Another day, another roasting pan creation! I'm telling ya, get yourself a roasting pan. It allows for way more food to be cooked up and in the spirit of one-pan cooking, simplicity, and less dishes, it's the way to go especially if you have quite a few mouths to feed.
This dish was inspired by a Julia Child dish, except she used apples with her cabbage. I do like to cook pork with apples, but wasn't feeling it, so I used the cabbage and just went with it. It was so yummy! Especially with the creaminess of the goat cheese orzo. Don't skip that step!! You'll regret it. It tasted like a decadent mac and cheese, but with herb-roasted pork and delightful crisped up cabbage. Did I mention pretty? And simple? It's definitely a winner.
The Main Ingredients:
Pork Tenderloin:
I love Pork Tenderloin! Usually fairly inexpensive, it's a lean cut of meat that if seasoned and cooked right, it's a really versatile slice of meat as well as delicious.
Cabbage:
I used a combination of red and green cabbage since it was what I had...but you could do either. It cooks down a lot while it cooks, so don't be alarmed. You won't have 5 lbs of cabbage like it looks like :)
Orzo:
This is one of the most underrated pastas. It's rice-like, but with all the richness of pasta. I used a gluten free version and it was equally as delicious. Just make sure as it cooks you add a little chicken broth or water to it if the liquid evaporates too fast. You want it creamy, not individual pasta pieces.
Goat Cheese:
Need I say more? The addition of the goat cheese into the orzo adds richness to an otherwise pretty lean dish. I couldn't get enough.
Let's Cook:
I love this because it's relatively no-fuss. A few ingredients, a slice of lean-protein, some healthy vegetables and a delicious carby side. Done and done.
I used my huge roasting pan because I wanted to add in as much cabbage as possible. I wanted it to roast properly and get extra crispy. Slicing up my onions first, I added those and my tenderloins to the pan.
Next I chopped up my cabbage and also added to the pan, mixing well with the onions and ensuring I didn't cover my tenderloins so they can get nice and roasted on the top.
Next are the seasonings! Mix them all up and sprinkle them all around. A drizzle of soy sauce and champagne vinegar on the cabbage and tenderloin plus a few pats of butter and it's ready for roasting.
After 45 minutes at 325°, stir the cabbage and turn up the oven to 375°. Cook for another 20-30 minutes until tenderloin is tender and cooked through, at least 145°. The cabbage and onions should be getting pretty crispy at this point. Depending on the thickness of the tenderloins, it may need to be cooked longer so use a meat thermometer. Here is my favorite one.
After the tenderloin comes out, let it rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing into.
While the tenderloin is resting, get started on the creamy goat cheese orzo pasta.
Add butter and garlic into a pan and let it cook for about one minute, until fragrant. Add in one package of orzo and stir, browning the pasta a bit. Add in chicken broth and salt, then cover and cook for however many minutes the package states. I used gluten free here, so the cooking times are different for standard semolina orzo pasta.
Once the orzo is al dente, remove from heat and stir in the goat cheese pasta. One last stir and the dish is ready to serve.
Beautiful, delicious and healthy. Enjoy!
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