Herb-Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Polenta

Easy dinners that require minimal hands-on effort but look and taste oh-so-fancy make me giddy.

This juicy, herb-crusted pork tenderloin with creamy, dreamy polenta and garlicky roasted balsamic cherry tomatoes practically cooks itself. It’s SO SIMPLE, and yet its flavor is soooo big. You’ll wonder what kind of voodoo magic just took place on your dinner plate.

(Sorry to show you a hunk of raw meat.)

But take a quick peep at these ingredients. It feels very minimalist, doesn’t it? And minimalism when cooking dinner is like winning the golden ticket.

Pork tenderloin, a couple of pints of sweet cherry tomatoes, polenta, some salty Pecorino Romano, garlic, fresh herbs, butter, balsamic, and a little salt and pepper. And some water and milk that unintentionally were left out of the ingredient group selfie. (Would that make it a groupie?)

How to make this super simple herb-crusted pork tenderloin dinner

Step 1: First, we’re locking in the juicy flavor and moisture of the tenderloin. Give it a good rub with some olive oil and slather it with fresh rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Then sear it darlin’ for 4 minutes on each side. Marvel at how easy that was.

Step 2: Once the tenderloin has been seared on all sides, turn off the heat, scooch the tenderloin to one side of the pan, and add those pretty little cherry tomatoes to the other side of the pan with some garlic, butter, and balsamic. Pop the pan into the oven for about 15 minutes and let it cook. Marvel at how easy that was.

Step 3: Make the polenta. Bring water and milk to a boil. Slowly whisk in the polenta. Stir, stir, stir. Take a sip of wine from that glass you poured for yourself before Step 1. Stir the polenta a little more. Add some butter and cheese. Marvel at how easy that was.

Step 4: Remove pan with the tenderloin and roasty maters from the oven. Let the tenderloin rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. Take another sip of vino and give a toast to yourself for making such a quick and simple dinner that everyone will swoon over. Wasn’t that easy?!

Unless you are the type who has strong feelings about keeping your food groups from touching on your plate (no judgment), serve up this dinner by topping a big swoosh of the creamy polenta with several pork medallions and a large spoonful of the juicy, roasted tomatoes. Then definitely drizzle some of the pan juices over everything, including your face, because it’s tasty and amazing.

This dinner is perfect for:

• Any weeknight when you are in need of a cozy, comforting, minimal fuss dinner.
• Having guests over for dinner? This meal will impress.
• Date night!
• A simple, but fancy-ish holiday meal. Think Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, the whole month of October (#nationalporkmonth <– who comes up with these things?)

Creamy, simple, savory, elegant, comforting, minimal fuss dinner. Easy weeknight dinner dreams do come true.

If you make this tasty herb-crusted pork tenderloin with creamy polenta and roasted cherry tomatoes, be sure to snap a photo and tag @passmesometasty on Instagram so I can see! Or I’d love to hear from you in the comments below! ♡

Herb-Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Polenta

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★★★★★

5 from 8 reviews

• Author: Shannon Emery
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

Tender, moist, herb-crusted pork tenderloin is served over creamy polenta with roasted garlicky cherry tomatoes. This simple, minimal no-fuss dinner is sure to impress any night of the week and for any special occasion.

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

Herb-Crusted Pork Tenderloin & Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

• 1 whole pork tenderloin, roughly 1 1/4 pounds
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 pints (about 4 cups) cherry tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Creamy Polenta

• 2 cups water
• 2 cups whole milk*
• 1 cup polenta (also known as corn grits)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup Pecorina Romano, grated*
• salt and pepper to taste  

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Instructions

Herb-Crusted Pork Tenderloin & Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Pat pork tenderloin dry. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, just enough to coat. In a small bowl, combine rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Rub herb mixture all over pork.
3. In a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat, add a drizzle of olive oil. Add pork; sear on each side for about 4 minutes until browned. Turn off stovetop, and remove skillet from heat.
4. Scooch tenderloin to one side of the skillet. Add cherry tomotoes to the other side of the skillet and top tomatoes with, garlic, butter, and balsamic vinegar.
5. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of the tenderloin reaches 145°F, about 14 to 16 minutes.
6. Transfer the tenderloin to a cutting board, and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.

Creamy Polenta

1. While the tenderloin is cooking in the oven, in a medium pot, bring water and milk to a boil over medium heat. Slowly whisk in the polenta, stirring until the polenta is soft and thick, about 5 minutes. Stir in the butter, Pecorino Romano, salt, and pepper. If the polenta thickens too much, thin with additional water or milk.

Put it all together!

1. Divide the polenta between serving plates. Place several slices of pork tenderloin and roasted cherry tomatoes over top. Drizzle with juices from the skillet. Enjoy! 

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Notes

For the polenta, I sometimes substitute plain, unsweetened almond milk for regular milk with success. I also sometimes substitute Parmigiano-Reggiano in place of the Pecorino Romano but feel free to use whichever cheese is your favorite! You may have to adjust the cheese quantity slightly based on your cheese’s particular flavor profile. 

• Category: Dinner
• Method: Stovetop, Oven
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: dinner, pork tenderloin, polenta, easy dinner, gluten-free

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My face is definitely about to go in that.

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