Simple Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin is a great cut of meat when you don’t have the time to make a whole roast but still want a succulent, flavorful slice of pork. It is special enough to serve for Christmas or Easter but so easy that you can also make it for dinner on a regular weeknight. 

Searing the meat on the stovetop before roasting it in the oven gives it a flavorful crust. Before searing, rub it with a grill seasoning blend, use your own seasoned salt, or plain salt and pepper. 

The tenderloin is glazed with a combination of peach or apricot preserves, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and brown sugar—all ingredients that go especially well with pork. Instead of peach or apricot preserves, you can use jam instead. The glaze is meant to be sweet and savory but depending on the level of sweetness of the preserves or jam, you might want to cut down the amount of sugar. A low-sugar alternative is to use canned apricots or peaches, drained and finely chopped or pureed. They’ll add fruit flavor to the glaze without a lot of additional sugar. 

Serve the pork tenderloin with roasted or mashed potatoes, or grits. Because there isn’t any gravy, a saucy side dish such as scalloped potatoes or potato gratin works well too. For vegetables, any with a robust flavor are a nice contrast to the sweet and savory meat. Try roasted or steamed broccoli or braised greens, such as spinach or collard greens and kale.

Leftover pork loin can be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days. Instead of reheating the slices, you can also use them cold for a delicious sandwich filling.