This Pork Tenderloin with Pumpkin Pan Sauce is a a delicious and simple supper. Juicy pork tenderloin is rubbed with a rosemary spice mix and cooked to perfection. The reserved pan juices are transformed in to a beautiful pumpkin sauce to serve with the pork tenderloin.
One Pot Wonder
Simple suppers are the best. Especially when they can be made in one single pan! Whether it’s a giant pot of bubbling stew, a delicious and fragrant Paella, or an amazingly creamy macaroni and cheese, one pot meals are tough to beat.
While the convenience of many of these one pot meals is wonderful, I also enjoy a practicing a method for some of these meals. Enter: the cast iron skillet.
The method for cooking this simple and flavorful pork tenderloin couldn’t be easier. The key is to have the right tools. A cast iron skillet is a tool that every kitchen should have. These wonder tools go from stovetop straight to the oven. Perfect for one pan meals like this!
How To Make Pork Tenderloin In A Cast Iron Skillet
To start, you’ll want to get the cast iron pan as hot as you can on the stovetop. You’ll be using a high smoke point oil, such as avocado, canola, or grapeseed, so you won’t burn the exterior of the tenderloin. Note that this method can work with any meat, although the cook times and temperatures will differ, depending on what you’re cooking.
I opted for a rosemary-froward spice mix for this pork tenderloin. Garlic and rosemary is a delicious flavor combination for pork, and works gorgeously with pumpkin, as well.
The tenderloin will get seared on all sides before finishing off in the oven. Be sure that you cook the pork to your liking, but 145 degrees is the standard. Once the pork is done cooking in the oven, transfer the pork to a plate and tent loosely with foil to rest. Next up? The pumpkin pan sauce!
How To Make Pumpkin Pan Sauce
Pan sauces may just become your new best friend in the kitchen. The beauty of a pan sauce is that it uses every last bit of flavor imparted from cooking meat. Those brown bits at the bottom of the pan? The makings of a gorgeous pan sauce!
Shallot and garlic (and whatever other aromatics you’d like!) are sautéed in the reserved drippings until fragrant. Humble pumpkin pureé (yes, from a can!) is whisked with a rich red wine which serves as the body of your pan sauce. Additional herbs and a knob of butter finish the sauce off, creating a luscious texture with plenty of flavor.
Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with Pumpkin Pan Sauce
Equipment
- Cast Iron Skillet
Ingredients
For the Rosemary Pork Tenderloin:
- 2 Tbsp grapeseed oil, or other high smoke point oil such as avocado or canola
- 2 lb pork tenderloin
- 2 Tbsp crushed dried rosemary
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp dried sage
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
For the Pumpkin Pan Sauce:
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
- 1/2 cup red wine, such as Pinot Noir
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Set a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add grapeseed oil.
- In a small bowl, mix rosemary, salt, sage, and pepper. Mix to combine.
- Pat pork tenderloin dry with a paper towel. Add a spoonful of the mixture on to your cutting board, and place pork tenderloin over spices. Continue pressing herb mixture in to pork tenderloin. Add minced garlic, again pressing in to the tenderloin. Sear pork tenderloin on all sides, transferring to the oven once all sides have been browned. Cook for 15 minutes, or until internal cooking temperature reaches 145 degrees.
- Transfer pork to a plate and tent loosely with tin foil.
- Set the hot pan over a low flame. Add a small amount of grapeseed oil if there isn't at least 1 teaspoon of drippings in the pan. Add shallot and garlic, sauteeing until fragrant.
- Add pumpkin and pinot noir, whisking until combined. Feel free to add water to thin the sauce out if you prefer.
- Add the rosemary and the butter, stirring until the butter has melted. Serve with the warm pork tenderloin.