I used dried herbs for the marinade (fresh ones were not in season) and I added an extra tablespoon of olive oil to make up for the extra dryness. The pork marinated for about 24 hours and was juicy, tender and extremely flavorful. I'd read warnings that the polenta was bland, but I did not find it to be so. I added the salt at the BEGINNING of the cooking so that it could penetrate the grains. I also used 1 cup less water. It was a very good complement to the pork.
Herb-Coated Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Polenta
A quartet of fresh herbs permeates pork tenderloin with heady aroma. The longer you marinate the pork, the stronger the herb flavor will be.
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 3 ounces pork and about 3/4 cup polenta)
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Nutritional Information
Amount per serving
- Calories: 221
- Calories from fat: 29%
- Fat: 7.1g
- Saturated fat: 2.3g
- Monounsaturated fat: 3.6g
- Polyunsaturated fat: 0.7g
- Protein: 25.3g
- Carbohydrate: 13g
- Fiber: 1.6g
- Cholesterol: 77mg
- Iron: 2mg
- Sodium: 511mg
- Calcium: 23mg
Ingredients
- Pork:
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
- 1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed
- Cooking spray
- Polenta:
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 5 cups water, divided
- 1 cup dry polenta
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
- To prepare pork, combine first 9 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and marinate in refrigerator overnight or up to 2 days.
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Remove pork from bag. Place pork on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until a thermometer registers 155°. Remove from oven; cover and let stand 10 minutes before slicing.
- To prepare polenta, heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and 2 garlic cloves; sauté 2 minutes. Add wine; cook 5 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Add 2 1/2 cups water; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Gradually add polenta, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook over medium heat 15 minutes or until thick and creamy, stirring frequently and gradually adding remaining 2 1/2 cups water. Stir in butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Serve with pork.
Herb-Coated Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Polenta Recipe at a Glance
- COURSE: Main Dishes
- CUISINE: American, Italian
- MAIN INGREDIENT: Pork
- COOKING METHOD: Bake, Marinate
- OCCASION: Autumn
- PUBLICATION: Cooking Light
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