Parmesan Pork Tenderloin

Sunday lunch at our house is usually our big cheat meal of the week. We eat a lot of salads, grilled meats, and raw or steamed veggies throughout the week, but Sunday’s menu is pure comfort food—creams, carbs, and casseroles! However, this last Sunday was an exception. After a week of celebrating Incredi-Boy’s birthday (yes, we celebrate week-long) with pizza, dumplings, doughnuts, cookies, and cake, we decided a healthier Sunday lunch was in order.

Now I did say healthier, not super-healthy! I had been seeing this recipe for Crock Pot Parmesan Pork all around the internet and decided to give it a try. Serving it with steamed rice and veggies not only kept it a little more on the lighter side (ok, I know many would argue about that starchy rice;), but also let the pork be the star of the show!

I wasn’t sure how parmesan cheese would go with Asian flavors, but we really liked it and it was voted in on the meal rotation list. The pork was very juicy and tender, and the sauce was a favorite with the hubs and kids. They all spooned extra sauce over their rice.

There are many different versions of this recipe on the internet and I referred to several during the process, tweaking along the way to use what I had on hand, so I can’t even say it came from one particular place. The recipe below is how I made it.

Crock Pot Parmesan Pork

Ingredients:

3 pound pork tenderloin

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup honey

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. dried oregano

1 Tbsp. dried basil

1-2 Tbsp. minced garlic

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1/4 cup cold water

Directions:

Place the pork tenderloin in the crock pot. In a bowl, combine all ingredients except the cornstarch and water. (I do prefer to sear my meat in a pan first before slow cooking, but I was in a hurry so I decided I’d just go straight to the crock pot. It still turned out great even without the searing.) Pour sauce mixture over the tenderloin. Cook on low for about 5 or 6 hours, or until tender. Remove the meat and keep it warm on another dish.

Pour the remaining liquid in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. in a small bowl, combine the cold water and cornstarch until smooth. Gradually stir the cornstarch mixture into the boiling sauce mixture. Cook and stir for another 2 minutes, or until mixture is thickened. Slice the pork, arrange it on a platter, and pour the sauce over the sliced pork.

This was a very quick dish to put together! I prepared the meat Saturday afternoon and put it in the fridge that night. Sunday morning, I steamed the rice before church. When we got home from church I steamed the veggies and reheated the meat and rice. Simple as that! I wish I had taken a picture of the serving dish before fixing our plates because the meat looked so pretty lined up on the platter with the sauce drizzled down the middle. Oh well, next time!

Have a blessed day, friends!