Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Pan Sauce
and roasted delicata squash
Lots of flavors come together in this roasted pork with a sweet and tart pan sauce of dried cranberries. If you've never had delicata squash, you're in for a real treat. This winter squash has a sweet, nutty flavor and is one of the best for weeknight dinners because you don't have to peel it.
Ingredients
- Pork tenderloin - 1 1/4 lbs
- Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
- Wine, red (look for something with fruit flavor profiles, or sub chicken stock) - 1/2 cup
- Stock, chicken or vegetable - 1/2 cup
- Cranberries, dried (sub dried cherries or other dried fruit) - 1/4 cup
- Sugar, light brown - 2 tsp
- Mustard, Dijon - 2 tsp
- Onions, red - 1/2, sliced
- Pecan halves - 1/2 cup, roughly chopped
- Squash, delicata (sub acorn squash) - 1 lb, sliced
- Tarragon, fresh (sub fresh thyme) - 2 Tbsp, leaves torn, stems discarded
- Oil, olive - 1 Tbsp
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Onions / Pecans - Prep as directed. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Squash - Rinse and dry squash. Slice in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds with a spoon. Cut into 1” (1.25 cm) slices. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Tarragon - Chop.
- Pork tenderloin - Lightly salt and pepper, and tenderize with a fork. (Can be done up to 1 day ahead)
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Make
- Heat oven to 425F / 218C degrees.
- Line sheet pan with foil and brush with some cooking oil. Toss squash slices, onions and pecans with cooking oil and sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Spread on the pan and roast, stirring halfway through, until tender, ~25 minutes.
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add cooking oil and then pork to heated oil. Sear on both sides for 2 to 3 minutes each, until golden brown. Pour wine into skillet, cover loosely with foil, and bake in the oven for 16 to 20 minutes or until pork reaches 145F / 63C degrees.
- Transfer pork to a cutting board and let rest, covered with foil, for 10 minutes. Leave cooking liquid in skillet and place skillet over medium heat. Add stock, cranberries, brown sugar and mustard and whisk. Simmer until sauce thickens, ~2 minutes.
- When squash is done cooking, toss with tarragon.
- Slice pork and spoon pan sauce over top. Serve with squash on the side and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
60 reviews
This tasted like such a fancy meal! The pork turned out perfectly and took the full 20 minutes, and the sauce was divine - I’d like more of it next time though, so will add some cornstarch to thicken it next time instead of reducing it too much. The timing of the veggies seems tricky to get right though - the onions were burned to a crisp when the squash was done. Maybe slicing the squash thinner and onion thicker, and reducing the time in the oven.
0 HelpfulSo good! Used acorn squash as the other was unavailable, but DH kept asking for more. The pork and sauce were just scrumptious. Favorited.
0 HelpfulJust made the tenderloin and sauce was delicious (added some corn starch and lemon per reviews)! Didn't have red wine, so used some jelly with chicken stock. Served with rice and other veggie sides had to use up in the fridge, would love to try the squash sometime.
0 HelpfulMy pork was really chewy even though I followed directions exactly. I think if I make pork again I'll seat it and then finish it in the pressure cooker instead of the oven. I love delicata squash and enjoyed the squash even though I forgot to add the nuts to three pan and only added them after the fact. The pan sauce didn't really thicken up, I should have made a slurry to help it along.
0 Helpful