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Cast Iron Pork Tenderloin

Sliced cast iron pork tenderloin on a bed of roasted carrots and potatoes, garnished with fresh thyme and rosemary.

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Cast Iron Pork Tenderloin is smothered in Dijon mustard and fresh herbs, seared in a cast iron skillet, and transferred to the oven to finish cooking. I made this recipe a one-pot meal by adding chopped baby potatoes and carrots to the skillet!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 pounds pork tenderloin (1 tenderloin)
  • 1 pound baby potatoes
  • 1/2 pound carrots
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt (divided)
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme - chopped
  • 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary - chopped
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
  2. Chop the baby potatoes and carrots into bite-sized pieces. You want the potatoes and carrots to cook just as quickly as the pork does, so you'll need them chopped pretty small.  Add them to a glass bowl, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and season with 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt.
  3. Remove the silver skin from the pork tenderloin. Silver skin is tough connective tissue that doesn't caramelize or melt like fat does. It's hard to chew and flavorless. You'll definitely want to remove it.  The silver skin is only on one side of the tenderloin. It's a small white/grey patch that runs about ½ of the way down the tenderloin.  Use a sharp knife to cut the silver skin off. You'll need to angle your knife down into the tenderloin and fully cut the patch away. 
  4. Mix the Dijon mustard and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil together in a small bowl.
  5. In a separate small bowl, combine the rest of the kosher salt, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, garlic powder, and black pepper.  
  6. Smother all sides of the pork tenderloin with the mustard and olive oil blend. Sprinkle the dried and fresh herb seasoning blend on all sides of the tenderloin.
  7. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Transfer the pork tenderloin to the hot skillet. Brown all sides of the tenderloin for about 2 minutes per side.
  8. Add the potatoes and carrots to the hot skillet. Transfer the cast iron skillet to your preheated oven. Cook the pork tenderloin and vegetables for 20 minutes at 400°F.
  9. After 20 minutes, check the internal temperature of the pork using an instant-read thermometer.  You should cook pork tenderloin to an internal temperature of at least 145­°F.  I like to cook my tenderloin to 150°F.  Continue cooking your tenderloin as needed.   Depending on the size of your pork, it could take up to 30 minutes to fully cook.  If the pork fully cooks before the potatoes and carrots, remove the cooked pork tenderloin from the pan and continue cooking the potatoes and carrots until they're fork-tender. 
  10. Let the pork rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing it into rounds. Serve your oven-roasted pork with the roasted vegetables and enjoy!  

Notes

  • The nutrition information shown below is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.  It should not be considered a substitute for professional medical advice. 

Nutrition