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Seared Pork Tenderloin, Roasted Summer Vegetables & Basil Dressing

A simple dish that focuses on fresh vegetables, perfectly cooked pork tenderloin and a delicious dressing made from fresh basil, olive oil & lemon.
Course Main Course
Keyword basil, pork, vegetables
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

Seared Pork

  • whole pork tenderloin trimmed
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1/2 tbsp black pepper
  • 2 sprigs thyme fresh
  • 2 sprigs oregano fresh
  • 4 garlic cloves smashed, peeled
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Roasted Vegetables

  • 2 cups Swiss chard stems cut into 1in pieces
  • 1/2 yellow onion cut into 1in pieces
  • 1 bunch asparagas cut into 1in pieces
  • 2 yellow squash large dice
  • 1 medium eggplant peeled, large diced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley

Basil Dressing

  • 1/3 cup fresh basil finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves reserved from cooking with the pork
  • thyme & oregano reserved from cooking with the pork
  • 1-2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp lemon zest
  • 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

For the pork

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a large cast iron dutch oven over medium heat. Season the tenderloin with salt and pepper, add 2 tbsp olive oil to the pan and put the tenderloin into the pan. 
  • Add the garlic and herbs, reduce the heat to medium low and sear the pork on all sides then place in the preheated oven and roast until a meat thermometer reads 142/143 when inserted into the thickest part of the pork. 
  • Remove the pork tenderloin and set aside to rest. Reserve 2 cloves of garlic and the sprigs of herbs.

For the vegetables

  • Add 2 more tbsp olive oil to the dutch oven the pork was cooked in. Add all of the ingredients for the roasted vegetables to the dutch oven and sauté. 
  • Move the pan to the oven and roast for 20-30 minutes, tossing the vegetables around about halfway through cooking. 

For the basil dressing

  • Chop the reserved garlic and the leaves from the reserved herbs. Add them, along with the chopped basil, to a mortar and pestle and mash together. 
  • Once a textured paste has been created, add the olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and lemon zest and mix with a spoon. 

To plate

  • Put the vegetables on a large serving platter. Cut the pork into 1/2in-3/4in slices and fan them out across the top of the vegetables so the juices will help flavor the vegetables. Top the pork with the basil dressing, and finish the whole dish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.