Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with Pomegranate Sauce

It doesn’t get much fancier than Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with Pomegranate Sauce for dinner. Plate it with some roasted veggies and caramelized pears for an upscale dining experience!

ME BEFORE THE RECIPE…

I LOVE Halloween. I HATE the day after Halloween! Does that statement resonate with anyone else out there??? Ain’t it the truth?!

Let me tell you why. First of all, Halloween is fabulous! I love seeing my girls dress up and act so excited about how they look and how much candy they’re going to accumulate. Not gonna lie, I get pretty giddy about the candy part too. I’m that terrible person that passes out the cheap stuff, but then expects my children to fill their bags with the “good stuff”. Please tell me that’s acceptable.

Watching my kids approach complete strangers and muster the courage to ask for something they desperately want, in my mind, teaches them some major confidence skills. Kudos to Halloween for fostering that characteristic in my children. Although, I think Braelyn was born into this world blessed with that kind of confidence.

So yeah, basically, Halloween has always been a favorite day of mine. It’s the day AFTER where is becomes a reality check. Someone make me disappear.

My children are exhausted.
My kiddos are experiencing sugar withdrawals after detoxing from an extreme candy crash (aka, major whining and attitudes).
There are wrappers/trash scattered around the inside AND outside of my house that I continuously clean up.
I get to deal with two children that think that just because they have pounds of candy, they can ask to eat it 24/7; for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And then they freak out when you tell them “no”. It’s as if they think their real mom was all the sudden beamed to another planet and replaced with a look-a-like that throws healthy eating habits out the window.
I have to take down all my cute Halloween decor and stare at empty nothingness until I believe it is finally appropriate to decorate for Christmas…which is not until AFTER Thanksgiving people!!!
I have to put baking on the back burner because who wants homemade sweets when you can binge on Snickers and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups???! Wahhhh!

I tell you, the day after Halloween is a sad, sad day. But there is one thing I always look forward to come November.

FALL!!!

Now I know the rest of the world has been experiencing this marvelous season for a few weeks now, but Phoenix doesn’t realize it’s supposed to cool down until at the earliest the beginning of November. We’re a little behind in our weather patterns. Ugh. And after having been in tropical Hawaii for the past two years, I have been DYING to feel some crisp, cool air. Well…

IT’S HERE! Fall is FINALLY here! It was only a whopping 80 degrees today and I was on cloud nine. It got me all excited for the holidays. You guys, Thanksgiving is just around the corner!!!

HERE COMES THE RECIPE…

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, and me being the hostess this year for my family, I’ve been experimenting with creating the perfect feasting day menu. Not a huge turkey fan right here, and I get bored with the typical mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and stuffing. I want something fresh, light, and new! But, also something that still has all the traditional flavors you crave.

I found it.

It’s here.

Literally, right here on this very page. The PERFECT Thanksgiving meal. Let me introduce you to my sexy friend, Rosemary. Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with Pomegranate Sauce, that is. You. Will. Die.

This all white meat pork tenderloin is so juicy and tender and infused with all the flavors of Thanksgiving. It’s marinated in a robust sauce of balsamic vinegar, garlic, rosemary, and sage; familiar flavors you would stuff inside a turkey, except a pork tenderloin is much easier and much faster to cook.

After marinating, you sear that baby with a golden crust and then roast it in a high temperature oven with all kinds of colorful veggies. We’re talking sweet potatoes, carrots, brussel sprouts, and sweet onions. Yum yum.

Oh, it gets better.

Sauce.

That one word makes my heart pitter patter. I am a sauce girl through and through. And I don’t mean ketchup. Sure, I bust out the ketchup every once in a while, but let’s be adults here. We need a sultry sauce to go with such a refined Thanksgiving meal.

Instead of cranberry sauce, you’ve got to try this pomegranate balsamic gastrique. It’s fairly simple to make. Just cook some shallots, add a few splashes of balsamic vinegar and sherry cooking wine, throw in some brown sugar and fresh pomegranate seeds, and VIOLA! Magic, pure magic.

And then just for kicks and giggles, let’s add some caramelized pears because they’re pretty…and easy. I like easy. Just make sure you use firm pears so they don’t turn to mush while you’re cooking them. That ain’t so pretty.

I’m telling you, once all these elements are combined, you feel as if you’re eating a 5-star Thanksgiving meal. Instead of feeling heavy and full, you feel happy and satisfied. It’s sooooo worth it. This is 100% going on our Thanksgiving menu and I don’t anticipate a single complaint.

So there you have it; fancy food for your family. They deserve it, and so do you. Happy non-turkey Turkey Day!

YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY:

Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with Pomegranate Sauce

Prep time

35 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

1 hour 5 mins

It doesn't get much fancier than Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with Pomegranate Sauce for dinner. Plate it with some roasted veggies and caramelized pears for an upscale dining experience!

Author: Brielle

Recipe type: Dinner

Serves: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

For the pork:
1½-2 lbs. raw, unseasoned pork tenderloin (I used Hormel brand)
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and cut in half (discard after marinating)
2 teaspoons chopped, fresh rosemary
1 tablespoons chopped, fresh sage
4 oz. goat cheese (I used garlic herb flavor, but you can use original)
For the roasted veggies:
2 cups brussels sprouts, stems removed and cut in half (measured after cut in half)
1 yellow or red onion, roughly chopped
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into marble sized pieces (about 1½-2 cups)
1 cup sliced and peeled carrots or parsnips, cut ¼" thick
3 tablespoons olive oil
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon chopped, fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped, fresh sage
For pomegranate sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons finely minced shallots
½ cup fresh pomegranate seeds
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons sherry cooking wine
1 tablespoons packed brown sugar
dash of salt
dash of pepper
For caramelized pears:
1-2 firm red pears, quartered, cored, and cut into ¼" slices
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
dash of salt

Directions

In a gallon sized Ziploc bag, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, and sage. Add pork to bag and massage to combine. Set aside and allow to marinade at room temperature for 30 minutes.
While pork is marinating, prepare vegetables. Spray a large sheet pan with cooking spray and set aside. Prepare all veggies and arrange on sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle evenly with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and ginger. Toss with hands to coat all veggies. Make room in center of pan to place pork tenderloin.
At this point, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Once your pork has marinated for 30 minutes, add remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil into a large cast iron or saucepan. Heat over medium high heat until drop of water sizzles in pan. While oil is heating, remove pork from bag and season both sides evenly with 1½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Place pork into pan and sear for 2 minutes on each side or until golden crust forms.
Once pork is seared, place in center of sheet pan with veggies and cook at 425 for 30 minutes or until center of pork reaches 145 degrees.
While pork and veggies are cooking, prepare pomegranate sauce. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a small saucepan. Once pan is hot enough that a drop of water sizzles, add shallots. Reduce heat to medium low and cook shallots, stirring occasionally, until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add remaining ingredients and bring mixture to a boil over medium heat. Stir and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes until sauce is slightly thickened and pomegranates are tender. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Once pork is done, remove from oven and place on a cutting board to rest for 10 minutes. Turn oven off, open door so most the heat can escape, and then return pan of veggies to oven to keep warm until serving.
While pork is resting, caramelize the pears. Quarter the pear lengthwise and remove the core. Cut into ¼" thick slices. In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat until melted. Add brown sugar and stir until melted. Increase heat to medium high and arrange pears in a single layer. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes until browning and then flip. Cook other side for 2-3 minutes until browning. Remove from pan and set aside until plating.
Once pork has rested, cut into ½" slices. Remove veggies from warm oven and toss with fresh herbs.
To plate food, scoop a spoonful of veggies on dinner plate. Top with 2 slices of pork. Drizzle with pomegranate sauce. Place pears on side of plate. Crumble goat cheese on top of pomegranate sauce.
Serve immediately and devour!