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Sliced pork tenderloin atop golden beets and onions with an apricot-mint sauce on top on a white plate.

Pork Tenderloin with Golden Beets and Apricot-Mint Sauce

Course: Main Course, Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free, Low Lactose
Keyword: easy pork tenderloin recipes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 618kcal
This easy pork tenderloin recipe is made entirely on the stovetop, and the side dish is built right in! It's a little bit fancy, and perfect if you're looking for different things to do with pork tenderloin.
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Ingredients

Pork Tenderloin and Golden Beets

  • 2 lb pork tenderloin
  • 1 ½ lb golden beets
  • 2 yellow onions
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • ½ cup white wine
  • 1 ½ cups chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • kosher salt to taste

Apricot Mint Sauce

  • ¼ cup raw pistachios chopped
  • ¼ cup chopped dried apricots
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

  • In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the pistachios until fragrant and they begin to release their oils, 3 - 5 minutes.
  • Season the pork tenderloin with salt and pepper and allow it to start coming to room temperature as you prepare the other ingredients. (You can remove it from the fridge up to one hour before you begin preparing the recipe.)
  • Slice the onions thinly. Chop the garlic cloves. Place a large, deep pan with a lid over medium high heat. Add olive oil and sauté onions until they are becoming translucent, 6-8 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt.
  • While the onions are cooking, cut the beets into thin slices, and cut the rounds into halves or quarters, depending on the size. Slicing them like this reduces the cooking time.
  • Add the sliced beets to the pan and continue to cook for another 7-10 minutes until the beets are beginning to soften. Add garlic and continue to cook for another minute or so until the garlic is fragrant. Season with a pinch of salt.
  • Add the wine, cider, and chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Season with a bit of salt, reduce heat to low, and cover the pan.
  • While the beets simmer, chop the apricots, mint and pistachios. Combine them with the lemon juice and olive oil and set aside.
  • After the beets have been simmering in the liquid for about 10 minutes, heat a non-stick skillet over medium high, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sear the pork tenderloin on each side for 3 - 5 minutes, until golden brown. Make sure to get a quick sear on each end, too.
  • Nestle the pork tenderloins back into the simmering beets and cook uncovered for another 10-20 minutes, turning them from time to time. If the pan is getting too dry, add a splash of chicken stock. You want the final product to be a bit saucy. Cook until a meat thermometer registers 145 degrees F in the thickest part of the meat.
  • Allow the pork to rest for 5-10 minutes, then slice. Taste the beets and season with salt. Put some of the beet mixture on a plate, add slices of pork, then top with apricot-mint sauce.

Notes

  • This recipe is easy to make, but it does require a fair amount of active cooking time. I adapted it from Bon Appétit, and shortened their cooking time by about 30 minutes. Make this on a night when you can pour yourself a glass of wine, put on some music, and cook your cares away for an hour in the kitchen. 
  • I've tried to set this up so you are prepping one thing while something else is cooking, which will give you more time. If you don't feel confident in that flow, go ahead and make the apricot sauce first. Then chop your onions, beets and garlic before you start cooking. 
  • I used my Lodge enameled cast iron casserole pan for this recipe. It's perfect because it can easily go from sautéing to simmering and has a good lid. 
  • Slicing the beets thinly greatly reduces the cooking time as opposed to a large dice that you might normally do. (I tried it both ways.)
  • You can use red beets instead of golden, they will just be a little bit sweeter and a little more earthy. I don't recommend chioggia beets, though. I find they tend to lose all of their flavor when roasted and they're better for use raw in salads. 
 
Disclosure: I am a member of the Lodge Food Blogger Network. This pan was provided to me free of charge. All opinions are my own.
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Nutrition

Calories: 618kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 55g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 150mg | Sodium: 387mg | Potassium: 1856mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 608IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 5mg