Roasted pork tenderloin with mushrooms, sage, and thyme is a great recipe to make when you don’t want to get stuck in the kitchen all night, but want something really good to eat.
With only a few minutes of prep, this deliciously healthy roasted pork tenderloin can turn into in a moist and aromatic gourmet meal in under an hour! The pork tenderloin is seared in a cast iron pan with olive oil infused with fresh sage, thyme, and garlic. Portobello mushrooms are tossed into the pan just before going into a preheated oven to finish roasting.
This recipe is so easy! However, it wasn’t always this easy.
I vividly remember the first time I stuffed roasted pork tenderloin. It was 2007. David and I were living in Virginia Beach at that time. I liked getting into the kitchen on the weekends to try out new recipes in our clean remodeled kitchen.
On this particular weekend, I was trying out a new recipe I found in Eating Well Magazine. I really love to cook, so this was a really fun recipe for me to make. I followed all of the instructions to the T and the stuffed pork tenderloin turned out beautifully. Needless to say, we sat down to a feast that night!
I have held onto that recipe for many years with the intentions of sharing it. Today is the day I share the recipe with you. Only, it’s not the exact same recipe. It has all the same ingredients, but I changed the recipe to make it easier.
Here’s why…
All I remember about the original stuffed pork tenderloin recipe is how time-consuming it was to make. Not everyone has the time to stand in the kitchen making dinner. Although that recipe was delicious, I didn’t want to share a recipe that involved so much prep. Not to mention the fact that cutting the pork tenderloins can be a little
To make the recipe easier, the solution was quite simple.
Don’t stuff the tenderloin!
Therefore, stuffing the tenderloin is the most time-consuming part about the original recipe. Searing the herbs onto the meat with the mushrooms flavors the meat beautifully. As a result, you get the same delicious gourmet flavor without all of the prep work. Not to mention the intensely delicious oven-roasted mushrooms with garlic, sage, and thyme.
A Note About Sage:
The original recipe called for fresh sage, which is awesome. However, I recommend using dried sage instead of fresh. I cannot count the number of times that I have bought sage from the grocery store and only used it for this one dish, leaving it to waste in the refrigerator. Sage has a sweet-ish, bitter citrus flavor that smells like pine. It’s sort of like Rosemary’s cousin. Fresh leaves offer considerably more flavor. However dried sage is a great substitute for the fresh and it doesn’t take much at all to get that wonderful sage flavor.
Roasted Pork Tenderloin With Mushrooms Sage and Thyme
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried sage (2 teaspoons fresh)
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme chopped (1 teaspoon dried)
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 2 pork tenderloins (1-1¼ pounds each)
- 1 pound portobello mushrooms whole or quartered
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Rinse the tenderloins under cold running water and blot dry with paper towels. Generously season the tenderloin on all sides with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy, cast iron or ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, stir in the garlic, sage, and thyme. Cook until the garlic is fragrant; about a minute or so (Do not brown, which makes the garlic bitter!).
- Add the meat to the pan and toss with the garlic, herbs, and oil. Then leave the meat alone and do not move it. Leave the meat alone and let it sear for a minute or two (see note). When the meat releases from the pan and is browned, flip it over and sear the other side. Then roll it over on each side to brown all the way around. When the meat is browned on all sides, the inside will still be raw. This takes about 3 to 5 minutes total.
- Stir in the mushrooms and toss with the garlic and herb-infused oil. Transfer the pan into the preheated oven and bake until the pork is done and juices run clear and the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F; about 25 to 30 minutes.
- Transfer the roasts to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice the meat and serve warm, topped with the roasted mushrooms.
Alina says
Just came across your recipe when I was looking for a healthy and flavor packed way to cook pork tenderloin. This recipe is an all around winner, super easy to prepare, healthy and absolutely delicious. For personal preference, I didn’t add the garlic, doubled the thyme and sage and used more mushrooms. Have no doubt for those who like/tolerate garlic that would be a great addition.
Thank you!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Alina! We’re happy you liked this recipe. Thank you so much for the great review!
Philip says
Excellent!! Even though I used fresh sage and thyme from my garden, it needed more. Apropos your Note, bottled sage loses its kick in time. I’d suggest buying fresh and freezing the balance in a ziplock for later use. Again the recipe is SUPER. I’m currently parboiling spareribs with sage before barbecuing. It has become my “go to” spice for lean pork which is otherwise bland.