4 Ingredient Pork Tenderloin With Swiss Chard

4-Ingredient Pork Tenderloin with Swiss Chard

Serves 4
Wrapping pork tenderloin in bacon infuses it with flavor, keeps it moist, and adds a textural element to the dish. The resulting entrée pairs beautifully with the sharp, bright flavor of chard. The whole thing comes together in one skillet!

Ingredients

  • 1 large bunch rainbow chard (stems removed and sliced, leaves torn into small pieces)
  • 6 slices thin-cut bacon
  • 1/2 large red onion (sliced)
  • 1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound) (silver skin removed (See Cook's Tips))

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Pat tenderloin dry with paper towels. Season all over with salt and pepper.
  3. Wrap bacon slices around pork, slightly overlapping edges and ends. Tug gently, but snugly, on bacon as you work your way down the length of the tenderloin so that you won't need toothpicks to hold the bacon in place. Trim bacon to avoid too much overlap or it will be too thick to crisp.
  4. Chop trimmed bacon ends and set aside.
  5. Heat a large cast iron or heavy-bottom, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Drizzle with vegetable oil. Gently lay tenderloin in pan, seam-side down, to hold bacon in place.
  6. Transfer pan to oven and roast 20 minutes or until interior of pork registers 145°F on a probe thermometer. Remove pan from oven and set on stove. Remove pork and place on a cutting board to rest.
  7. Place the same pan on medium-high heat. Add chopped bacon and cook 2 to 3 minutes until it starts to crisp. Add red onion and chard stems. Sauté until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chard leaves and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
  8. Slice pork tenderloin into 1/2-inch slices and serve with sautéed rainbow chard.

Cook Tips

Pork tenderloin has a silver skin, a tough, connective tissue that does not melt during cooking. To remove, slide tip of knife under one end of silver skin. Grip end of silver skin in one hand while sliding knife blade under the length of the silver skin, pulling slightly in opposite directions as you go. Lift the blade away from the meat to avoid cutting into it.

For a flavor boost, add a few drops of cooking vinegar, such as red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar, before serving to balance the richness of the pork and brighten the greens.

Nutrition

Amount Per Serving (based on 4 servings)
  • Calories: 230
  • Fat: 0.0 g
  • Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
  • Trans Fat: 0.0 g
  • Cholesterol: 70.0 mg
  • Sodium: 410.0 mg
  • Carbohydrates: 6.0 g
  • Fiber: 2.0 g
  • Added Sugars: 0.0 g
  • Sugar: 0.0 g
  • Protein: 26.0 g