Baked Pork Tenderloin with Cajun Cream Sauce
This oven baked pork tenderloin is juicy, tender, and packed with bold flavor! It's baked to perfection and finished with a rich, creamy Cajun sauce.
Equipment
- Baking sheet with wire rack (or 9x13 baking dish)
Ingredients
- 2 Pork Tenderloins, (1 1/2-2 lbs each)
- 1 tbsp Cajun Seasoning
- 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1/2 tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tbsp Onion Powder
- Salt and Pepper, (to taste)
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 tsp Honey
- 2 tsp Yellow Mustard
- 3 tbsp Salted Butter, (cut into small chunks)
Cajun Cream Sauce
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 2 Shallots, (diced), you can also use 1/4 of an onion
- 3 cloves Garlic, (diced)
- 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 2 tbsp Flour , (use cornstarch if gluten free)
- 2 tsp Cajun Seasoning
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, (grated)
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Prep: let the meat come to room temperature prior to baking - this allows for an even cook.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Pat the pork tenderloins dry with a paper towel and remove the silver skin (the tough white membrane). Sprinkle of black pepper and kosher salt. 2 Pork Tenderloins Salt and Pepper
- Mix together olive oil, yellow mustard, and honey. Use a pastry or BBQ brush to brush a thin layer all over the meat. Be sure to do a very thin layer, if it's caked on, it'll turn soggy. 1 tbsp Olive Oil 2 tsp Yellow Mustard 2 tsp Honey
- Mix together cajun seasoning, brown sugar, garlic powder, and onion powder in a small bowl and coat the meat generously. 1 tbsp Cajun Seasoning 1 tbsp Brown Sugar 1/2 tbsp Garlic Powder 1/2 tbsp Onion Powder
- Place into a wire rack on top of a baking sheet (or a 9x13 baking dish) and add a few pats of butter on top of the pork. 3 tbsp Salted Butter
- Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F. (this delivers a quick blast of heat to the meat, enhancing the browning so that you don't need to sear it stovetop) Then bake in the oven, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F when inserting an instant-read meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. (the meat will continue to cook as it rests and will rise to 145 degrees F - it's important to remove the meat from the oven when its 5 degrees below desired doneness to prevent overcooking) (Optional: broil for 2-3 minutes if you want more of a crust, just be careful not to overcook)
- Remove and place onto a plate and cover with aluminum foil. Cover with aluminum foil and let it rest for 10-15 minutes while making the sauce.
- Make the cajun cream sauce - pour any leftover juices into a skillet (if you don't have any juices, this is OK, every roast is a bit different) and place onto the stove over medium heat. Add butter and diced shallots and cook for 5-7 minutes, until softened and slightly caramelized. Then add diced garlic, tomato paste, and cajun seasoning. Continue to cook for 3 minutes. Add flour and cook for 3 minutes to cook off the raw flour taste, then add heavy cream and chicken broth and stir together until smooth. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring frequently until thickened, then add parmesan, a squeeze of lemon juice, and taste for salt and pepper. 2 tbsp Butter 2 Shallots 3 cloves Garlic 2 tbsp Tomato Paste 2 tsp Cajun Seasoning 2 tbsp Flour 1 cup Heavy Cream 1/2 cup Chicken Broth 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- Pour the sauce on top of the pork or serve on the side.
Notes
If you don't have wire rack, you can place the tenderloins into a baking dish instead of baking right into the skillet. Pour the juices back into a skillet once the meat is done roasting to make the sauce.
Pork tenderloin is a very lean cut of meat - meaning it can dry out quickly if overcooked. I highly recommend using an instant read thermometer to check for doneness. It's added assurance that you'll get juicy, tender pork instead of dry chewy madness.
Use what you’ve got. Most packages come with two tenderloins, and they’re usually around a 1-2lbs each, but it doesn’t have to be exact. This recipe is flexible, so just adjust your cook time slightly if they’re a little bigger or smaller.
Let it rest after cooking - seriously, don’t skip this. Once it comes out of the oven, give it 10 to 15 minutes under foil before slicing. This is when all those juices settle back into the meat so every slice stays moist and flavorful.
Nutrition
Calories: 503kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 41g, Fat: 32g, Saturated Fat: 18g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 185mg, Sodium: 445mg, Potassium: 877mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 1926IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 155mg, Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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