Honey Mustard Pork Tenderloin
I love a dinner that can be started the morning of or even the day before! This is why you often see me marinating our meats before long cooking. I can get the meat all cleaned up, out of the packaging, seasoned and ready to cook when my energy (and motivation) is still high. Then, when dinner rolls around all I need to do is pop it in the pan to brown, transfer to the oven to finish cooking and an incredible dinner is ready. This pork tenderloin is the perfect example. I almost always double the recipe and eat the leftovers thinly sliced as sandwich meat all week! It’s tender, never dry, and has the perfect amount of flavor to carry a dinner plate (or sandwich) into “special” territory.
Ingredients:
Makes 4 servings
1 pound pork tenderloin
Marinade:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon italian seasonings or fresh thyme
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon coconut aminos
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon paprika
/2 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
For cooking:
1 tablespoon of olive oil ½ cup water
Directions:
If you can marinate the tenderloin before cooking you will be rewarded for your forethought! Even just a few hours of sitting in the flavorful marinade will yield SO much depth of flavor. Mix the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl (or ziplock bag if you want to save a dish). Add the tenderloin and rub the mixture all over. Let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes or in the fridge for up to 24 hours. If it’s been in the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before cooking. When you’re ready to cook, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Heat an oven proof wide skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and coat the pan. Place the tenderloin in and brown it well on each side. Pour the water in the bottom of the pan and pop it in the oven. Cook the tenderloin for 15-20 minutes. If you have a meat thermometer, it should read 140 degrees internal temperature. If not, you can slice to the middle. It can have a bit of pink, but look cooked through. Let it rest for a few minutes before slicing thinly to serve. Enjoy!
