Easy Roasted Pork Tenderloin Recipe

If there's a main course that perfectly balances ease and impressiveness, it's pork tenderloin. When cooked right, the meat is perfectly juicy, flavorful, and tender. When cooked wrong, however, it can be a dry, tough mess. No one wants to spend 5 minutes chewing on a single bite, and that's where recipe developer Christina Musgrave's easy roasted pork tenderloin recipe comes into play. You won't have to worry about chewy meat here, and thanks to the roasting method of cooking, you can count on your oven to do most of the heavy lifting. 

"I love this pork tenderloin because it's so easy, and made with spices you probably already have in your kitchen," Musgrave says. Speaking of that spice blend — which consists of garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, thyme, and rosemary — Musgrave describes it as "the key to the flavor in this recipe." Dry, bland, and overcooked pork tenderloin is a thing of the past — impress your family or dinner guests with this succulent roasted tenderloin.

The star of the show is naturally the pork tenderloin itself, so you'll need one that's 1 to 2 pounds in size. Additionally, you'll need olive oil, salt, pepper, and a blend of seasonings: garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, thyme, and rosemary.

Preheat your oven to 450 F, then focus on the tenderloin. Pat the meat dry, and then place it onto a foil-lined baking sheet. Mix together the olive oil and all of the seasonings, along with the salt and pepper, then spread the blend evenly onto the tenderloin. 

Pop the tenderloin into the oven, and roast for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven's temperature to 375 F. Roast again, this time for 15 minutes — you'll know it's done cooking when the internal temperature reaches 140 F. "Use a meat thermometer to make sure your pork is not over or under cooked," Musgrave recommends.

So, why do you change temperatures halfway through cooking? "Starting the tenderloin at high heat helps create a crust on the pork, and then lowering the temperature helps the meat retain its juices," Musgrave explains.

Once the tenderloin is done cooking, remove it from the oven, and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. Then slice it up, serve, and enjoy. "This is great for a healthy weeknight meal," Musgrave says. "I like to serve it with roasted broccoli and mashed potatoes." Simple, comforting, and perfectly roasted — when it comes to dinner mains, it doesn't get much better than that.