This healthy 5-Ingredient Cherry-Balsamic Pork Tenderloin is enjoyed by kids and grown-ups alike, making it the PERFECT company dish! It's super easy, 21 Day Fix approved, and if you make it in your Instant Pot, it's pretty quick, too!
Hey readers! This Healthy 5-Ingredient Cherry Balsamic Pork Tenderloin recipe was originally posted on 6/2/2015 and Iāve just updated it to include quick and easy Instant Pot directions! Enjoy!
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When I was thinking about starting the 21 Day Fix, I wanted to be all-in. But I knew that if I was going to make a REAL lifestyle change, it was going to have to be delicious. I needed to crave it. And more than that, I needed my family to love it, because who has time to make separate meals? Better question - who the heck wants to?
So for all of you that are in the same boat as me, here's a great one that'll please all of the people in your life (hopefully even the picky ones!) The inspiration for this was from an old favorite of ours from Cooking Light Magazine. Since their version uses store-bought cherry preserves, I needed to switch it up for the Fix and truth be told, I like my fresh-tasting, fixified version way better!
Honestly, this was one of the easiest meals to fixify that I've done. I switched out the sugar-laden cherry preserves for unsweetened frozen sweet cherries and slightly changed the cooking method. Period. Oh, and I added basil, because the combo of cherries, balsamic vinegar and basil is basically a match made in food heaven.
This makes a fantastic company dinner as well because you can easily get up to four pork tenderloins in an oven at once (you get about 4 fix servings out of each 1 Ā½ lb pork tenderloin) and you can make the sauce ahead if you want. Plus, it's super-simple - did I mention that this ridiculously delicious sauce has four ingredients? FOUR INGREDIENTS!! The savory pork pairs so beautifully with the sweet/slightly tart sauce and the chopped basil... so good!!
Do you have a favorite Fix-approved company dish? Let me know below in the comments!
*Instant Pot Note!: This Healthy 5-Ingredient Cherry-Balsamic Pork has only been tested in the Instant Pot 6 quart duo ā If you have an 8 qt, you may need to add more liquid.
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š Recipe
5-Ingredient Pork Tenderloin with Cherry-Balsamic Sauce {Instant Pot | Oven}
Ingredients
- 1 pork tenderloin, trimmed - about 1 Ā½ lbs
- salt and pepper for seasoning
- olive oil cooking spray
- 16 oz frozen sweet cherries, unsweetened, thawed or partially thawed (if using the Instant pot method, they can be completely frozen)
- 1 cup thinly sliced shallots or onion
- 3 Tbs water (Instant Pot method only)
- 2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
- Ā¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
Instant Pot Method:
- Press the "saute" button on your IP and let heat until it says "hot".
- Spray the bottom of the pot with cooking spray. Season the tenderloin with salt and pepper. and Sear all sides of the pork in the pot (you can skip the searing if you're short on time). Remove from pot and set aside.
- Spray the inside of your instant pot again with the cooking spray, then add the shallots, cooking for just a minute or two.
- Stir in the frozen cherries and the water, then turn off the saute function.
- Put your trivet on top of the cherry mixture. then on top of that, place either an IP-safe casserole dish or a piece of aluminum foil whose sides are turned up to keep the juices in. Put the pork inside that.
- Set to manual for 5 minutes. When it's finished, let it naturally release for another 5 minutes, then do a quick release. Remove the trivet with the pork, put the pork on a cutting board (covered lightly by a piece of aluminum foil - I just used the same one that was in the IP) and let rest while you finish up the sauce.
- Turn the saute function back and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Then stir in the balsamic vinegar.
- Slice your tenderloin and serve with the cherry-balsamic sauce and your chopped basil!
Oven Method:
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Season pork on all sides with salt (don't go crazy here) and black pepper. Place both tenderloins on a baking sheet with sides (AKA a Jelly Roll pan) that has been sprayed with olive oil cooking spray.
- Cover with foil and roast for about 25 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the center reads 160 degrees or the center is just slightly pink. Once done, let rest for about ten minutes and use the foil that covered them before to tent over them to keep them warm while they rest.
- While the pork is roasting, make the cherry sauce: Spray a medium-sized saute pan or pot with olive oil cooking spray and heat to medium heat. Add the shallots to the pan and cook until softened. Add cherries, including any liquid from the bag, into the pan and let them cook for a few minutes. Once cherries are fully thawed (if they weren't already) and softened, give them a good mashing with a wooden spoon or a potato masher - I LOVE my potato masher, I use it for everything!
- Let reduce while stirring occasionally until most of the liquid has evaporated. Once that has happened, stir in the balsamic vinegar, cook for 1 minute and turn off the heat.
- Serve the pork with the Balsamic-Cherry sauce and sprinkle with the chopped basil.
Notes
21 Day Fix Container Counts per Serving: 1 RED, Ā½ PURPLE, Ā¼ GREEN
Weight Watchers Personal Points Link: 5-Ingredient Pork Tenderloin with Cherry Balsamic Sauce
Recommended Products
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: Ā¾ cup of sliced pork with Ā¼ cup cherry sauceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 225Total Fat: 3g
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B says
Anyone use fresh Cherries? That's all I have - wondering if I should pit them and freeze them to use or just as is (pitted and stemmed of course)
Stephanie says
Hi! I haven't tried making this with fresh cherries. I think it would work but you might need to add a little extra water. I would also cut the cherries in half to help them cook down more easily.
Amber Ottke says
This was sooooo good thank you!
Stephanie says
You're so welcome!
Ashley Duncan says
This was delish!! I used frozen cherries and shallots. Followed the instructions and it turned out perfect! Served with oven roasted greens beans!! Yum!
Stephanie says
Yay! I'm so glad it was a hit!!
Bryn Farci says
I too had to cook this way longer than 5 minutes. Internal temp was only 120Ā° at 5 min.! 10 minutes more did the trick. Loved the sauce.
Stephanie says
Hi! Was it a pork tenderloin or a pork loin? I've made this one so many times and the time has always been perfect for a tenderloin. Just trying to trouble shoot for ya!
Fran says
Am I understanding this correctly? It pressure cooks for only 5 minutes?
Stephanie says
Hi! Well, you set the cook time for 5 minutes, but it takes usually between 10 and 15 minutes to come to pressure (it also cooks during this time). š
Joan says
I followed the recipe exactly and the pork was not cooked through. The idea of this is good, but I was disappointed with the directions.
Stephanie says
Hmm.. Did you make it in the oven or in the Instant Pot? I've been making it in the Instant Pot lately and I haven't had that issue. The pork should be a little pink in the center, but that doesn't mean it isn't cooked through. Of course if you prefer it to be more well done, you can always cook it a little longer next time š I'm so sorry you didn't like the way it turned out, it's a favorite around here and I've had so many great reviews of it in my FB groups!
Andy Bishop says
Is it OK to use beef instead of pork?
Stephanie says
I'm sure beef would go well with the cherry sauce, but the cooking times would be different and that would depend on the cut š
Michelle says
Made this tonight and it was great! I didn't have cherries so I had to used frozen blackberries this time. Next time cherries for sure. Thanks for the inspiration!
Stephanie says
Oooohh... I bet it was good with blackberries! I make a version of this with peaches sometimes and it's awesome š