Juicy pork tenderloin served with a creamy Mushroom Marsala Sauce that’s SO GOOD it will take serious self control not to the lick the plate! This is one of those recipes that is easy enough for midweek but fancy enough for company.
Cooking the pork tenderloin whole keeps this lean healthy cut of pork lovely and juicy!
So basically, this sauce is like gravy on steroids. Good steroids, that is. Not the kind that naughty athletes use. 😉
Have you ever had Marsala Sauce before? Or made anything with Marsala? Marsala is a fortified wine, so it’s thicker and sweeter than normal wine. It has many layers of flavours in it which makes it a fantastic secret weapon in the kitchen, one that chefs in posh restaurants use regularly.
It holds true for alcohol generally. A splash of wine, sherry, marsala or even brandy to deglaze a skillet after cooking a piece of protein = instant sauce. (PS “Deglaze” simply means simmering a liquid in a skillet to get the flavour of the brown stuck-on bits into the sauce. Fancy word, simple in reality!)
For this particular recipe, I’ve made a basic gravy but taken it up a notch by adding Marsala.
Scratch that. The Marsala takes this up 10 notches. This sauce….it’s so good it’s ridiculous. I could honestly drink it straight out of the jug. I want to drink it straight out of the jug!
While my plating up effort above might look a little sloppy and doesn’t compare to what a posh restaurant could do, I can absolutely promise you this – the flavour will knock your socks off and rival anything you can get at fine dining restaurants.
And this is easy. Easy, easy, easy (picture me jumping up and down as I chant that!). It’s as easy as 1-2-3:
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Sear pork tenderloin, plonk in oven to finish cooking, remove from skillet to rest;
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Cook mushrooms, remove, then cook onion and garlic; and
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Add Marsala wine, chicken stock/broth then cream. Simmer to reduce and that’s when the magic happens and this incredible gravy sauce is created…
Actually, it’s funny I mention posh restaurants because I actually did a photo shoot for a client for a Matt Moran recipe. (Matt Moran is one of the top serious chefs / restauranteurs in Australia). And the sauce for his recipe was very similar to this, except he used vermouth instead of Marsala. It was that photography assignment that prompted me to share this recipe. 🙂
Hope you consider trying it! – Nagi x
Pork tenderloin recipes
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Also try serving pork tenderloin with this Creamy Mushroom Sauce – just sear/roast pork per this recipe
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Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Marsala Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb / 500g pork tenderloin (Note 1)
Creamy Marsala Sauce
- 2 tbsp butter (salted or unsalted)
- 5 oz / 150g mushrooms , sliced (I used Swiss Brown)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots or onion
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 1 1/2 tbsp flour
- 1/2 cup / 125 ml marsala (Note 2)
- 2 cups / 500 ml chicken broth , low sodium
- 5 tarragon leaves (optional) (thyme is also lovely) (Note 3)
- 1/4 cup / 65 ml cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200C/390F.
- Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in an ovenproof skillet over high heat. Sear on all sides until nicely browned.
- Place in the oven for 15 minutes for the faintest blush of pink (pictured) or 18 to 20 minutes for no pink. See Note 4 for internal cook temperatures.
- Remove pork from skillet onto a plate, cover with foil and set aside in a warm place while you make the sauce.
Creamy Marsala Sauce
- Melt 1 tbsp butter in the same skillet over high heat. Cook mushrooms until browned, then remove.
- Reduce heat to medium high, melt 1 tbsp butter,. Add onion and garlic, cook for 2 minutes or until onion is softened. Add flour and mix.
- Add marsala, cook until mostly evaporated (about 1 minute). Add tarragon and chicken broth, whisk until dissolved. Bring to simmer and cook until the liquid reduces by half - 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add cream and mix, then return the mushrooms and pork into the skillet as well as juices pooled on the plate. Simmer for 1 - 2 minutes until the sauce thickens into a thin gravy consistency (it will thicken more as you serve).
- Transfer to serving platter with the gravy on the side or poured over the top. Serve with mashed potatoes of course!! (Here is my Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes recipe)
Recipe Notes:
Non alcoholic option: This sauce is very much based on the Marsala flavours but if you need to make this non alcoholic, you can leave the marsala out in which case this will be like a creamy gravy. SWEET OR DRY? I use sweet, I think it goes beautifully with pork. But dry is absolutely gorgeous too, and if you want a touch of sweet just add a wee bit of sugar or honey into the gravy! 3. Tarragon is a herb commonly used in French cooking. It has a very unique flavour, almost like aniseed. It goes spectacularly well with alcohol based creamy sauces like this one, and it's based on a recipe by Matt Moran, one of Australia's most famous chef's, that I made and photographed for a client. You can sub with thyme or leave it out. I promise the sauce is delish even without! 4. Internal Temperature of Cooked Pork (using a meat thermometer inserted into the middle of the thickest part):
* For a slight blush of pink, which is how I like it (per photo), take it out of the oven when the internal temperature of the pork is 150F/65C - takes 15 minutes at 200C/390F. After resting for 10 minutes, it will be 155F/68C.
* For no pink, take it out of the oven when the internal temperature of the pork is 155F/68C - takes 18 minutes at 200C/390F. After 10 minutes, it will be 160F/70C
Nutrition Information:
This was so good, will be my go to marsala sauce from now on
Deeeelicious! You were right about that sauce – my mouth is STILL dancing! Hubby loved it too!
I will definitely be using this marsala sauce recipe….I’ve tried many with chicken and pork, but tonight with pork tenderloin….it was a hit m! My son is a chef and if he gives his taste buds approval, it’s a definitely a keeper! I prefer and used basil leaves, not tarragon.
Delicious..thanks for the great recipe
I had never heard of pork marsala, only chicken Marsala. This sounded interesting so thought I’d give it a go. Oh boy is this a keeper! Pretty simple and the flavors are amazing! Every week my husband continues to request this dish!
I love hearing this Tami, I’m so glad it’s a hit!! N x
Hello Nagi,
What can I replace the Marsala with. Prefer not using alcool. Thanks and I love your Website.
Hi Paula, I’ve mentioned this in the recipe notes 🙂 N x
Paula just to let you know alcohol cooks off when heated so you don’t actually get any in the food.
Hi Nagi! I’ve never had Marsala Sauce before tonight, and oh my goodness was it ever delicious! I made it with a pork roast I had. There wasn’t one scrap of leftovers. Thank you again for another wonderful recipe!
Followed this recipe to cook tenderloin for the first time ever, and the sauce was a success! I substituted white wine + pasta cooking water for the chicken stock and greek yoghurt for the cream, but it was a success anyway. Definitely bookmarking this!
My wife liked this recipe but I was not overly enamoured with it. The marsala was too overpowering and sweet. I didn’t really taste anything else. A dry sherry or brandy would have been better. For me, anyway. But I love your site and recipes and your sense of humour and wit is brilliant. I have been raving about you Nagi to all my family and friends. It was a great day when I discovered your site. You’re the best thing since sliced bread. Cheers!
Hi Mike, sorry you weren’t wrapped with this recipe – it could be the brand of marsala you used – it shouldn’t overpower the dish at all! Try switching to a dry sherry, vermouth or port 🙂 N x
No apologies necessary. I have another brand of marsala that I will try the next time. thank you.
Mike,Cribari Marsala is worth a try.I have used it multiple times for chicken Marsala,cooking for groups of 50 or more,and they all loved the flavor it brought to the sauce.
This is one of those dishes that has a high pay off for the time and effort it takes to make. Tender, flavorful pork smothered in delicious sauce. Do use marsala for that flavor punch! My family really liked this dish. Your recipe is a keeper!
Hi. I only came across your fabulous site this week, and we have been eating from your recipes every night since. This one got rave reviews and was judged to be “real food”and “you can’t get better than this”. Wait until they see what we have tonight! You are inspirational. Thanks Nagi.
Made this last night, the pork just melted in our mouths and the sauce/gravy was amazing, served it with mash, steamed veg and yorkshire puddings, hardly any left overs. x