When you’re finally over leftovers, transform your holiday cranberry sauce into a delicious garnish for a simple and perfectly cooked Cranberry Pork Tenderloin!
If we’re being honest with ourselves, the best thing about Thanksgiving is totally the leftovers.
Sure, getting together with family you only see once or twice a year is nice…sometimes. If there isn’t any fighting or guilt-tripping or years of pent-up resentment that suddenly come bursting from the seams.
Slaving away for an entire day in the kitchen can be fun, too…if the right people are involved. If Aunt Martha insists on adding more salt to the potatoes again, forgetting about Grandpa’s high cholesterol…
Well, let’s just say a room full of sharp objects, annoying people, and very tried patience are a bad combination.
Which is why after everyone goes home, and you’re left cleaning the disaster area of a kitchen, know that your second try at eating that big meal will be in peace!
JUST TAKE ME TO THE CRANBERRY PORK TENDERLOIN ALREADY!
If you’d rather skip my (pretty darn helpful) tips and tricks, essential cooking info, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to this deliciously easy pork tenderloin recipe, just scroll right on down to the bottom of the page where you can find the printable recipe card!
Of course, you don’t have to stick to that same meal. Leftovers were made to be transformed into other, equally delicious foods, after all.
There are plenty of ways I could have used up this cranberry sauce.
I thought garnishing a perfectly roasted pork tenderloin with a shallot & red wine enhanced version of it was exactly what my family (and yours) would be asking for, even out of cranberry season!
This totally works for me, since I have a can of the stuff in my pantry all year-round.
I look forward to it almost more than everything else on my holiday table, and sometimes I don’t want to wait. So, by golly, if I get the urge in mid-April, I’ll just take a spoon to it. I don’t need any of that other stuff.
What, you’ve never eaten that jellied sauce straight out of the can with a spoon??
Sweetie, you haven’t lived.
If you’re more of a fresh sauce kinda person, I have a wonderful, last-minute recipe that would be totally suitable for this recipe right here.
Oh, and did I mention that there’s Fireball whiskey in it..?
LOOKING FOR MORE RECIPES MADE WITH HOLIDAY LEFTOVERS?
- Cranberry Chipotle BBQ Chicken Pizza
- Turkey Grilled Cheese with Cranberry and Brie
- Leftover Turkey Tortilla Soup
HELPFUL KITCHEN TOOLS FOR MAKING PORK TENDERLOIN:
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Cranberry Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork tenderloin trimmed
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil separated
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter separated
- 2 shallots chopped
- ½ cup dry red wine
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- 1 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Pat the pork dry pierce all over with a fork. Drizzle with 1 Tablespoon olive oil, then season with Italian seasoning, salt & pepper.
- Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil and 2 Tablespoons butter in a cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Add pork and sear on all sides, which should take no more than 5 minutes.
- Place in the preheated oven and roast uncovered at for 13-15 minutes, flipping the tenderloin over halfway through baking. Use a meat thermometer to check internal temperature, removing it from the oven when the center of pork registers 145-155 degrees F.
- Transfer to a cutting board and let meat rest 5-10 min. Slice and serve with cranberry sauce.
- While tenderloin is roasting, make the sauce. Melt remaining butter and oil in a saucepan set over medium heat. Saute shallots 4-5 minutes, then add wine and simmer until it reduces by half. Add broth and thyme, stirring to combine.
- Stir in cranberry sauce and simmer until pork is removed from oven. After moving tenderloin to cutting board, transfer ¼ cup of pork drippings to the sauce. Allow sauce to cook 2-3 minutes more, adding more broth until desired consistency is reached.
Laura Dembowski says
I love my Thanksgiving because it is just my parents and me and I can cook and bake and do whatever I want. Cranberry sauce is the only traditional food on the menu and this is such a great way to use leftovers.
Cindy Kerschner says
Sounds like cranberry and pork were made for each other!
Liz says
Your pork looks terrific! It’s the perfect excuse to have extra cranberry sauce on hand ๐
Eileen says
Pork and cranberries are a perfect flavor combination.
Caroline Williams says
This looks so delicious and I love the sound of that sauce.
Lauren @ Sew You Think You Can Cook says
This pork would make for a beautiful Christmas dinner!