20-Minute Pork Recipes

Updated April 21, 2008
Credit: Jennifer Causey Styling: Lindsey Lower

Make a flavorful pork entree your first choice for a fast and delicious weeknight meal. Whether you're craving pork chops, pork medallions, or even a pork noodle bowl, these speedy pork recipes all come together in less than 20 minutes. 

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Pork Medallions with Scallions and Magic Green Sauce

Credit: Caitlin Bensel

Pork Medallions with Scallions and Magic Green Sauce Recipe

Scallions are used three ways: in a sauce, as a vegetable, and as a garnish. The sauce can be made a day ahead and magically transforms the simplest food into something spectacular. Try it on chicken or steak, too, or as a spread in a sandwich.

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Pork with Chunky Applesauce

Credit: Tara Donne; Styling: Alistair Turnbull

Pork with Chunky Applesauce Recipe

The fall family favorite goes lighter with barely sweetened apples. And instead of the typical pork chops, we go for lean, inexpensive pork tenderloin. Complete the meal with a side of Broccolini or broccoli.

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Pork Tenderloin with Apricot Chutney

Credit: James Carrier

Pork Tenderloin with Apricot Chutney Recipe

Brown the tenderloin on all sides before baking–this gives the meat a nice sear and seals in the rich flavor. Top with apricot chutney, made from store-bought jam, rice vinegar, mustard seed, and fresh ginger.

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Pork Tenderloin with Mustard Sauce

Credit: Randy Mayor; Jan Gautro

Pork Tenderloin with Mustard Sauce Recipe

Splurge for supper with slices of pork tenderloin simmered in a tangy white wine-mustard sauce and served over cooked noodles. Drizzle extra sauce over a side of steamed broccoli.

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Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

Credit: Randy Mayor; Melanie J. Clarke

Rosemary Pork Tenderloin Recipe

A silky white wine pan sauce, flavored with the tasty browned bits leftover from sautéing the pork, adds a light accent to this simple pork dish. Salt, black pepper, and a little fresh or dried rosemary are all this tenderloin needs to serve up big flavor.

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Fig and Chile-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Melanie J. Clarke

Fig and Chile-Glazed Pork Tenderloin Recipe

Versatile grilled pork tenderloin fits any dinner table, whether full of family or packed with guests. This elegant-looking dish is a great choice if you're feeling the need to impress. Our online reviewers raved about the glaze, often doubling the recipe to serve over leftovers or grilled chicken breasts.

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Fruited Pork Tenderloin

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Lydia DeGaris-Pursell

Fruited Pork Tenderloin Recipe

Bring out the subtle, earthy flavor of pork with dried fruits and apple juice. The port in the sauce adds extra sweetness that balances the kick of the kick of the Dijon mustard. Best of all, the pork cooks in about six minutes.

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Fennel-Crusted Pork Tenderloin

Credit: Randy Mayor; Lydia DeGaris-Pursell

Fennel-Crusted Pork Tenderloin Recipe

Butterflying the pork tenderloin reduces the cooking time and the simple rub of fennel seeds, coriander, Worcestershire sauce, and minced garlic adds aromatic spice. Don't worry if some of the rub stays in the pan after cooking–those tasty bits add great flavor to the pan sauce.

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Peppercorn Pork Medallions with Cranberry Sauce

Credit: Randy Mayor

Peppercorn Pork Medallions with Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Slice the tenderloin into medallions before cooking and pound scallopini-style to make thin, quick-cooking rounds. You can make this in a regular non-stick skillet, but use cast-iron if you have it to get the best sear on the pork and finish the warm cranberry-apricot sauce.

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Pork Tenderloin with Olive-Mustard Tapenade

Credit: Randy Mayor; Cindy Barr

Pork Tenderloin with Olive-Mustard Tapenade Recipe

A combination of olives, balsamic vinegar, and Dijon mustard gives this Mediterranean-inspired pork tenderloin a tangy, slightly tart taste. While the pork is cooking, steam some couscous for a side dish; your whole meal is ready in under15 minutes.

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Pork Chops with Corn Relish

Credit: Caitlin Bensel

Pork Chops with Corn Relish Recipe

Call on your grill and farmers market bounty to make summer dinners simple. Keep this relish recipe handy for adding fresh flavor to grilled fish or pasta salad.

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Garlic-Miso Pork Noodle Bowl

Credit: Jennifer Causey

Garlic-Miso Pork Noodle Bowl Recipe

Pick up unpasteurized miso—fermented soybean paste—for the best probiotic boost. Look for it near the refrigerated tofu products at your grocery store.

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Pork and Charred Pineapple Sliders

Credit: Caitlin Bensel

Pork and Charred Pineapple Sliders Recipe

Hawaii’s traditional Kalua pork requires a beach pit, a whole hog, and a day’s worth of smoking. Our weeknight version delivers all the flavor with a fraction of the effort—no shovel required. Pineapple pulls double duty in this recipe—caramelized rings add smoky sweetness, while the just-tangy-enough pineapple juice makes the slaw a tasty stand-alone side dish. Save time by picking up a peeled and cored pineapple in the produce section—the flavor is far superior to canned rings.

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Peach-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Credit: Photography: Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Thom Driver

Peach-Glazed Pork Tenderloin Recipe

A sweet and savory peach glaze caramelizes on the pork as it cooks to perfection in a grill pan. We cut the tenderloin in half crosswise for easier maneuvering and faster cooking, and we tent the pork with foil to hold in more heat while it's in the pan. You could also use a cast-iron skillet if you don't have a grill pan.

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Pork Medallions with Red Wine-Cherry Sauce

Credit: Victor Protasio

Pork Medallions with Red Wine-Cherry Sauce Recipe

The pan sauce gets its concentrated fruit flavor, body, and thickness from tart-sweet cherry preserves, a great complement to the pork and red wine. Try a Merlot or Cabernet for the wine, or sub in unsalted chicken stock.

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Sweet-and-Sour Sesame Bok Choy with Pork

Credit: Photography: Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine

Sweet-and-Sour Sesame Bok Choy with Pork Recipe

Our Asian stir-fry takes full advantage of bok choy's richly verdant leaves and crunchy core.

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Cajun-Style Pork With Crunchy Coleslaw

Cajun-Style Pork With Crunchy Coleslaw Recipe

Dinner: Tuck into these low-cal feasts, and you'll forget you're even on a diet! 250 calories & under. This healthy, quick and easy recipe is featured in the dinner section of the new 5:2 Starter's Guide to The 2-Day Diet. The book provides a selection of over 100 tasty recipes to help you meet the daily 500 calorie allotment for the 2 days of intermittent fasting, as required by the 5:2 Diet.

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Seared Pork Chops with Poblano Peperonata

Seared Pork Chops with Poblano Peperonata Recipe

A sautéed mix of peppers spiked with vinegar adds instant interest to the pork. Skip the poblano and use just the bell peppers if you like.

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Korean-Style Pork and Rice

Credit: Jennifer Causey

Korean-Style Pork and Rice Recipe

Gochujang is a spicy, deeply savory sauce made from Korean chiles, fermented soybeans, and salt. It adds a mild heat to the finished dish so kids can still enjoy. Use the sauce as a marinade or baste for grilled meats, a dipping sauce for kebabs, or a stir-in for sandwich spreads. The pork mixture would also be fantastic in an East-meets-West sloppy joe: Pile on a toasted hoagie roll with a carrot and radish slaw, sliced green onions, and a squeeze of fresh lime.

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Pork Stir-Fry with Snow Peas

Credit: Jennifer Causey

Pork Stir-Fry with Snow Peas Recipe

A great stir-fry needs only 2 or 3 vegetables as the base; any more would slow cooking and interfere with the sear, or keep other elements from shining through. Use vegetables with bold, contrasting colors (green snow peas, green beans, or broccoli florets; red bell pepper; and yellow squash). We love lean, flavorful pork tenderloin here, though you could substitute chicken thighs or thinly sliced flank steak. A little meat goes a long way here; slice and sear the remaining pork tenderloin for sandwiches, grill and top with a fresh salsa, or dice and sear for soup.

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Pan-Seared Pork Tenderloin Medallions

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine

Pan-Seared Pork Tenderloin Medallions Recipe

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Orange-Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

Credit: Jennifer Causey Styling: Lindsey Lower

Orange-Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin Recipe

To cut another minute off the prep time, pick up a container of toasted sesame seeds in the spice section of your market.

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