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.
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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