Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Homemade Apple Sauce!

Ok guys, not to toot my own horn buuut this was seriously, as my boyfriend would put it, 

"The Dank." 

In other words, it was really, really good.

Growing up, pork and apple sauce was one of my favorites. My dad used to make my brothers and I pork chops once a week and I always had to have a more than necessary amount of apple sauce with mine, some things never change ;) So this dish has a special place in my heart. I thought I could make it a little more "grown up" with similar flavors and ingredients.

I purchased 2 lbs of pork tenderloin, in this case it came as two 1 lb tenderloins. I "butterflied" each tenderloin, cut in half but not all the way through, leave the tenderloin connected. This will create a boat to hold the stuffing in. If your loin comes in 1 piece, you can butterfly it and wrap it without an additional tenderloin or top piece of meat.

Tip!: you can ask your butcher to butterfly, tenderize, you name it! for you. In most cases they are more than happy to do it!

Rub the pork with sage, a mixture of spices by Rachel Ray (it comes in a grinder that you can find at the grocery store, its an all purpose spice mix), salt, and pepper.

For the stuffing dice 1 gala apple (I left the skin on, if you prefer you can remove the skin), 1/2 lb cremini mushrooms, 1/2 medium onion. I kept the dice pretty small so it would be easier to keep inside the pork. Place the apple, mushroom and onion into a sauce pan heated on medium/high heat with some olive oil and butter. Saute the mixture with salt and pepper until it is about half way done cooking. Empty the mixture into one of the halves of tenderloin. Next, take the empty tenderloin and place it on top of the tenderloin with the apple mixture, the mixture will fall out, you can put it back in once you are done securing the two loins together. The most common way to keep meat together is with butchers twine, tie 3 to 5 knots down the loin to insure the two loins stay together while cooking. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the loin on the middle rack for 35 minutes. Remove the loin from the oven, cover with foil and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Then serve!

What you'll need for the Stuffed Pork Tenderloin:

• 2 lbs Pork Tenderloin
• 1 medium Gala Apple
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 lb cremini mushrooms
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs butter
• 2 tbs sage
• Rachel Ray all purpose seasoning
• Salt and pepper

Now for the Apple Sauce -

It's probably much more simple than you'd think to make your own apple sauce, and it's really good. I like making my own because I can control how much sugar goes into it, I can keep the skins on my apples (which provide more nutrients!), and I can add as much cinnamon as I want! and really, homemade apple sauce is the best :) 

Dice 3 medium gala apples and place them in a sauce pan with 1/2 cup of water. Cover and simmer until very tender, you'll be able to squash them with a fork or wooden spoon, usually about 15-20 minutes. Once you have smashed up your apples, stir in sugar and cinnamon. You're done! Was that surprisingly easy or what?!

What you'll need for the Apple Sauce: 

• 3 medium Gala Apples
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon

This is a perfect chilly weather meal, sage always reminds me of the holidays. It's hearty feeling but light and healthy! I served this dish with some roasted vegetables. There were some very happy tummies last night!

Hope you guys enjoy this as much as I did!