Pork Tenderloin in a Creamy Thyme Sauce

Full disclosure: this meal is absolutely de-friggin-licious.

My older sister and I text each other every night asking what the other is making for dinner. She lives 6 hours away, and I don’t get to see her that often, so it’s a way to feel like we’re together, cooking different meals in different kitchens in different states, yet still connected. I asked her if she had ever made a pasta dish with pork tenderloin. She said no, that she usually does hers with some greens, but I was in the mood for pasta (and the kids will always no matter what eat pasta of any kind), so we were going to have pasta one way or another!

We don’t eat a lot of pork in our house, but we had some (that needed to be cooked in the next few days) and some ziti and heavy whipping cream and of course garlic, so I decided to scour the web to find what I could make with all of those ingredients. I came across this recipe from Food & Wine and I knew I had found dinner. I can’t tell you the indescribable happiness I feel whenever I find a recipe that includes all the ingredients I already have. It’s like I am winning at life and nothing could possibly ever go wrong again. 😂

Anyway, it was yummy, easy, and very filling. Perfect for nights that are starting to get chillier and darker as the days pass. Here’s what you’re going to need, taken directly from the Food & Wine website:

Ingredients:

1 pound pork tenderloin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1/2 pound escarole, leaves cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips (about 4 cups) (I substituted this for frozen spinach)
1 shallot or 2 scallions including green tops, chopped (I omitted these)
1/2 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons grainy or Dijon mustard
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 pound ziti

Directions:

Cut the pork into 1/2-inch slices and flatten them with the heel of your hand. Sprinkle the pork with 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. In a large frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderate heat. Cook the pork, in two batches if necessary, until just barely done, about 1 minute per side. Remove the pork from the pan, let it sit for 5 minutes, and then cut into thin strips.
In the same pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderate heat. Add the escarole, shallot, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring until the escarole wilts, about 1 minute. Add the broth and the thyme and simmer until the broth is reduced to 1/4 cup, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the mustard, cream, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; bring just to a simmer. Add the pork and any accumulated juices to the sauce, and remove from the heat.
In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the ziti until just done, about 13 minutes. Drain and toss with the sauce.