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:
My butcher didn’t have a whole Pork Tenderloin he had Pork Steaks, which are sliced. How would you cook it being sliced already?
The recipe states cream, I’m assuming that’s single cream.
Hi Mike, I use thickened cream here – N x
my husband has always said he hates pork until I tried this…omg..this is the best and was so so easy to make and we really loved it, my husband can not have chicken and has high b/p so it is hard to find protein he can have. please,please post more for people that can not eat chicken. I am 61 years old and never learned to cook but every thing I have tried from your website has been increadble!!!! you really have made cooking fun for someone that did not think I could learn to cook. Thank you,,thank you!!
You’ve totally converted him Amanda! Lot’s of my recipes can be adjusted and the protein subbed for something else suitable – N x
This recipe is wonderful, I’ve made it twice now with success, this time I didn’t have fresh cream so I used creme fresh, oh and I used sherry instead of masala, it worked very well, thank you ♥️
Sounds like you nailed it Ann!
I made this last night exactly per recipe (using fresh thyme as suggested for sub for tarragon) and it was the best pork I think I have ever had. Picky eater hubby loved it as well. Anything would be better with that sauce. Yummy is an understatement.
Sounds amazing Connie!!
This was so delicious. The cooking time on the tenderloin was spot on. The Marsala sauce was heavenly. I added a little salt. I’m also not a huge tarragon fan but it blended great with the broth and the Marsala wine! So don’t skip it. Thanks for sharing and letting me follow you on Pinterest. I love your recipes. Merry Christmas, D
Have made this several times and it’s always perfect! Planning to serve for Christmas Eve but because of time constraints, do you think I could make it this weekend, freeze and then just reheat on Christmas Eve?
Recipe is absolutely delicious. Could the sauce be made then frozen for later date .
Many thanks
I’m so glad you loved it Denise!!
Cooked this many a time, husbands fave. Now my sons fave and have to cook every time he comes up.
Thanks for yummy scrummy recipes 🙂
That’s great to hear!
this saved pork tenderloin halves for me. I didn’t use cream (husband cant tolerate), but it was great. Such an easy, delicious sauce and the cooking method worked well. I think any kind of sock would work, but the wine/marsala elevates it.
I’m so glad you loved it Carol!
Hi Nagi, I’m cooking this for father in laws 80th birthday this weekend, with 20 people. It will be served alongside prawns (with some of your dipping sauces) foil wrapped barramundi on the barby, baby spuds, green bean salad, spinach, grape, baby tomato and mango salad and a pasta salad. If I scale up your recipe, how many people should scale to? Since everyone will have a bit of everything. Your thoughts appreciated. I was thinking 10? Thanks.
Hi Kate, sounds like a fantastic spread! I’d scale up to 10 – I think that may even be more than enough!
Thank you so much. I thought so, but my husband keeps saying it’s not enough food and wants me to do your beef chuck slow cooked lots of gravy dish as well! I think that will be excessive, lol! You’re recipes are the best, and absolutely foolproof. Thanks for all you share. K xx
How can this be made in a crockpot?
Hubby is a bit fussy. He really liked this one.
We have just had seconds and he still thinks it’s lovely. Definitely make this again, over and over.
Thanks Nagi
Perfect!!
Great tasting recipe, but your cooking times on the tenderloin are way off. No way it comes up to temp that quickly.
Hi Rob, unless you had a big tenderloin, this is the perfect timing to get it just right 🙂
Delicious….!!
Definitely a keeper..!!
This was yummy! I’ve never used tarragon so I bought it, but I hated the smell so I didn’t use it. Also, my sauce didn’t thicken, I would use 1 cup of stock next time. Lots of sauce for only 1 lb tenderloin. Will make again though!
Hi Nagi
I didn’t make this recipe yet!!
Just used the sauce to sauté some pork chops I over cooked on the grill the day before what and excellent flavor thank you for sharing
What type of cream are you using? Thanks!
Excellent!!! Will be adding to my favorites I have collected over the years! Thank you for sharing!
I’m so glad you loved it Brandon!
Love your recipies😗
Thanks Julia!! ❤️
Can this be made ahead of time?
Hi Nancy, sure can, just cook the pork slightly under to ensure it stays moist when re-heating ☺️
Fantastic! Will definitely be making this again…..I’m not a huge mushroom fan, but I could a bowl of nothing but the mushrooms….
You’re totally converted Lisa!