You guys, I love fall food. I really love it. In the summer, I am all salads and grilling and berry picking, and in the fall, I am all soups and baked goods and really anything roasted. Because, I mean, who wants to heat up their house with the oven during the summer? But in fall, oh yes. Let’s get cozy with some warm, yummy food, and fires, and candles.
So, I bust out the roast chicken again, and I start back into making soups, but sometimes you need something a little quicker for a weeknight meal or just different but still want all the cozy feeling of fall. Enter, this pork tenderloin recipe.
It is quick and easy to throw together, hardly uses any dishes, and is a complete meal in and of itself. (Okay, you could throw together a quick salad while it roasts to really round out your meal, but I won’t judge you if you don’t.) Also, it’s totally versatile. Use whatever roasting veggies you have on hand. Carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, white or red potatoes, cubed squash? You’ve got options!
A few recipe notes…
- While I’m generally a fan of seasoning (read: salting) larger cuts of meat in advance of cooking, I skip it with pretty good success here. I like the advantage of not having to think ahead to dinner with this recipe beyond taking the meat out of the freezer to thaw if it’s frozen.
- If you google what the internal temperature of pork should be to ensure it is cooked, you’ll read that you should cook it to 145 to 160 degrees. I find that you will get some very gross, dry meat if you do this. I take it out at 135 degrees and then let it rest for 5-10 minutes. The meat will continue cooking after you take it out of the oven, so you should end up at about 145 when it’s all said and done. I do not like well-done meat one bit, and don’t find it necessary for safety to cook meat that long. Do what you want here, but I take mine out “early,” and we’ve always been just fine!
- Again, use any roasting vegetables that you like. If they are bigger, tougher veggies though, you’ll want to cut them into about one-inch cubes to ensure that they’re finished roasting at around the same time as the pork.
- You could skip the whole rubbing of the garlic cloves on the seared meat, but I find it to be a nice touch. Don’t tell my dad who loathes garlic. He’ll say something like, “Where did I go wrong in raising you?” (Sorry not sorry, Dad.)
- You can use any oven-proof pan for this recipe, but I love my cast iron skillet!
And now for the recipe!
- 1 or 2 pork tenderloins
- Fall Veggies--about 4 cups total
- 4 T. Olive oil, divided
- Salt & Pepper
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- 2 bunches of fresh thyme
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Rinse, peel (if needed), and chop veggies into approximately 1 inch cubes.
- Throw veggies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add 2 T. olive oil, salt, and pepper. Use your fingers to scrape the thyme leaves off the stems. Toss everything together with your hands. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat a 12-inch cast iron skillet (or similar, oven proof pan) over medium high heat.
- Rinse the tenderloins and pat dry.
- When the skillet is hot, add the remaining 2 T. of olive oil to the pan.
- Add the pork and sear, turning as needed to brown on all sides. Season all sides with salt and pepper after they sear.
- Rub the garlic cloves over the seared meat and toss them into the skillet with the pork. Toss the remaining bunch of thyme in as well.
- Put the cast iron skillet into the oven onto the middle rack and the sheet pan of veggies on the lower rack.
- After 10-15 minutes of roasting, remove the sheet pan from the oven, turn the veggies, and return to the oven.
- Roast until the pork reads 135 degrees with a meat thermometer, about 20 minutes.
- Carefully tent the skillet with aluminum foil and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
- (The veggies may need another 5 minutes or so to be tender and browned.)
- After resting, slice the meat and plate with the veggies. Serve with a crisp, green salad if desired.
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