For a restaurant-worthy dinner you can make on a weeknight, we turned to quick-cooking pork tenderloin. We rubbed a mixture of lemon zest and thyme all over the pork to add bright flavor and then
started the cooking on the stovetop, searing the pork in the skillet to give it rich color before roasting. We tossed green beans with oil, salt, and pepper and added them to the skillet; we then roasted the pork
and beans in the oven until the pork was perfectly cooked and the green beans were tender.
To make sure this dinner met keto standards, we made a fresh olive oil–based dressing to drizzle over
the meal. The dressing added savory notes and fat, and garlic and lemon balanced the richness of the extra-virgin olive oil. A sprinkle of crunchy sliced almonds and tangy goat cheese finished this elegant
but easy-to-prepare dish. While skinny pork tenderloin doesn’t need to be trussed to cook evenly, the tight silver skin striping its exterior must be trimmed away. To remove silver skin, simply slip a knife
under it, angle the knife slightly upward, and use a gentle back-and forth motion
Instruction :
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Pat pork dry with paper towels and sprinkle with thyme, 2 teaspoons lemon zest, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Toss green beans with 3 tablespoons oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼
teaspoon pepper in bowl. - Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch oven safe skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown pork on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Off heat, center tenderloins in skillet, alternating thicker and thinner ends, and arrange green beans around sides. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until pork registers 140 degrees and green beans are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Transfer pork to cutting board, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Whisk garlic, lemon juice, remaining 1 teaspoon lemon zest, remaining ⅛ teaspoon salt, and remaining 6 tablespoons oil in bowl until combined. Drizzle 1 tablespoon dressing over green beans and toss to combine. Transfer to serving platter and sprinkle with almonds and goat cheese. Slice pork ½ inch thick and serve with green beans, passing remaining dressing separately.
Ingredients
- 2 12-ounce pork tenderloins, trimmed
- 1½ tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest divided, plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ¾ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon table salt divided
- ¾ teaspoon pepper divided
- 1 pound green beans trimmed
- 10 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ¼ cup sliced almonds toasted
- 2 ounces goat cheese crumbled (½ cup)
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Pat pork dry with paper towels and sprinkle with thyme, 2 teaspoons lemon zest, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Toss green beans with 3 tablespoons oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper in bowl.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch oven safe skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown pork on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Off heat, center tenderloins in skillet, alternating thicker and thinner ends, and arrange green beans around sides. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until pork registers 140 degrees and green beans are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Transfer pork to cutting board, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Whisk garlic, lemon juice, remaining 1 teaspoon lemon zest, remaining ⅛ teaspoon salt, and remaining 6 tablespoons oil in bowl until combined. Drizzle 1 tablespoon dressing over green beans and toss to combine. Transfer to serving platter and sprinkle with almonds and goat cheese. Slice pork ½ inch thick and serve with green beans, passing remaining dressing separately.