Packed with juicy sage, apples, and mustard flavor, this Apple Sage Pork Tenderloin will be a meal your whole family will enjoy. The secret to cooking a pork tenderloin is to seal the juices into the meat. This is done in three ways with this recipe:
- Marinating the meat before cooking it.
- Searing the meat in a skillet before baking it in the oven.
- Letting the meat sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing it up to serve.
I also love that this meal is a one skillet meal, minimizing the amount of clean up needed.
You can use any type of apples. Green apples will add a little more tart punch. Red apples will sweeten the flavors up. The same goes with onions. A good yellow onion will caramelize when cooked but might take a little longer over low and slow heat. If you can get your hands on a sweet onion, this would be my preference. I used red gala apples and a sweet Texas onion but a Vidalia onion or any sweet onion will do great.
Serve with a simple arugula & tomato salad and Roasted Tarragon Carrots.
Apple Sage Pork Tenderloin
Apple Sage Pork Tenderloin is packed with juicy flavors! This one pan dish will make clean up a cinch. Serve with a simple arugula salad.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork tenderloin
- 2 Gala apples sliced
- 1 sweet onion thinly sliced
Sauce/Marinade
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup avocado oil
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp fresh sage chopped
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/4 tsp cracked pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 425.
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In a small bowl or large measuring cup, combine all ingredients for the sauce. Set aside.
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Trim all silver skin off of the pork tenderloin. Pat pork dry with a paper towel.
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Place the pork tenderloin in a gallon sized ziplock bag. Pour 1/2 of the sauce over the pork, setting the remaining sauce aside. Seal the bag and squish the pork tenderloin around in the ziplock to be sure the pork is fully coated. Refrigerate and marinate for 20-40 minutes. This can be done up to a day in advance.
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Once the meat is marinated, heat one table spoon of avocado oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat.
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Remove the pork tenderloin from the ziplock and place it in the hot cast iron skillet, searing for four minutes on each side until browned.
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Remove the pork tenderloin from the skillet and set aside on a plate or cutting board.
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Turn the heat down to medium. Add extra avocado oil if the skillet looks dry. Add the onion and apple to the skillet and add a sprinkle of salt. Sauté the onion and apples about 5 minutes.
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Add the pork tenderloin back into the skillet, laying it on top of the apples and onions. Pour the remaining sauce over the pork.
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Place the entire cast iron skillet into the oven. Cook for 20 minutes or until an internal thermometer reads 145-150 degrees.
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Remove the skillet from the oven. Place the pork on a cutting board and loosely cover with foil. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
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Slice the pork in one inch pieces and serve alongside the apples and onions.
Recipe Notes
If you need more meat, this recipe can be made with two 2 lb pork tenderloins. Just double the sauce.