Pork Tenderloin with Dijon Cream Sauce
Spice-rubbed pork tenderloin seared and roasted until just rosy, then sliced into medallions and smothered in a silky shallot, thyme and two-mustard cream sauce made in the same pan.
Nutrition per serving
4–5 medallions with sauce- Net carbs
- 3.4g
- Calories
- 406kcal
- Protein
- 37g
- Fat
- 26g
- Total carbs
- 4.5 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Bacon-wrapped: Each tenderloin is spiraled in bacon, which bastes the lean pork as it roasts and crisps into a smoky, salty jacket.
- Use only half the salt in the rub. Wrap 4 slices of bacon around each seasoned tenderloin in a spiral, tucking the ends underneath, and secure with toothpicks.
- Sear seam-side down first, then turn until the bacon is browned all over, 8–10 minutes. Roast 12–18 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the pork reads 145°F (63°C). Remove the toothpicks before slicing.
Creamy Dijon chicken: Boneless chicken thighs take the same rub and two-mustard cream sauce — a stovetop dinner with no oven needed.
- Skip the oven. Sear the seasoned thighs in the oil over medium-high heat 5–6 minutes per side, until golden and 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part. Set them aside, make the sauce as written and return the thighs to warm through for 1–2 minutes.
Dairy-free: Olive oil and full-fat coconut milk replace the butter and cream. The mustards and thyme keep the sauce savory rather than coconutty.
- Soften the shallot in the olive oil, and simmer the sauce with the coconut milk 4–5 minutes — it thickens a little more slowly than cream.
- Pork
- Dijon cream sauce
- Nice to have (optional)
- Pork
- Dijon cream sauce
- Also add
- Nice to have (optional)
- Pork
- Dijon cream sauce
- Nice to have (optional)
- Pork
- Dijon cream sauce
- Nice to have (optional)
Estimated cost $9.74 for 4 servings ($2.43 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Pat the tenderloins dry and fold the thin tail end of each one underneath itself so the whole piece is an even thickness. Mix the salt, pepper, garlic powder and smoked paprika and rub it all over the pork.
-
Heat the oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Sear the tenderloins, turning every 1–2 minutes, until browned on all sides, 6–8 minutes in total.
-
Slide the skillet into the oven and roast 10–15 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part reads 145°F (63°C). Move the pork to a board, tent with foil and rest at least 3 minutes (5–10 is even better) while you make the sauce.
-
Set the skillet over medium heat — wrap the handle in a towel, it will be very hot. Melt the butter, add the shallot and cook 2 minutes until soft, then the garlic for 30 seconds. Pour in the wine, if using, scrape up the browned bits and let it bubble almost dry, about 1 minute. Add the broth and simmer 2–3 minutes, until reduced by half.
-
Whisk in the cream, both mustards and the thyme and simmer 3–4 minutes, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Stir in any juices from the resting pork and season to taste with salt.
-
Slice the pork into ¾-inch (2 cm) medallions, spoon the sauce over and scatter with chives. Serve with roasted asparagus or cauliflower mash.
Tips for success
-
Tenderloin is very lean, so it goes from juicy to dry within a few degrees. Pull it right at 145°F (63°C) — a blush of pink in the center is exactly what you want. - Don't confuse tenderloin with pork loin. Loin is a much wider roast that needs 45–60 minutes in the oven; the timings here are for slim tenderloins of about ¾ lb (340 g) each.
- Whole-grain mustard gives the sauce texture and gentle little pops of flavor. Using all Dijon makes a smoother, sharper sauce.
Nice to have, not needed
- An oven-safe skillet takes the pork from stove to oven in one pan — without one, sear in any skillet and roast on a sheet pan.
- An instant-read thermometer is the surest way to catch lean tenderloin at a juicy 145°F (63°C).
Storage & meal prepMeal-prep friendly
- Keeps 3 days in the fridge
- Doesn’t freeze well
Reheat: Warm the slices in the sauce in a covered skillet over low heat 5–6 minutes, just until hot.
Prep tip: Slice only what you'll eat — leftover tenderloin kept whole stays juicier and slices neatly cold.
Refrigerate the sliced pork in the sauce up to 3 days. Reheat gently over low heat so the cream doesn't split and the pork doesn't overcook.
Variations
3 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosBacon-wrapped
FlavorEach tenderloin is spiraled in bacon, which bastes the lean pork as it roasts and crisps into a smoky, salty jacket.
- + 8 slices thin-cut bacon
3.8 g net · 500 kcal · 44 g protein · 33 g fat · ≈$2.73 per serving (+0.4 g net carbs vs the original)
Creamy Dijon chicken
ProteinBoneless chicken thighs take the same rub and two-mustard cream sauce — a stovetop dinner with no oven needed.
- pork tenderloin → boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3.4 g net · 408 kcal · 35 g protein · 27 g fat · ≈$2.24 per serving (same net carbs as the original)
Dairy-free
DietOlive oil and full-fat coconut milk replace the butter and cream. The mustards and thyme keep the sauce savory rather than coconutty.
- butter → olive oil
- heavy cream → full-fat canned coconut milk
3.4 g net · 374 kcal · 37 g protein · 23 g fat · ≈$2.41 per serving (same net carbs as the original)
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