Normal Eats: One Sheet Roasted Pork Tenderloin and Vegetables

Let us rejoice! This Sunday is Easter. For many, it means celebrating the resurrection. For the rest of you heathens, it means convincing your children that a bunny rabbit broke into your house in the middle of the night and left behind toxic plastic eggs filled with jellybeans that you’ve actually been storing in your kitchen cabinet since 2012. 

^Source

No matter how you celebrate it, Easter Sunday is a time for families and friends to come together, eat amazing food, and try to find that one last egg your mom can’t remember where the “Easter Bunny” hid in the backyard. True story. 

However just like Thanksgiving and Christmas, preparing that perfect Easter Sunday meal can be grueling. There’s the planning, the prepping, the cooking, the critiquing from that one bitchy cousin who thinks she’s an expert because she just binged The Great British Baking Show, and the cleaning. Whereas I love cooking for my family and friends, I abhor cleaning up every pot, pan, and knife I used in doing so. 

Cleaning Goals

^Source

If there was only a way you could rock this Easter Sunday’s meal without spending an exorbitant amount of time in the kitchen and more time finding that lost egg…Oh, wait. There is.

Enter my one sheet roasted pork tenderloin and vegetables. It’s easy to prep, assemble, clean up (you literally fit everything on one baking sheet), and meets the approval of your bitch of a cousin. Other than the resurrection, it’s the other Easter Sunday miracle. 

^Source

Julie’s One Sheet Roasted Pork Tenderloin and Vegetables

Here’s What You’ll Need 

• 1 lb pork tenderloin
• 10-15 red or golden potatoes (depending on size), cut in 1″ pieces (Julie’s cooking tip #1: Or do what I just do, cut them in half, then cut those halves into half, and if you have to cut those halves into half. It’s like the cooking version of Inception.)
• 1/2 red onion, cut into chunks
• 1 – 2 cups of baby carrots
• 2 tsp of either dried rosemary or thyme (you choose) 
• 1/2 tsp of chili powder
• 1/2 tsp of paprika 
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 1/4 tsp of pepper
• 1 tsp of garlic, minced
• One baking sheet (hence the name of the recipe)
• Parchment paper
• a glass of wine, your call, because you deserve it 

Here’s What You’ll Do

1. Take a sip of wine. You got this. You’re amazing, intelligent, talented and that bitch cousin can kiss your ass after this meal. 
2. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees, and set the baking rack to the middle position.
3. Cover the baking sheet with the parchment paper. (Julie’s cooking tip #2: I’ve found parchment paper allows the food to cook without sticking better than foil.)
4. Combine the dried herb (Not that herb, Spicoli), chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and garlic in a small bowl and mix.  
5. Place the pork tenderloin on one side of the sheet. Take your mix and rub on all sides of the pork. 
6. On the opposite side, add the potatoes, carrots, and onions. Season with salt and pepper. (Julie’s cooking tip #3: I like to add a dash of rosemary or a clove or three of garlic to the mix.)
7. Drizzle the pork and the veggies with extra virgin olive oil. 
8. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Be sure to stir the veggies one or twice during this time. (Julie’s cooking tip #4: DO NOT OVERCOOK THE PORK. Pork is lean and cooks quickly, and one minute overcooked is just plain nasty.)
9. Take another sip of wine because it was that easy. 
10. Remove and let sit for five minutes. 
11. Slice the pork and plate it with the roasted vegetables for serving. I adore this serving dish and want it in my life forever.  
12. If needed, refill your glass of wine because you just won Easter Sunday. 

What are you making this Easter Sunday? Let’s swap recipes!