Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Blueberry Sauce

It’s Day 2 of Blueberry Week, and we’re taking a break from the sugary sweetness to talk about a super quick and easy dinner idea! Have you ever combined fruit and a protein? I really love throwing a simple fruit salsa on top of a blank-slate protein like chicken, pork or white fish. It not only makes the dish super colorful, but it adds a lot of flavor without a ton of extra calories. Gotta save those for dessert, right?

Even though I’ve done the fruit and meat thing before, this is the first time I’ve used blueberries. And I wouldn’t blame you if you’re thinking it sounds a little strange. I was skeptical too, but I swear, it’s a surprisingly delicious combination! Blueberries aren’t just for breakfast and dessert anymore, they’re a great option with dinner now too 🙂

I saw this recipe for the first time many years ago while watching 5 Ingredient Fix on Food Network. Did anyone else love that show as much as I did? I was so bummed when they canceled it. But anyway, the premise of the show was, as you probably could guess, to create recipes using five ingredients or less. So all you need to make this pork tenderloin with spicy blueberry sauce is pork tenderloin, blueberry preserves, an orange, whole-grain mustard, and chipotle peppers in adobo. If you wanted to get really adventurous, you could make your own blueberry preserves, but I just used store-bought this time around.

This recipe comes together in a snap. You combine the preserves, chipotles, orange juice and zest, and some of mustard in a saucepan then simmer until it’s reduced and thickened to make the sauce. The pork is seasoned and spread with the remaining mustard then broiled. I usually sear pork tenderloin on the stove top then finish in the oven, so I tried that the first time I made the dish, but ended up losing most of the mustard to the pan, so broiling is definitely a better option here. Slice the pork, and serve with the blueberry sauce – it’s as easy as that!

The sauce is sweet, tangy and very mildly spicy – you could always add an additional chipotle (or two) if you want more heat though. It pairs so well with the pork for a light summer meal. I couldn’t convince Shane to try the sauce but that’s ok, more for me! I used the leftovers on chicken another night and enjoyed it just as much there too.

Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Blueberry Sauce
adapted from Claire Robinson (via Food Network)

{Note: This makes a ton of sauce, scale back if you don’t want to have leftovers for another meal.}

2 cup blueberry preserves
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped
1/2 orange, zested and juiced
3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard, divided
1 pork tenderloin, trimmed (about 1 1/4 lb)

Set a medium saucepan over medium to medium-high heat and add the blueberry preserves, chipotle pepper, orange zest and juice, and 2 tablespoons of the mustard. Stir to combine then season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and set aside. (It will thicken further after you take it off the heat – be careful not to reduce it too much or it’ll get gummy! If that happens, you can add stir in a little more orange juice to thin.)

Preheat your oven’s broiler with a rack set about 6 inches from the heating element. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Smear the remaining tablespoon of mustard all over the surface of your pork tenderloin. Season the pork generously with salt and pepper. Place the pork on the prepared baking sheet, and broil for about 15-20 minutes (or until an instant-read thermometer registers 145 F), turning the pork every 3-4 minutes so it cooks evenly on all sides. Transfer the pork to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest 5-10 minutes.

To serve, slice the pork and top with the blueberry sauce.