumpkin and Apples.

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This was originally a New Year's Day recipe made with my mother-in-law Teresa, who came from Calabria and brought dried herbs from her own garden to use in the roast. She insisted on searing the pork first on the stovetop, I convinced her the high-heat oven start would do the same job.

She was skeptical. When it came out of the oven with a beautiful crust, perfectly juicy, and surrounded by vegetables that became the sauce, she approved. That is the highest compliment I know.

Which Cut of Pork to Use

This recipe uses a boneless pork loin sirloin roast, cut from the back of the loin area. It is lean with a mild flavor and a layer of fat on the outside that bastes the meat as it roasts. When choosing your roast, look for one with a generous fat layer on top - that fat is what keeps the meat moist during the long roast.

If you can find a roast with the skin still on, leave it - it turns into beautiful crispy cracklings. The roast should already be tied with kitchen string to hold its shape; if yours comes untied during prep, tie it yourself every few inches. For a smaller, faster cut, my Rosemary and Garlic Pork Tenderloin is ready in under 50 minutes.

Ingredients

• Boneless pork loin roast - 6 lbs, tied with kitchen string; look for a thick outer fat layer for a juicier roast
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt - about 1 teaspoon per pound of meat as a guide; adjust to taste
• Freshly ground pepper
• Fresh rosemary and fresh sage - finely chopped; dried herbs from a home garden work beautifully here if you have them, and will be more aromatic than store-bought
• Carrots, celery, and onion - cut into large chunks; these roast alongside the pork and get blended into the pan sauce
• Dry white wine - added after the initial high-heat roast; adds depth and helps deglaze the pan
• Vegetable or chicken broth - for blending the sauce; water works in a pinch
• Unsalted butter - stirred into the finished sauce for richness and gloss

Do You Need to Sear the Pork First?

You do not need to sear on the stovetop. There is a common belief that searing seals in the juices - it does not. What searing actually does is develop flavor through the Maillard reaction, the browning process that creates a more complex crust.

The 450°F oven start in this recipe accomplishes exactly that: it gives the roast a beautiful browned exterior in the first 35 to 45 minutes without any extra pans or extra steps. Teresa was convinced once she tasted it.

How to Make Arrosto di Maiale

1. Pat the pork dry with paper towels. In a small bowl or mortar and pestle, combine the olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, and sage into a rough paste. Rub the paste all over the pork loin and place it in a foil-lined roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet.
2. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450°F. Let the pork sit at room temperature while the oven preheats.
3. Scatter the carrots, celery, and onion chunks around the pork in the pan.
4. Roast uncovered at 450°F for 35 to 45 minutes, until the pork is well browned. Pour in the white wine.
5. Reduce the oven to 350°F. Continue roasting uncovered until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 145°F, about 40 to 50 minutes more. As a general guide: approximately 22 minutes per pound for medium, 27 minutes per pound for well done.
6. Remove from the oven and rest uncovered for 10 minutes. Do not tent with foil - leaving it uncovered keeps the crust crisp.
7. While the pork rests, make the sauce: scrape the roasted vegetables and all the pan juices into a blender or use an immersion blender. Add the broth and blend until smooth. Transfer to a small saucepan, heat over medium-low, and stir in the butter. Simmer a few minutes until glossy and combined. Taste and add salt as needed.
8. Slice the pork thinly against the grain and serve immediately with the sauce. It pairs beautifully with mashed potatoes or polenta.

Recipe Tips

• Start with a meat thermometer, not a timer. Cook time varies significantly by weight and oven. Pull the roast at exactly 145°F for juicy, properly cooked pork every time.
• Use fresh herbs if you can. Freshly dried herbs from a home garden have significantly more aroma than store-bought. If using store-bought dried, add a little extra.
• Salt generously. A good rule is about 1 teaspoon of sea salt per pound of meat. For a 6 lb roast that is about 4 teaspoons. Season the sauce at the end and adjust from there.
• Rest uncovered, not tented. Tenting with foil traps steam and softens the crust. Ten minutes uncovered on a cutting board lets the juices redistribute without sacrificing the exterior.
• Add wine only after the initial brown. Adding liquid too early creates steam instead of dry heat, which means you will not get the browned crust. Wait until the high-heat phase is done.
• The vegetable sauce is the hidden gem of this recipe. The carrots, celery, and onion absorb all the pork drippings as they roast. Blended with broth and butter, they become a deeply flavored gravy that is far better than anything made separately.

This roast is perfect for a holiday table or a Sunday supper. For a quicker weeknight version of Italian pork, try my Italian Instant Pot Pork Roast which has a similar flavor profile in a fraction of the time. And for serving, my Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes are ready while the pork rests.

More Recipes Like This

• Rosemary and Garlic Pork Tenderloin
• Italian Instant Pot Pork Roast
• Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder
• Pork Chops with Pumpkin and Apples
• Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

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Roast Pork Loin-Arrosto Di Maiale

Easy to make, flavorful, and tender pork loin rubbed with a rosemary and thyme makes a delicious dinner with little effort. The leftovers are perfect for sandwiches or other recipes.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Total Time2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: pork loin

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 65kcal

Author: Lora

Ingredients

• ▢ One 6-pound boneless pork loin roast with a generously thick layer of fat and, if possible, with the skin still attached, tied with string
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ freshly ground pepper to your taste
• ▢ sea salt I used about 4 teaspoons...use more or less to your taste
• ▢ 4 sprigs rosemary picked and finely chopped
• ▢ 4 sprigs sage finely chopped
• ▢ 3 carrots peeled and cut into large chunks
• ▢ 3 celery stalks cut into large chunks
• ▢ 1 large onion peeled and cut into large pieces
• ▢ 1 cup dry white wine
• ▢ ¼-1/2 cup of vegetable broth or chicken
• ▢ ½ stick 4 Tablespoons of unsalted butter

Instructions

• Drain the pork and pat dry with paper towels.
• In a small bowl (or using a mortar and pestle), crush together the olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary and sage into a paste. Rub the pork loin with the paste and place in a foil lined roasting pan or a foil lined rimmed baking sheet.
• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 450 F.
• Allow the pork loin to sit out at room temperature while you are preheating the oven.
• Add the carrots, celery and onion pieces around the pork in the roasting pan.
• Roast pork and vegetables uncovered for 35-45 minutes (until the pork begins to brown), then add the white wine.
• Reduce the heat to 350 F and continue cooking uncovered until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the loin reads 145 F., about 40 to 50 minutes more. Your meat thermometer should read 145°F (63°C). You may need to adjust the cooking time, depending on the weight of the pork roast. (It takes about 22 minutes per pound for medium done. For pork more well-done, cook it for 27 minutes per pound.)
• Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Don't cover the roast while it's resting. While the pork is resting, prepare the sauce.
• Puree the vegetables and the juices that were in the roasting pan with an immersion blender (or in your blender) with the broth. If you don't have any broth on hand, you could even add a little water. Heat the sauce on medium-low before serving with the butter. Stir together and let it simmer a few minutes until nicely combined. Check the salt, and add more if necessary to the sauce. Thinly slice the pork and serve it with the sauce and mashed potatoes (or even polenta).

Nutrition Disclaimer

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.

Notes

• Use a meat thermometer - cook time varies by oven and exact weight. 145°F is the USDA safe temperature for pork with a 3-minute rest.
• Rest uncovered, not tented. Foil traps steam and softens the browned crust.
• Add wine only after the initial 450°F phase is done - adding liquid earlier creates steam and prevents browning.
• Leftovers are excellent cold in sandwiches the next day.
• Store: Airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days. Reheat slices gently with a spoonful of sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 65kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 19mg | Potassium: 98mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3828IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.2mg

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