Pork Tenderloin with Cran-Balsamic Sauce
with pureed butternut squash soup
Pork tenderloin gets a sweet and tart punch with craisins and balsamic. This dish makes enough pork for Thursday's dinner and enough soup for Tuesday's New Year's Eve meal, so be sure to save some for then. Our vegetarians will be enjoying this sauce over a sweet potato and mushroom saute.
Ingredients
- Pork tenderloin - 2 1/4 lbs ((this makes enough for another meal))
- Craisins - 3 Tbsp
- Balsamic vinegar - 3 Tbsp
- Cooking oil - 3 Tbsp
- Chicken stock - 1 cup
- White wine - 1/2 cup
- Bay leaves - 2
- Corn starch - 1 Tbsp
- Cold water - 2 Tbsp
- Onion - 1 , chopped
- Butternut squash - 3 lb, chopped
- Butter - 2 Tbsp
- Chicken stock - 3 cups ((you might need up to 4))
- Salt - 2 tsp
- Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Pork tenderloin - Season with salt and pepper and tenderize with a fork. This will make enough for Thursday's meal. (Can be done up to 1 day ahead)
- Craisins - Soak in balsamic vinegar.
- {For soup} Onions / Butternut squash - Prep as directed. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
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Make
- Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add cooking oil and then tenderloins to heated oil. Sear each side for 2 to 3 minutes until a golden color forms.
- Add in stock, white wine, and bay leaves. Cover and bring to a boil, and then lower heat to simmer. Simmer for 12 to 15 minutes or until temperature reaches 145F(63C) degrees
- Heat a >5 quart Dutch oven (4.7 liter Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Add butter and then onions to heated oil with a generous dash of salt. Saute until softened, ~2 minutes.
- Add the butternut squash, enough broth / stock to cover all ingredients, salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil and then simmer covered for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Remove pork tenderloin from pan and set aside. Fish out the bay leaves and bring the remaining stock to a boil. Mix craisins and balsamic vinegar with corn starch and cold water. Add to stock and let it simmer until thickened. Stir. Serve sauce over pork. Enjoy with side of soup. {Save some soup for Tuesday's meal and some pork for Thursday's meal}
- After soup cools down some, puree with an immersion blender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy pork with a side of soup. {Save some soup for Tuesday's meal and some pork for Thursday's meal}
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
33 reviews
Wasn't interested in the soup. The sauce blew away my expectations. It has been renamed pork crack. Used generic dried cranberries. Warmed the balsamic vinegar with a splash of water with cranberries. Added pork juice from slicing pork, back into pan sauce.
0 HelpfulUsed dried cranberries instead of Craisins. The sauce took a while to thicken up, but it was great once it did! My pork went from 140 degrees at 15 minutes to 160 at 21 minutes, so watch it carefully! Despite being overdone, it was still moist and delicious. The soup was tasty but I've had better on Cook Smarts. It was kind of a strange side for the pork.
0 HelpfulThis was a disappointment unfortunately! Made it for Christmas Eve for family so I was really hoping it would be good but the pork was bland even with the sauce. The risotto was better but also just kind of so so.
0 HelpfulI'd stick to a 1-to-1 ratio on the corn starch (1tbs water and 1 tbs corn starch). As the recipe stands, the sauce tastes a bit pastey.
0 HelpfulEverything was great! I cut back on the salt a little (we don't use much salt). I will cut back just a hair on the pepper next time.
0 HelpfulReally good! I haven't really cooked pork before, so this was new to me. It took twice as long to cook but I also used a loin roast instead of the tenderloin. Like other reviewers said, a vegetable side would have been great.
0 Helpful