Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

This Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin is a super simple sheet pan dinner that is ready in 30 minutes or less, for a tasty weeknight meal or easy meal prep idea.

Sheet pan dinners, or tray bake meals, have become a real trend, and rightfully so. They are simple to make, simple to clean up, and a great way to get a nutritious meal on the table. I personally use sheet pans a lot in my kitchen, be a to roast a batch of veggies, make dinner, or a great way to do a lot of meal prep quickly. In fact, I’ve shared quite a few sheet pan dinner recipes on the blog including my Asian Salmon Tray Bake, Green Vegetable Tray Bake, and Spanish Chicken Tray Bake, so this Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin is just another one to add to the list.

Pork is a really simple protein to cook which is why it is so fun to work with. Pork tenderloin itself it is pretty mild in flavour, so finding a good way to season it is really important. There are lots of fun marinades and sauces you can add to pork to help to intensify the flavour, but I think a simple spice rub works just as well. Plus, it doesn’t take much forward planning; just simply add the spices and away you go.

This Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin recipe technically uses two pans, so I am cheating a little bit by calling it a sheet pan meal. Although you can certainly add the seasoned pork directly to the oven to bake, I like to sear it quickly in a pan first to help bring out the flavour of the spices and ensure they adhere well to the pork tenderloin. The spices I used for this Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin are a personal combination I like, but if you prefer a little more heat, just add a little more chilli powder, cayenne or crushed chillies to increase the level of spice.

For the best quality pork, look for local, free-range pork. I source of a lot my meat from local farms or farmer’s markets or order directly from truLOCAL for 100% local, free run, antibiotic free and hormone free meats.

Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

I used carrots and green beans for this Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin sheet pan meal, however, you could really use any vegetables you have on hand. I think asparagus, zucchini, peppers, Brussel sprouts, and broccoli would all work just as well.

Author: Stephanie Kay
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x
Category: Mains
Cuisine: Paleo, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free

Scale

Ingredients

Pork:

1lb pork tenderloin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

Sides:

4 cups carrots, peeled
4 cups green beans, trimmed
2 teaspoons olive oil
½ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Add peeled carrots and green beans to a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, season with sea salt and toss to ensure the vegetables are well coated. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine garlic powder, oregano, cumin, chilli powder, paprika and sea salt to create a rub.
Lay pork tenderloin on a cutting board, pat to dry, and rub spice mixture all over. Ensure that all sides and ends are coated with the dry rub.
On a large baking sheet, arrange carrots and greens beans and transfer to the oven for 5 minutes.
While the vegetables are in the oven, heat olive oil in a cast-iron pan or heavy bottom skillet and sear tenderloin on all sides. This should take about 2-3 minutes per side, for a total of 5-6 minutes.
After 5 minutes, remove the vegetables from the oven and nestle the seared pork tenderloin among the vegetables.
Return pork tenderloin and vegetables to the oven for another 15 minutes, until pork reaches an internal temperature of 150°F.
Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow pork to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
Cut pork tenderloin crosswise into ½ inch-thick slices, and serve with roasted vegetables.
Enjoy!