Looking for low-fat pork tenderloin recipes

thistimewillbedifferent
thistimewillbedifferent Posts: 217 Member
in Recipes
I eat a lot of lean protein, mainly fish/shrimp/chicken/turkey/beans/lentils, and recently someone suggested pork tenderloin as an additional option. I've spent most of my life in the Muslim world, where pork is not readily available, so I never learned how to prepare it. I'm currently living in a place where I could easily buy some, so I thought I'd reach out and see if any of you fabulous people have any tried-and-true recipes that would not be too intimidating to someone who loves to cook but who has never tried cooking pork before. (For example, no recipes that just say "cook until done"...I have no idea what "done" would look like or how long it would take. :laugh:)

And, sadly, I do not own a crockpot or a grill. I do, however, have a regular stove top, a grill pan, and a regular oven.

Thanks in advance for any assistance you might be able to provide!

oink oink

Replies

  • cook6609
    cook6609 Posts: 182 Member
    I'm not sure were you live (county, state, etc). However, at my local grocery store there are pork tenderloins that are already prepared and frozen. You just have to heat it up. They are also pretty health and low in calories as well. Smithfield is a brand that I stick with. They are very delicious and have different flavors. I listed their website below. I found this in my local Wal-mart. I'm not very skilled at certain meat recipes unless they are simple. This just skips the difficult part. You just following the cooking times. Hope this helps

    http://www.smithfield.com/products/marinated_pork.php
  • thistimewillbedifferent
    thistimewillbedifferent Posts: 217 Member
    Thanks, sounds great, but I don't live in the United States. Does anyone else out there have any recipes? Pretty please?
  • Katla49
    Katla49 Posts: 10,385 Member
    Oven roast it. I use a broiler pan and put some water in the bottom to keep things humid. You'll need a meat thermometer. Sprinkle the pork with garlic powder, more or less as you like, then put a sprig of rosemary on top. Oven roast it until it reaches 185F/85C internal temperature. Serve it with salad or green veggies of choice, and sides that you like. You can make gravy with the pan drippings, but that adds calories to your meal. If the tenderloin doesn't have a light layer of fat I'd rub it with olive oil before adding the garlic and rosemary. Discard the rosemary after the pork is done. You can do the same thing on the stove top with a good cast iron dutch oven, but you'll need to watch the heat so you don't burn the outside. You'd probably want to add a coating of flour and brown it in olive oil all the way around before putting the rosemary on top, and the temptation to make gravy will be high.:wink:
  • bdubya55
    bdubya55 Posts: 506 Member
    I frequently enjoy pork on a weekly basis, although I buy thicker center cut chops which provide a thin amount of fat at one side, which I absolutely enjoy for the extra flavor.

    Keeping it simple, using a tablespoon of kikkomann low sodium soy sauce (530mg/tblsp) along with fresh cracked pepper and fresh jarred minced garlic. I bake it for 50 min to an hr @ 375, due to the thicker cut and this always produces a wonderful juicy chop for me.


    The addition of rosemary mentioned sounds good too.
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
    Pork tenderloin is already a very lean meat, but I will lightly sear it on all sides on the stove in a nonstick skillet then transfer it to an oven to roast. Sometimes I put on a home made teriyaki glaze, sometimes herbs and mustard, sometimes a light coating of barbecue sauce, sometimes simply rolled in cracked black peppercorns.

    A simple topping of sliced sauteed mushrooms is also nice.
  • KY2022runner
    KY2022runner Posts: 72 Member
    drop it in a crockpot with a can of cream of chicken soup with a packet of ranch powder (or if you have a favorite other seasoning blend) and a bit of water and cook on low for 8 hours.

    Boom! easy and delicious.
  • lintino
    lintino Posts: 526 Member
    I roll it either in a mixture of spices or herbs - whatever you like - so it is well coated. Roast in oven at 350. I don't let it get too done. It is too dry if you over cook it. Here in the states the pork is safe. I don't know about other countries. You might have to cook it longer.
  • healthymelisa
    healthymelisa Posts: 166 Member
    bump
  • hotmomma0612
    hotmomma0612 Posts: 651 Member
    I found this one online earlier and can't wait to try it.

    http://www.health.com/health/recipe/0,,10000001949722,00.html
  • DanaHerro
    DanaHerro Posts: 186 Member
    This was SO SO SO SO Good!

    http://chefmommy-brandao.blogspot.ca/2012/03/pork-tenderloin-with-pan-sauce.html

    Ingredients:
    1⁄2 cups olive oil
    1⁄3 cup soy sauce
    1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar (I didn't have so I used red wine)
    Juice of 1 lemon
    1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
    1-2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped (I used dried)
    2 tsp dry mustard
    Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
    4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
    1 1-lb. pork tenderloin (silver skin removed)

    Directions:
    Combine all marinade ingredients and reserve 2-3 Tbsp. Place the pork tenderloin and marinade in a Ziplock bag and let marinate for at least 3-4 hours. (I marinated for about 8 hours)
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a hot skillet over medium-high heat, sear each side of tenderloin for 2-3 minutes. Place in the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes (Mine needed about 55 to get to 160) or until the meat has reached 160 degrees. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.

    Pan Sauce:
    Pan scrapings from pork tenderloin
    1/2 cup of chicken broth
    2-3 tbsp of pork marinade (thoroughly mixed)
    1-2 tsp butter

    Meanwhile, place the skillet back on the stove over medium heat. Add the chicken broth and scrape up all the browned pieces from the bottom of the pan. Add the marinade and let it boil down for 2-3 minutes. Add the butter and remove from heat stirring until butter has melted. Pour over the pork tenderloin.

    HERE'S A DELICIOUS UPDATE OMG!!! - I know you don't have a grill but others here do
    Prepare everything the same way - I suggest marinating for at LEAST 8 hours if you can.

    Then throw this baby on the GRILL!!!!!
    Preheat your grill to medium high and then cook it LID CLOSED for 5 minutes on each of the 4 sides (It'll take a tad bit of balancing to get it to sit up on the skinny sides, but it works) So a total of 20 minutes and you flip it 3 times during.
    The meat should be about 155 when you take it off the grill at the thickest point. Let it sit about 5-7 minutes before you slice it. 160 is about perfection.

    I made the pan sauce the same way and totally omitted the butter - didn't need it.
    It was TO DIE FOR. Seriously the best pork tenderloin I've ever had - grilling this made it all that much better. I even did this tonight in the snow because I could throw it on, come in the house for 5 min, run out quickly, flip and close the lid, come in for another 5 min, etc. Super easy! Didn't have to babysit it at all Husband about DIED of foodgasm
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    pork is pretty lean all by itself.
    dijon mustard is wonderful at holding dry ingredients to it, so slather it in dijon, and adorn it with sea salt, cracked pepper, and rosemary for a simple dinner. wrapping it in foil will help keep it juicy, and if you remove it from the foil toward the end of the cooking, you can wind up with a nice crust on the outside.

    pork also takes flavors well. experiment with using cinnamon and clove with some brown sugar.
  • jerber160
    jerber160 Posts: 2,607 Member
    i think I lifted this from a recent thread but can NOT find it now. can't believe i didn't copy nutrition information


    2 pound Pork Tenderloin
    1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
    1 TBS Yellow Mustard
    2-3 TBS maple syrup
    2 TBS olive oil
    2 TBS Diced dried onions
    1 1/2 TSP Garlic Salt or Powder
    Mix ingredients above. Pour over Tenderloin in the crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours.
  • lkscho01
    lkscho01 Posts: 2
    I got this recipe from a friend. I usually buy pork tenderloins that come in a package usually containing 2 loins.

    Pre-heat a skillet on the stove and drizzle a little olive oil in it. Season the pork tenderloin with salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano. Sear tenderloins on all sides until nicely caramelized. Turn down the heat to simmer and cover with a tight fitting lid. Turn the tenderloins occasionally to ensure even cooking. Start checking the meat with a meat thermometer after 30 minutes. Cook until thermometer reads 160 degrees.

    You can also add some fresh sliced mushrooms to the meat as it cooks. Yum!

    This is very flavorful! enjoy!
  • dawndm88
    dawndm88 Posts: 23 Member
    We love this recipe.
    http://fastpaleo.com/garlic-balsamic-pork-tenderloin/
  • Lochlyn_D
    Lochlyn_D Posts: 492 Member
    I cook tenderloin a lot. I usually cut it down the middle and stuff it with onions and peppers and garlic and a low fat cream cheese or skim milk cheese. Then I brush the outside with an egg white and season with rosemary, garlic powder, pepper - whatever spices you like/

    Then bake at 350 for an hour
  • RM10003
    RM10003 Posts: 316 Member
    This calls for center-cut loin chops, but I'm sure you could improvise. Haven't tried it yet, but it looks nice and summery.
    http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/grilled-pork-tacos-with-summer-corn-nectarine-salsa-10000001995727/

    With the loin chops, I find they're too dry for my taste unless grilled or stir-fried, not crazy about them baked. Not sure how tenderloin compares.
  • thistimewillbedifferent
    thistimewillbedifferent Posts: 217 Member
    Thanks, everybody! As soon as I can get my hands on a meat thermometer, I'm going to try some of your recipes!
  • semisweet13
    semisweet13 Posts: 6 Member
    Put a pork tenderloin in the crockpot with one can of diet root beer. Cook for several hours until easily shredded with fork. Drain off root beer and shred pork. Add BBQ sauce and you are ready for pulled pork sandwiches. Tastes out of this world and is easy!
  • maab_connor
    maab_connor Posts: 3,927 Member
    simplist one on the planet for chops:

    pork chops
    can of stewed tomatoes (one can per three servings of pork)

    put it in a pan together, put pan on stove, heat on high.
    in 3-5 mins, flip the pork.
    5 more mins, flip again and reduce to medium low heat.

    now, the final amt of time to simmer on med/low will depend on how thick the pork is cut. the thin cut chops are only going to take another 5 mins. a thicker chop, 8 mins.

    if you want to do this with a tenderloin, i would add a can of tomatoes and put in the oven at 350 for 35-40 mins

    it's so yummy and SO SIMPLE.

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