5 Ingredients to Cook Alongside Pork Tenderloin for a One-Pan Dinner

updated May 1, 2019
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Pork tenderloin is already a weeknight dinner hero due to its ease of preparation and wallet-friendly status. You just need a few good sides to fill the plate to make it a meal. Luckily, if you’re already following the quick, two-step process of searing and then roasting to cook pork, you can simply toss something else into the skillet to round out the dish and make it a one-pan dinner. We’re making it easy on you with these five delicious additions.

1. Any Kind of Bean

Drain and rinse a can of your favorite beans — be it kidney beans, white beans, or chickpeas — and nestle them around the pork tenderloin. Then give them a good drizzle of olive oil along with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Smash a few cloves of garlic and toss them in with the beans too. Consider it pork and beans, updated. The beans add extra protein and lots of fiber to the dish while soaking up the juices from the meat.

2. Practically Any Vegetable

Since pork tenderloin only needs about 10 to 12 minutes to roast in the oven, go for small-cut, quick-cooking vegetables. Halved cherry tomatoes, thin green beans, chopped bell peppers, and zucchini will all be done in that amount of time, especially at the high heat the oven is set to. Toss them with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper before adding them to the skillet with the pork.

If you find the vegetables aren’t as tender and caramelized as you’d like by the time the pork is done, transfer the pork to a cutting board and stick the skillet of vegetables back in the oven to roast a little longer while the pork rests for 10 minutes.

3. Par-Boiled Potatoes

Par-boiling the potatoes first means they’ll be finished cooking at the same time as the meat. Since they’re already mostly cooked, you’re just waiting for them to crisp up.

To par-boil the potatoes, cut them into small cubes before adding to a pot of cold, salted water. Bring the pot to a boil and let the potatoes cook for about 5 minutes or so, until you can easily pierce them with a knife. Drain and then toss the potatoes with plenty of olive oil, salt, pepper, and some chopped fresh herbs like rosemary, if you have it. Add the potatoes to the skillet along with the pork and they should be nice and crispy by the time the tenderloin is done.

4. Apples

Pork and apples are a happy pair. The sweetness of the fruit plays off the meat well, which is why it’s a classic combination. Toss apple quarters (or two- to three-inch chunks) in the pan with the pork tenderloin, along with a few pats of butter, and they’ll caramelize and release their sweet juices in the oven for a chunky, saucy side.

5. Biscuits

Oh, this is a very good idea. Store-bought biscuit dough bakes in just about the same time as the pork does, so plop a few in the skillet next to the pork and they’ll be puffed up and golden by the time the pork is done. Feeling extra adventurous? Make you’re own biscuit dough — this easy recipe is particularly great. The bottoms will soak up some of the pan juices and the tops will be puffed and golden.