Marie Saba

From My Kitchen To Yours

One-Pan Ancho Pork Tenderloin

This recipe for One-Pan Ancho Pork Tenderloin is my new favorite! It’s quick and easy to make, gorgeous to serve, and tastes like something from a fancy restaurant. Best of all, everyone in our family loves it!

The key to this recipe is the ancho chili powder — a fine powder made from ancho chiles (aka dried poblano peppers). Ancho chiles have a mild, smokey flavor and are commonly used in Mexican or Southwestern cuisine.

In this recipe, we use the ancho chili powder — along with brown sugar, dried oregano, salt, and lime zest — to create a dry rub for the tenderloin. Does a homemade dry rub sound like a hassle? Don’t worry, it’s not 🙂 In fact, making the dry rub is much easier than many of my other seasoning methods like marinades and sauces.

So I hope you’ll try this one! We cook the One-Pan Ancho Pork Tenderloin in a cast iron skillet along with thinly sliced bell peppers and onions. After just 15 minutes in the oven and 5-10 minutes to rest before slicing, this dinner is ready to enjoy! For serving, try this dish with our favorite cilantro lime sauce for dipping and simple white rice on the side. Yum!

One-Pan Ancho Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients

2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lime zest
1 pork tenderloin (about 1.5 lbs.)
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 large sweet onion, sliced into thin half-rings
1/2 large red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon butter (optional)

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix together ancho chile powder, brown sugar, oregano, salt and lime zest until well combined. (I use my fingers to mix it.)
Wash the tenderloin and pat dry. Use your hands to spread the dry rub all over the tenderloin. Set the tenderloin on a plate and marinate for 20 minutes on the counter (or up to overnight, covered, in the refrigerator).
When ready to cook the tenderloin, heat an oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Add 1 Tablespoon olive oil to the skillet. Sear the tenderloin on all sides, about 1 minute per side, being careful not to burn the sugar in the dry rub.
Turn off heat and add onions and peppers to the skillet, surrounding the tenderloin. Drizzle olive oil over onions and peppers, then season with salt and pepper, and dot with a pat of butter (if desired) for extra flavor.
Place the skillet in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until the thickest part of the pork registers 140 degrees F (temperature will rise by about 10 degrees after cooking).
Transfer pork to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with peppers, onions, cilantro lime sauce and rice or tortillas if desired. Enjoy!

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