Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Onion-Fig Relish

10 Reviews
ADD YOUR REVIEW
Photo: Oxmoor House
Prep Time
9 Mins
Cook Time
19 Mins
Yield
4 servings (serving size: 3 ounces pork and 1/4 cup relish)
April 2009
RECIPE BY Oxmoor House

Caramelized onion, balsamic vinegar, and figs combine to create a subtly sweet topping for savory roasted pork. A side of acorn squash, available in peak form throughout the winter, rounds out this hearty meal.

Prep: 4 minutes; Cook: 19 minutes; Other: 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • Cooking spray
  • 8 dried Mission figs
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 (8-ounce) container refrigerated prechopped onion

Nutritional Information

  • Calories 256
  • Caloriesfromfat 15%
  • Fat 4g
  • Satfat 1.4g
  • Monofat 1.6g
  • Polyfat 0.5g
  • Protein 24.6g
  • Carbohydrate 30.6g
  • Fiber 4.6g
  • Cholesterol 63mg
  • Iron 2.1mg
  • Sodium 349mg
  • Calcium 81mg

How to Make It

Step 1

Preheat oven to 425°.

Step 2

Sprinkle pork evenly with salt and pepper; coat with cooking spray. Heat a medium-sized cast-iron skillet or other ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork; cook 4 minutes or until browned on all sides, turning occasionally.

Step 3

While pork browns, coarsely chop figs. Combine vinegar, 2 tablespoons water, and soy sauce in a small bowl. When pork is browned, remove pan from heat. Add figs, onion, and vinegar mixture to pan, stirring to loosen browned bits.

Step 4

Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 15 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160° (slightly pink). Stir onion mixture; cover pan loosely with foil. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast

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Ratings & Reviews

You WILL want to increase that relish!

hatestocook9
June 21, 2017
I was quite happy with this recipe. Keeping a tenderloin moist is always a concern, so increase that relish, and pile it on! This recipe multiplies well: I made 6 pounds of tenderloin, and multiplied the relish by 10 (entire bag of dried figs from Costco, plus about 9 fresh figs).  My crowd was quite happy with it.

nola0107's Review

nikmike2011
January 03, 2011
This was easy and smelled delicious, but it wasn't my favorite. The pork was cooked perfectly but did take longer than 15 minutes in the oven, which ended up making the sauce dry up. Maybe that was the problem-that there was more of a chutney than a sauce. Also, I couldn't find "mission" figs, so I used dried organic figs. Maybe that altered the flavor completely. Other than the figs I followed the recipe exactly and served with steamed rice and broccoli. I won't make this again. Unless I find "mission" figs and they look a lot different than what I used.

hatestocook9's Review

katnelson2009
October 10, 2010
Yum! Very easy to make and flavorful. I made it with butternut squash, sliced as shown in the picture, baked, then drizzled with Wegman's pumpkin oil. Everyone asked for the recipe!

katnelson2009's Review

teshirow
October 09, 2009
This recipe was delicious. I accidentally bought fresh figs rather than dried figs, so I roasted them in balsamic vinegar before adding them to the onion mixture. When I make this dish again I think I'll use fresh figs because it was so good! I agree with the previous reviewer - roasted asparagus is a nice addition!

nikmike2011's Review

notabear
August 25, 2014
N/A

Jamieb's Review

Jamieb
August 06, 2009
The pork was very easy to make and tasted great. I would defintely make this again. I served the pork with the acorn squash which was also simple and delicious and some roasted aspargus.

Carolineincity's Review

staceybrick
January 04, 2015
One of my favorite weeknight go-to recipes! I usually just use two or three center-cut pork chops instead of the pork loin. This cuts down on cooking time and makes for a less expensive meal.

staceybrick's Review

Leslie
November 02, 2013
We loved this recipe. We cooked it to about 155 degrees and let it rest as described. It was done to perfect tenderness and was very moist. The sauce was flavorful and a salty sweet match for the pork. We served it with roasted zucchini and a Beaujolais Villages. Delicious! Will definitely make this again!

teshirow's Review

Carolineincity
August 16, 2010
Just delicious! I was surprised by how easy and flavorful this dish was, especially because it was my first time making pork tenderloin too. I made one change- I used honey instead of soy sauce (I just prefer sweet over salty). The figs were a great addition and I took the advice of other reviewers and made a side dish of asparagus. Overall, a great summer dinner that I will definitely make again. :)

laragd's Review

nola0107
December 21, 2010
Outstanding! I doubled the figs & liquids - I wish I would have doubled the pork too! Served with green beans & brown rice - even though didn't have enough pork, the sauce was great on the rice. My kids asked if we could start having this once a week!