Herb and Parmesan-Crusted Pork Tenderloin

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We always seem to have at least one or two pork tenderloins in our freezer, usually because Save-On Foods constantly has 'Buy One, Get One' events that we are suckers for! Seriously, The Hubby and I have issues when it comes to Save-On Foods. Many of the conversations that we have are about which cashier we had (was it the funny Chinese lady who gets stranger every time we see her), and how many bonus points we collected that day. If we are shopping alone, we come home and debrief on what amazing deal we picked up that day, and whether or not it was a good points day. Sad. So, recently they had pork tenderloin BOGO again (you save like $16!), and of course we picked a couple up.

I took one of the frozen pork tenderloins out of my freezer on Sunday night, and then chose a recipe after work yesterday that wouldn't require me to go to the store for any ingredients...Herb and Parmesan-Crusted Pork Tenderloin it was! 



What I love about pork tenderloin is that it cooks so quickly that it's easy to serve for a weeknight meal, and in my mind it's just one step up from chicken in the fanciness department. Because of it's mild flavour, it's always a great cooking partner for spice rubs, delicious sauces, fruit, mustard, etc. Because of the pork's extreme leanness, the only thing that you have to worry about is overcooking it, so use a meat thermometer if you have one. Just a reminder that when you buy a packaged pork tenderloin from the store, it usually includes two in the pack, so you will just need one pack for this recipe. I also LOVE fennel, but hate hate HATE fennel seeds, so I omitted them in this recipe and replaced with dried rosemary, which was really good. Enjoy!

Herb and Parmesan-Crusted Pork Tenderloin


Ingredients
2 pork tenderloins (they usually come in a two-pack, and you want them to be about 375 grams in size each)
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed (I omitted the fennel seeds and replaced with 3/4 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove any silvery-looking skin and excess fat from the pork. In a shallow dish, combine bread crumbs, parsley, parmesan, thyme, salt, and pepper. In a small bowl, combine mustard, garlic, and fennel (I omitted fennel and used dried rosemary instead).  Spread mustard mixture evenly over pork. Roll pork in crumb mixture. Place pork on prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 155 F and just a hint of pink remains inside. Transfer to a cutting board, and let rest of 5 minutes before slicing. Serve...enjoy!

Serves: 6

Megan's Review: I'm definitely adding this recipe to my pork tenderloin repertoire. I would maybe serve with different side dishes next time...perhaps a lighter salad option rather than the heavy mashed potatoes which I ended up not eating.
The Hubby's Review: Mmmmmmmmmmm. Had to go back for a second helping of end pieces.

Recipe Source: The Best of Bridge - Bravo!