Roasted Pork Tenderloins with Lime and Garlic Salsa

This is quick, easy and you can go buy any type of salsa you like!  If you have time, marinate the pork tenderloins for a couple of hours don’t fret…marinate for as long as you can and instead of simmering the sauce while the pork is roasting.  Brown the tenderloins, then put the leftover marinade in the roasting pan and roast all together…the salsa will thicken and add flavor while in the oven.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

2 pork tenderloins (about 2 ¼ lbs)

2 cups lime and garlic salsa

½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder (optional)

1 cup white wine (or chicken stock)

Canola oil

Marinate pork in salsa for 2 hours.  Preheat oven to 425°F.  Heat oil in an ovenproof skillet.  Remove pork from marinade (reserve) shake off any excess. Sear tenderloins, about 2 minutes on each side.  Roast in oven for 15-20 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 130-135°F.  You do not want to overcook these; they should be pink and tender inside.  For a side sauce, I took the reserved marinade, added a cup of white wine and reduced it over medium heat while the pork was roasting.

Bolognese Sauce

When you make this you will have basic hearty sauce to use on tons of things.   Smother polenta with Bolognese and Parmesan cheese for a quick meal.   Top it with mashed potatoes and shove it in the oven (or microwave) for Shepard’s pie.   Mix it with ricotta cheese, and cooked rigatoni.   Top the dish with mozzarella then bake it in the oven.

What you need:

1¼ lbs of ground beef (or turkey or chicken)

medium carrot – diced (optional)

1 medium onion – diced (NOT optional)

1 medium celery stalk – diced (optional)

2 garlic cloves crushed (or a tablespoon of garlic powder)

2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

1 6oz can of tomato paste

1 28oz crushed tomatoes

1 cup of red wine, beef stock or water

Olive oil to cover the bottom of your saucepan

Salt and pepper

1lb of pasta

How you do it:

First, in a large saucepan cook the diced vegetables in a little olive oil over medium heat until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.

Then, add the spices and stir to combine.   Add the beef and cook until no longer pink and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.   Add the tomato paste and wine, stir and continue cooking over low heat stirring so the sauce doesn’t stick for another 10 minutes.   Add the crushed tomatoes, bring to a boil then simmer for 30minutes uncovered until nice and thick.

Now, Bring large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions.

Finally, Serve with Spaghetti or any other pasta shape you like.

Just in case:

You don’t like or eat beef, substitute ground turkey or chicken for a lighter sauce.

If you don’t have Italian seasoning, then substitute oregano or basil, don’t be afraid to substitute.

Variations:

Baked Rigatoni

Add 8oz of ricotta cheese to the sauce.   Mix sauce with cooked rigatoni (under cook the pasta since it will continue to cook while in the oven) and bake it covered with aluminum foil in an ovenproof dish at 350 ° for 30 minutes.   Uncover, sprinkle with shredded mozzarella and continue to bake until cheese is melted, about 7 minutes longer.   Let rest for 5 minutes then serve.

Could serve up to 8 if using the entire Bolognese recipe

Shepard’s Pie

Lightly oil an ovenproof casserole dish.   Add Bolognese sauce.   Spread mashed potatoes over meat and bake in oven at 425 ° for 20 minutes or until the potatoes begin to brown.   Top with shredded cheddar cheese or it you would like to keep the Italian theme, mozzarella and Parmesan.

Elegant “Sloppy Joes”

Hollow out a loaf (save the bread to make bread crumbs) of Ciabatta or French bread to make “bowls” for the sauce.   Fill the loaf with warm Bolognese sauce, sprinkle the top with cheese and bake in a 425 ° F oven until the cheese melts.   You can also just pour the sauce over hamburger rolls and sprinkle the cheese over them. Love from Momma Hen.