If you’re looking for a Holiday main, this pork tenderloin is super fast, easy, and makes for a beautiful and festive spread. The pork gets rubbed in a cumin and cinnamon spice blend, pan seared for a delicious crust, and then finished off in the oven until perfectly cooked. It gets served with a creamy, vibrant romesco sauce and sprinkled with fresh green herbs. Not into pork? The sauce goes well with pretty much any other protein option (cod, halibut, chicken, turkey).
Ingredient Highlight
Pork! Is packed with protein and tons of nutrients like vitamin B6, vitamin B12, potassium, selenium, iron, magnesium and zinc. The leaner the cut of pork, the more concentrated those nutrients will be. So (unfortunately) eating bacon doesn’t give you the same health benefits as eating ham, pork chops, or tenderloin.
Servings 4 People
Prep Time 15 minutes 
Cook Time 25 minutes Ingredients
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 lbs pork tenderloin, silver skin trimmed off
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Fresh parsley, chopped
For the romesco:
- 1 packed cup roasted red bell peppers*
- 1 cup toasted hazelnuts**
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- ½ cup olive oil
- * Sub bell pepper with roasted butternut squash or carrots (see substitutions section)!
- ** You could also use toasted pecans or walnuts or do a mix.
How-to toast hazelnuts:
- Add hazelnuts to a baking sheet and bake at 350F for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. They should be a light golden brown. Don’t forget to set a timer! Let them cool a bit, then add them to the center of a kitchen towel, gather the towel up to seal the nuts in there, and rub the nuts around to get as many skins off as you can.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Pat the tenderloins dry with a paper towel if they are wet. In a small bowl, mix together the cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Divide it between the two tenderloins and rub all around to coat.
- In a large oven-proof skillet (12-inch cast iron is best), warm the oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add the tenderloins and cook, undisturbed for 4-5 minutes, or until nicely browned. Flip and cook on the other side for about 3 minutes.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part is 145F. Transfer to your cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing into medallions.
- To make the romesco, add all ingredients except the olive oil to a high-speed blender and blend to chop it all up. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and blend until smooth.
- Arrange the tenderloin medallions on a serving platter. Top with romesco and parsley. Keep extra sauce on the side for everyone to add to their plate.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Toast 1 cup hazelnuts
- Make romesco sauce
- Mix together the spice blend
Substitutions:
- To make vegetarian/vegan, bake tofu planks until crispy and serve them with the romesco, etc…
- Sub the bell pepper with 1 cup of roasted carrots, butternut squash, or beets! If using beets, skip the rosemary and paprika and substitute with 2 tsp ground cumin.
- Not into pork? The sauce goes well with pretty much any other protein option (cod, halibut, chicken, turkey).
Storage:
-
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer:
- Pork tenderloin: up to 4 days in the fridge
- Romesco: up to 6 days in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm up leftover pork and serve with plenty of sauce.
- Chop up the pork and serve it over rice with roasted veggies + romesco on top.
- Leftover romesco is delicious on everything (meat, veg, eggs, toast, as a dip, etc…).
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