Lechón asado (citrus-marinated roast pork)
9
Points®
Total time: 47 min • Prep: 7 min • Cook: 40 min • Serves: 8 • Difficulty: Easy
Marinated in a garlicky citrus marinade, the pork loin takes on wonderful flavor in this leaner take on the classic Cuban dish that’s often prepared for a celebration. We serve it here as an entrée but you could also slice it up and serve it on sandwiches. If you do serve it as an entrée, you can round out your meal with baked potatoes or rice and black beans. Be sure to let the meat stand after you pull it out of the oven so that the flavorful juices have time to redistribute in the meat. If you cut it too soon, they will end up all over your cutting board.
Ingredients
Onion
¼ cup(s), chopped, finely chopped
Garlic
6 clove(s), minced
Unsweetened orange juice
⅓ cup(s)
Unsweetened lime juice
3 Tbsp
Olive oil
1 Tbsp
Dried oregano
1 tsp
Ground cumin
1 tsp
Red pepper flakes
¼ tsp
Cooked pork loin
2 pound(s), center-cut, trimmed
Table salt
1 tsp
Black pepper
¼ tsp
Carrots
12 medium, cut into 2-inch chunks
Instructions
1
Combine the onion, garlic, orange juice, lime juice, oil, oregano, cumin, and red pepper flakes in a large zip-close plastic bag. Add the pork to the bag. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag; turn to coat the pork. Refrigerate, turning the bag occasionally, about 3 hours.
2
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place a rack in a large roasting pan and spray the rack with nonstick spray.
3
Remove the pork from the plastic bag and place on the rack. Discard the marinade. Sprinkle the pork with the salt and black pepper. Spray the carrots with olive oil nonstick spray and scatter around the pork. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the pork registers 160°F for medium and the carrots are tender, about 40 minutes.
4
Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes. Cut the pork into 16 slices and serve with the carrots. Yields 2 slices pork and about 2⁄3 cup carrots per serving.
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