Looking for something new for dinner? Already exhausted the sautéed chicken recipes and made one too many meatloaf dishes for the kids? Enter pork. Many cuts of pork are healthier than chicken. Really. The Food Network took on the question of whether pork was part of a nutritious diet or not. What they found is that leaner cuts (yeah, no surprises that bacon is on the no-no list) of pork, like the tenderloin, actually are lower in calories and fat than a chicken breast – compare pork’s 96 calories per serving to chicken’s 142. Even better, pork has a light flavor that soaks up sauces and marinades. These recipes will get you started. Try out pork and pineapple kebabs or slow cooker pork carnitas. For special occasions, make bacon-brown sugar pork tenderloin or Parmesan-crusted pork chops.
Pork and Pineapple Kebabs
Cut the pork into 1-inch chunks. Next, peel and core a pineapple and trim it into 1-inch pieces. Soak wooden skewers in water for 10 minutes and then thread the meat, pineapple, red onion chunks and grape tomatoes onto them. Broil the skewers until browned (for about 8 minutes), brushing with honey every few minutes. Serve these pork and pineapple kebabs from Real Simple over rice.
How to Cook Pork Tenderloin
This recipe for how to cook pork tenderloin from Betty Crocker covers all the basics. Want to up the flavor? Soak the pork overnight in marinade. Or, add a dry rub. Other options include brining the pork or glazing it. You might even want to butterfly the meat, fill it and then role it up again.
Bacon-Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin
Mix together brown sugar, salt, paprika and cayenne pepper and then pat the spices all over the outside of a pork tenderloin. Next, wrap the tenderloin in bacon and hold in place using toothpicks. Sear the meat in a medium-high heat cast iron pan and finish off the meat by baking. That’s it to make this bacon-brown sugar pork tenderloin from the kitchn.
Easy 7-Up Marinade
Here’s a super easy marinade that your kids will love helping you mix. This easy 7-Up marinade from Chef in Training includes the lemon-lime soda, soy sauce, horseradish, garlic and oil. While this recipe is for chicken, you can easily pair it with pork. Add side dishes like Asian noodles and steamed vegetables like broccoli.
Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
Stir chili powder, cumin, oregano and salt in a bowl and rub all over pork tenderloins. Put the pork on the bottom of a Crock-Pot and then gently pour chicken broth on either side. Cook for several hours until fork tender. Shred, adding back in the cooking liquid. Place these slow cooker pork carnitas from Hormel in toasted corn tortillas.
Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops
Dip pork loin chops in freshly grated Parmesan cheese, then into whisked eggs and finally into breadcrumbs. Cook the pork pieces in batches in a heavy skillet with oil heated to high – about 6 minutes per side. These crisped Parmesan-crusted pork chops from The Food Network taste great with a side of pasta and red pasta sauce.
