Pork Tenderloin & Balsamic Cranberry Sauce

Every home cook has their go to staples that they can throw together and make in an flash. This Pork Tenderloin & Balsamic Cranberry Sauce recipe is one that I can find at my mothers table regularly and I have adopted it as a staple in my own kitchen. Pork tenderloin is juicy and a very versatile protein. When you pair that with a balsamic cranberry sauce that will make you want to lick the pan, you have a main dish for a meal that you can’t go wrong with.

I made this Pork Tenderloin & Balsamic Cranberry Sauce the first time a couple of years ago when I was hosting a party at my house for my Baltimore family. I got great reviews and made sure to keep this as a go to recipe. Its great for a party because you can make the sauce a head of time and roast the pork right before you are ready to serve. The pork finishes cooking in the oven leaving your hands free to finish the rest of the meal.

The key to cooking this pork tenderloin is to sear it on the stove top first to get flavor and color and finish the cooking in the oven. You can pair this pork with fancy rice, roasted asparagus or other green veggies, or top a mound of mashed potatoes and drown them with the sauce! Mmm I’m going to try that next time 🙂 

Recipe Notes:

• Any leftover sauce can be used to top rice, is wonderful on chicken, or can be frozen and used later to make Cran Brie Bites as an appetizer for your next party.
• When cooking meat in the oven, the trick is to take it out ~5 degrees before the desired temperature as the temp will continue to rise as the meat rests. If you pull it out at desired temperature, it will overcook. This is true of any cooking method (grill, oven, stovetop).
• ALWAYS COOK TO TEMPERATURE, not TIME. Get a meat thermometer (they are at all grocery stores and target like this one: LINK) and use that to test the temperature of your meat. This will ensure you have a perfectly cooked protein every time!
• When buying in the store, 2 tenderloins usually come in the bag. If cooking for 1 or 2, take the extra tenderloin in the bag and freeze it for later use. For this recipe, we will use both tenderloins. 

If you enjoyed this Pork Tenderloin & Balsamic Cranberry Sauce recipe, I’m sure these others will tickle your fancy:

• Lemon Herb Pan Fried Chicken 
• Lemon Fennel Sheet Pan Chicken with Roasted Garlic
• Italian Sausage, Squash, and Pasta Toss
• Pork Tenderloin with Rosemary Cranberry Balsamic Sauce
• Shepherds Pie 

• Servings: 4-6
• Time: 1hr
• Print

Ingredients

·       Pork tenderloin

·       3 tbsp oil

·       1 yellow onion finely chopped

·       2 sprigs of fresh rosemary chopped

·       Balsamic vinegar

·       1 can of whole cranberries

·       ½ cup chicken stalk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Let the pork come to room temperature as you are prepping the ingredients. In a large saucepan (that is oven safe) over medium high heat, add 2 tsp oil and sear all sides of pork until golden brown.
3. Once all sides are browned, place whole pan in the oven until internal temperature of pork reads 140 degrees, about 15 minutes.
4. Pull meat out and let rest for at least 5 minutes, tent with foil to keep warm.

While the pork is cooking in the oven, put together the sauce:

1. In a large sauce pan over medium high heat, add oil and chopped onions. Sautee until softened and turning translucent. Add in the rosemary and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
2. Deglaze the pan by pouring the balsamic vinegar into the onions and scrape the bottom to get all the flavorful bits to release into the sauce. 
3. Add the cranberry sauce to the pan and break up until mixed in with the onion mixture.
4. Add the chicken stalk, turn down the heat, and let the sauce simmer until it becomes thick (about 5-8 minutes). You can add more rosemary if desired 

Cut the pork on the bias and top with the cranberry sauce. This goes very well with roasted vegetables, rice, or mashed potatoes. Its full of flavor and would impress at any date night or dinner party!

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