Here is a great meat and potatoes dinner featuring Pork Tenderloin. Maple Glazed Tenderloin with Carrots and Rosemary Potatoes is a one-pan meal that is easy to shop for, quick to prep and a cinch to clean up. It is perfect for a family dinner or even entertaining guests.
Cooking in Ordinary Time
With the holiday season behind me, and January flying by, I feel a little out of step. All those lists and plans from December were gladly set aside in favor of a more organic holiday schedule when we found ourselves blessed by a wonderfully white Christmas. But now we are back to ordinary weather and ordinary time. Now I feel the need to reestablish a certain amount of predictable order in my schedule.
As we slide into mid-January it feels past time to get myself together. I need to find my groove in the kitchen again. My family is back to a regular weekly routine of work and school and I am eager to feel planned and organized, to know what’s for dinner before I start preparing it and to have the ingredients on hand.
When I have the time and presence of mind to plan and shop ahead, my slow cooker is one of my best winter friends. A meal started in the morning and allowed to simmer makes the house smell great. Then it welcomes my family home in the afternoon with the promise of a hot and satisfying dinner. My slow cooker provides a great way to prepare a hearty meal with a minimum of fuss. With it I can confidently and nutritiously feed my family on a busy weeknight.
Pork Tenderloin in an Oven Cooking Bag
Sometimes though, maybe often, I am just not that organized. I want a hot nutritious dinner that is easy to prepare but I don’t have what I need to get it started in my Crockpot in the morning. Or I just forget to consider dinner prep until I have left the house for the day.
Here is a great meat and potatoes dinner for days like that. It is perfect for those occasions when I am out of the house for the day before I decide what’s for dinner. Pork Tenderloin with Carrots and Rosemary Potatoes is a meal I can put together quickly when I get home. And yet, this is a meal that presents itself as if I had a plan all along.
What’s the trick? An oven cooking bag. It is pretty much the opposite of a slow cooker. An oven cooking bag allows a roast to cook quickly and evenly in the oven, while the meat remains juicy and flavorful.
This recipe is perfect for family dinners or even for entertaining guests. It is a complete meal you can shop for on the way home, put together in about fifteen minutes and have on the table in under an hour. It is also easy on clean up since it is all cooked on one pan.
A Second Simple Meal
Would you like to make this easily prepared meal stretch to cover dinner for another evening? Just start with a larger pork tenderloin, or two small ones totaling about 2 lbs. That’s what I did this week. I wanted to have some leftover pork to pull and serve over brown rice or for barbecue sandwiches. Naturally it took a little longer for the larger roast to cook to the desired temperature. Still, the pork did turn out as I had hoped.
If you cook a larger roast than specified in the recipe you will need to allow a bit more time to get to the desired temperature. Also watch the potatoes and remove them from the pan when they have browned as desired.
When storing the leftover pork tenderloin, place it in a Ziploc bag. Pour juices from the oven cooking bag over the meat and zip the bag, pushing out as much air as possible. Store the meat in the refrigerator until ready to use. If you don’t plan to use the pork in the next day or so, label it and freeze for later use.
A Fresh Plan for Leftover Pork Tenderloin
When ready to serve, transfer the leftover Maple Glazed Pork and pan juices to a microwave safe covered casserole. Microwave the roast for several minutes. When the meat is warm remove it from the microwave. Using two forks pushed into the meat close together, pull in opposite directions until the meat is separated into bite-sized pieces.
After pulling the pork, stir in approximately 1/4 cup of finely chopped fresh cilantro and 1 teaspoon of ground cumin. Then cover the pork and put it back in the microwave to warm through.
Serve Pulled Pork Tenderloin over a bed of brown rice for a flavorful main dish. The meat retains a delicate sweetness from the maple glaze. Then the cilantro and cumin add another layer of flavor, a mellow spiciness and bright freshness, that is different and appealing. I suggest serving it with whole frozen green beans. Steam the beans and sprinkle with a little soy sauce and a few drops of sesame oil.
Alternately, you can simply warm the remaining Pulled Pork, stirring gently to evenly distribute the heat and meat juices. Then add enough barbecue sauce to moisten the meat and serve as Barbecue Sandwiches on toasted sesame seed buns.
Enjoy!
Maple Glazed Tenderloin with Carrots and Rosemary Potatoes
Course: Main Dish, VegetablesDifficulty: Easy4
servings15
minutes45
minutes1
hourA great meat and potatoes dinner featuring Pork Tenderloin. This one-pan meal is easy to shop for, quick to prep and a cinch to clean up.
Ingredients
1 Tablespoon flour
1 lb. pork tenderloin
1 16 oz. pkg. crinkle-cut sliced fresh carrots (frozen carrots can be substituted)
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
4 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed and divided
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 bag (22 oz. pkg) frozen steak fries or waffle cut potatoes
Salt and pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Shake the flour inside a large oven cooking bag. Place the pork tenderloin and carrots inside the bag.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup combine the maple syrup, 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, I teaspoon of dried rosemary and the ground black pepper. Pour this in the bag over the pork and carrots.
- Close the bag using the tie provided. Turn the bag several times to evenly coat the contents with the sauce. Arrange the bag to one side on a baking sheet or shallow roasting pan. Cut six 1/2 inch slits in the top of the bag.
- Place the steak fries in a gallon size Ziploc bag. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 teaspooon of dried rosemary to the bag. Seal the bag and shake vigorously to evenly distribute the oil and seasoning.
- Place the coated steak fries in a single layer on the pan next to the cooking bag.
- Place the pan in the oven and roast for 35 – 45 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the roast registers 145F – 155F.
- Remove the pan from the oven. Carefully remove the pork and carrots to a serving tray then tent them with foil and allow to rest for approximately 10 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper if desired. Slice and serve with pan juices.
Notes
- Recipe Source: From Better Homes and Gardens magazine, January, 2004
- If you cook a larger roast than specified in the recipe be mindful to allow a bit more time for the meat to reach the required temperature of 155F. Also check and remove the potatoes from the pan when they have browned as desired.
- To store leftover pork roast place it in a Ziploc bag. Pour juices from the oven cooking bag over the meat and seal the Ziploc bag pushing as much air out of it as possible. Save in the refrigerator or, If you don’t plan to use the pork in the next day or so, label it and place it in the freezer for later use.
- To use leftover meat for Pulled Pork – Transfer leftover Maple Glazed Pork and pan juices to a microwave safe covered casserole. Microwave the roast for several minutes. When the meat is warm remove it from the microwave. Using two forks pushed into the meat close together, pull in opposite directions until the meat is separated into bite-sized pieces.
For Pulled Pork over Brown Rice – Pull the pork as described above. Stir in approximately 1/4 cup of finely chopped fresh cilantro and 1 teaspoon or so of ground cumin. Then cover the pork and put it back in the microwave to warm through.
Serve over a bed of brown rice for a flavorful main dish. Serve with whole frozen green beans, steamed and sprinkled with a little soy sauce and a few drops of sesame oil.
For Pulled Pork Barbecue Sandwiches – Pull the pork as described above, stirring gently to evenly distribute the heat and meat juices. Then add enough barbecue sauce to moisten the meat. Serve on toasted sesame seed buns.
OH MY! I just made pork loin with dijon cream sauce and it was delicious. But your maple glazed recipe sound fantastic!!
Mmmmmm. Nummy!
This looks enticingly delicious!
i need to start using maple syrup on more than just pancakes, and a little pig is a good place to start–this is fantastic.
Cooking bags have slipped off the radar around here so thanks for the reminder of how great they are.
This meat and potatoes meal looks so delicious.
Looks delicious and simple to make. Rosemary is on my top ten herb list for sure!
I feel a little out of step too but, things will get back into swing. 🙂