Tender, juicy, succulent and incredibly satisfying, this herby lemony marinated pork tenderloin cooks in just 25-30 minutes making it perfect for a fast mid-week meal. And yet, it packs an amazing WOW factor, making it a great and easy choice to serve to company as well!
The tenderloin is marinated in an herb forward lemony vinaigrette for at least 3 hours, over-night is even better if you can plan in advance! I typically use a combination of rosemary and thyme, but other herbs such as oregano and savory would also be delicious. And although fresh is best, let’s be honest, we don’t always have fresh herbs available to us….or don’t feel like plunking down the extra cash for them! And in that case, just substitute in dried herbs. Typically 1/3 the amount of dried herbs is equivalent to 1 portion of fresh. Therefore, if a recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of minced fresh herbs (as in this recipe), substitute 1 teaspoon of dried.
I always like to marinate in a plastic bag and once I’ve combined my ingredients I kind of massage everything together to make sure the marinade works it’s way into the pork, or whatever I’m marinating at the time. For extra spill protection, place the Ziploc bag in a baking dish before storing it in the refrigerator.
When ready to cook, this pork can be simply put in a baking dish and roasted, this is the easiest method. Or, if you’d like to kick it up a notch, brown the tenderloins on the stove in a cast iron skillet (or other oven proof skillet) and then finish in the oven. This can quite possibly make you feel like a professional chef!
Roast pork until the internal temperature is 140 degrees Fahrenheit in the thickest portion of the tenderloin. Remove from oven, cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 5-10 minute before carving into yummy thick slices.
Herb Lemon Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 2 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (2-3 lemons)
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, rough chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl whisk together extra virgin olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, dijon mustard, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Carefully pour marinade into a gallon size Ziploc bag, add the pork tenderloins and seal. Gently massage marinade into the pork for a few seconds to make sure it is completely covered by the marinade.
- Place pork in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for at least 3 hours, over-night is even better! Occasionally turn the pork to fully marinate.
- When ready to roast, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and proceed either one of two ways:
- Easiest Method: Remove pork from marinade and place in a 9"x 13" baking dish (or other any other baking dish that pork will fit into) and roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until pork reaches 140 degrees when the temperature is measured in the thickest part of the tenderloin.
- Alternative Method: Heat a cast iron skillet (or other oven proof/stove proof skillet) and 1 tablespoon of cooking oil over medium high heat until oil is shimmering. Meanwhile, remove tenderloins from marinade, leave any clinging herbs but try to shed as much liquid as possible to aid in browning. Place tenderloins in hot skillet, (you may have to wrap pork around the perimeter of skillet to fit) searing for about 3 minutes on each side until browned, 6 minutes total. Place skillet in oven and roast for 20-25 minutes, or until pork reaches 140 degrees when the temperature is measured in the thickest part of the tenderloin.
- After removing from oven, cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before carving into thick slices.
[…] make a perfect accompaniment to any roasted/grilled poultry (Delectable Roast Chicken) or meat (Herb Lemon Pork Tenderloin) as well as a great addition to a Buddha […]