Smothered Pork Tenderloin in Apple Cider Gravy

This Smothered Pork Tenderloin in Apple Cider Gravy is the best meat main dish for a holiday dinner when you have a small group of people to feed and also makes a quick and cozy weeknight meal! This recipe is so easy but tastes fantastic and comes together quickly!

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This Pork Tenderloin, you guys! Ugh, I purposely did some extra recipe tests even after I got it to where I wanted it to be, because I love this that much!

This is the ultimate stick-to-your-bones, meat-and-potatoes dinner. And the gravy is so good you’ll feel absolutely no shame when you drown your entire plate in it as you simultaneously contemplate filling your tub with it because you #cantstopwontstop. And I say that as a person who doesn’t even like baths! I originally started dreaming this recipe up as a quick and tasty weeknight meal. I make a lot of pork tenderloin, particularly during the week. It’s a cut of meat that’s pretty quick and easy to throw together and always so tender!

But I had grown bored with my usual salt/pepper/herbes de provence combo. Sure, it’s delicious and simple to pop into the oven. But it was time for something new, and cold weather + pan gravy for my mashed = LYFE. So when one has a some delicious apple cider hanging out in her fridge, what does one do? She throws it into the gravy, of course! And I know that some of you are shaking your heads at the thought of something sweet invading your gravy.

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But do me a favor and try to keep an open mind. The cider actually helps balance out all of the deliciously savory flavors and adds a nice amount of depth. The saccharine fruitiness that can often overpower some sauces is simply not there. This meal came together for me right around 30 minutes, not counting the 10 that I rested my pork (always a good idea!). Now all ovens vary and if you don’t have a cast iron pan, you’ll have to allow a bit more time as other pans don’t conduct heat as well. But don’t let that deter you.

After the first 10 minutes of prep time, the rest is down time while you wait for the meat to cook. Not only do I love this for a busy weeknight meal, I also think this is special enough and delicious enough for a low key Christmas dinner. Sometimes making a giant, traditional holiday meal can be way to labor intensive and kill your whole day. And shouldn’t holidays be all about relaxing and enjoying quality time with your loved ones?

While this isn’t the ideal dish for feeding a large crowd. But if you need a delicious and easy dish to wow a smaller group for your holiday celebration or just want a nice  but easy dinner, then this is just the ticket!

Other great meaty mains to feed a smaller amount of people are:

Roast Turkey Thighs for Two

3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Pork Chops

Mom’s Meatloaf

Greek Yogurt Roasted Chicken

30 Minute Pork Tenderloin in Apple Cider Gravy

This Smothered Pork Tenderloin in Apple Cider Gravy is the best meat main dish for a holiday dinner when you have a small group of people to feed and also makes a quick and cozy weeknight meal! This recipe is so easy but tastes fantastic and comes together quickly!

10 minPrep Time

35 minCook Time

45 minTotal Time

Yields 3-4 servings

Author:

Jessy Freimann at The Life Jolie

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Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. of canola or vegetable oil
• 1 small pork tenderloin (mine was around 1 lb. - 1 1/4 lb.)
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• Dried thyme, to taste
• 1 14.5 oz. can of low sodium chicken broth
• 2 Tbsp. of cornstarch (you can cut this to 1 Tbsp. if you want a sightly thinner gravy)
• 1 10.5 oz. can of cream of mushroom soup
• 1 packet of dry onion soup seasoning
• 1/2 cup of apple cider (or apple juice if cider is not available)

Instructions

1. In a cast iron skillet, heat your oil over medium high. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Season your pork tenderloin to taste with salt, pepper and thyme.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk your broth into your cornstarch until combined. Then whisk in your mushroom soup, onion soup seasoning and apple cider to combine. Set aside.
4. When the pan is hot, sear the pork on all sides. Keep a close eye on it because cast iron tends to move things along faster than regular pans. You want it to have a nice brown sear without burning it.
5. Once each side is seared, dump your broth mixture over the pork and bake for around 20-25 minutes or until the thickest part of the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees.
6. Remove the pork from the pan and let it rest under a foil tent for 10 minutes.
7. Carve and serve with the gravy- enjoy!

Notes

I use a cast iron pan that I can transfer directly into the oven. You can also use a regular saute pan and then transfer the pork into an over-safe baking dish before pouring the broth mixture over it and baking. If you don't use cast iron, make sure you account for a little extra cooking time as regular pans tend to go a bit slower than cast iron.

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Jessy Freimann, The Life Jolie

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