Hoisin & Honey Pork Tenderloin with Butter-Simmered Carrots

Say hello to one of my "go to" dinners. It's a roasted pork tenderloin topped with a quick sauce of hoisin sauce, soy sauce and honey: easy enough for a weeknight, interesting enough that I'd happily serve it to guests for a casual supper.
And the Butter-Simmered Carrot recipe? Fabulous! The name "butter-simmered" may imply lots of fat and calories but that's hardly the case with this recipe. That's because the special cooking technique infuses butter's distinctive flavor and richness into the carrots – but for an entire pound of carrots, needs only a tablespoon of butter! That's the "standard" proportion of 1T:1pound of fat:vegetables that I use for nearly all vegetable recipes.

Real Food, Fresh & Fast. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Weight Watchers Friendly. Naturally Gluten Free. High Protein. Great for Meal Prep.

~ Skip Straight to the Recipes ~
~ Skip Straight to Hoisin & Honey Pork Tenderloin ~
~ Skip Straight to Butter-Simmered Carrots ~

Getting to Know Hoisin

For some cooks, hoisin sauce may have the sound of an offbeat and perhaps exotic ingredient. But it’s easily found in even small groceries, usually in the international section.

It’s a staple in Chinese dishes and isn’t the least bit strange, I promise. In fact, it’s like a fruity ketchup, pleasant tasting with a bit sweetness and without the heat that some palates don’t appreciate.

And it brings a quick flavor punch to this easy pork dish, making supper at home nearly as simple as carry-out – and far less expensive.

Start a pot of rice, cook a vegetable and you’ll fast be calling out, “Wash your hands, everybody. Supper’s in five minutes!”

It’s hot, it’s tasty and for whoever takes clean-up afterward, an easy job there, too.

To use up the bottle, check the hoisin recipes, we especially love the Bacon-Wrapped Dried Apricots, a quick appetizer that's surprisingly low in calories.

---

QUICK SUPPER: HOISIN & HONEY PORK TENDERLOIN

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time-to-table: 40 minutes
Serves 4

PORK TENDERLOIN
• Cooking spray
• 1 pound pork tenderloin
• Salt & pepper

HOISIN & HONEY SAUCE
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 – 3 green onions, chopped, for garnish

PORK TENDERLOIN Heat oven to 375F/190C.

Spray a large, oven-proof skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium high. When the pan is hot, add the meat (it should sizzle) and sear (see ALANNA's TIPS) the bottom side. Season the top with salt and pepper, then turn the meat to sear the other side and season the new top side.

Move the skillet to the oven for about 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the center reads 145F - 160F. Remove from oven and let rest for at least 3 minutes. (Why 145F - 160F? Should Cooked Pork Be Pink?)

BUTTER-SIMMERED CARROTS If making the carrots, start now.

HOISIN & HONEY SAUCE While the meat cooks, mix the sauce ingredients in a small pan and bring to a boil. Let it cook down just slightly, then keep warm on low heat.

TO SERVE Slice the meat and transfer to plates. Drizzle the meat with hot hoisin-honey sauce and sprinkle with green onion, arrange the carrots alongside. Serve immediately.

ALANNA's TIPS When shopping for hoisin sauce, do check the nutrition label, some brands include an unnecessary amount of sugar, others hardly any at all. "Sear" is kitchen talk for browning the exterior of a piece of meat very quickly, sealing in the juices to retain flavor and moisture. In this recipe, while the meat browns on the stovetop, it cooks in the oven. To oven-proof a skillet with a wooden handle, cover the handle with a double layer of foil. Cook an extra pork tenderloin for sandwiches or another supper. The meat is great cold, sliced thin and topped with the hot sauce.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Serving: 195 Calories; 2g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 73mg Cholesterol; 641mg Sodium; 14g Carb; 1g Fiber; 11g Sugar; 25g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 4 & PointsPlus 4 & SmartPoints 5 & myWW green 5 & blue 5 & purple 5 This recipe has been "Alanna-sized" with reductions in fat and portion size.

BUTTER-SIMMERED CARROTS For a vegetable, try this simple technique for carrots. Cook a pound of carrots (convenient so-called "baby" carrots are okay, whole carrots peeled and chopped by hand are more flavorful) on medium heat for about 10 minutes in a covered pan with ¼ cup of boiling water, a tablespoon of butter and a teaspoon of sugar. Remove the lid and raise the heat. Stir occasionally. The water will cook away, leaving the carrots to simmer in the butter. Once the carrots are done, add a little grated nutmeg or a dollop of mustard or even ... a dollop of hoisin!

---

More Pork Tenderloin Recipes

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

~ more pork tenderloin ~

---

Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ pork recipes ~
~ carrot recipes ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

---

Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

---

© Copyright Kitchen Parade
2005, 2013 & 2020