Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Pasta
⏱ 10 min prep · 🍳 20 min · 🍽 4
Pork tenderloin is the cut that got buried under a decade of chicken breast on every meal plan — which is a shame, because it's faster to cook and harder to dry out. Pounded thin with a meat mallet, it's in the pan for two minutes a side, done before the dishwasher's even finished its lunchtime cycle. It's mild enough that the texture-sensitive eater at your table rarely complains, and lean enough that a weeknight protein doesn't feel like a compromise.
The garlic-and-parsley rub goes straight onto the meat before it hits the pan — no marinating, no waiting around while everyone's hungry. While the pork rests, the pasta water's already boiling; crème fraîche, spring onion and finely chopped celery come together into a sauce that holds the whole plate together, finished with parmesan.
Put it on the plan for a Tuesday or Wednesday — the kind of evening that's short on patience and shorter on time. 600g of meat stretches across four plates with room to spare, and whatever's left in the crème fraîche tub slides straight into tomorrow's taco night.
Ingredients
- 600.000 g biff
- 30.000 ml margarin
- 60.000 ml parmesan
- 1.000 stk hvitløk
- 60.000 ml fersk persille
- 5.000 ml krydder (diverse)
- 5.000 ml paprikapulver
- 2.000 stk løk
- 2.000 stilker stangselleri
- 200.000 ml creme fraiche 35%
- 400.000 g pasta
Instructions
Finhakk hvitløk og persille, bland med salt og pepperblanding.
Bank svinekotelettene tynne med kjøttbanker og vend dem i krydderblandingen.
Stek schnitzel 2 minutter per side på middels varme i margarin.
Flytt panna til siden og la hvile 3–4 minutter på svak varme til gjennomstekt.
Hakk vårløk og selleri.
Kok pasta etter anvisning i saltet vann, sil av og ha tilbake i kjelen.
Rør inn vårløk, selleri og crème fraîche i pastaen.
Anrett kryddersvine-schnitzel med pasta og strø over parmesan før servering.
This is the recipe for the evenings you get home from pickup with just enough energy left to pound out a piece of meat, not much more. Pork tenderloin forgives being interrupted — you can flip it one-handed while you're unzipping a backpack with the other, and it still comes out tender. We've tested this at the table with four and with six: with six, let the pasta carry more of the plate for the smaller eaters and stretch the 600g of pork with an extra side. The celery is chopped fine enough to disappear into the sauce instead of sitting there waiting to be picked out, which has worked surprisingly well even with a kid who checks every plate for anything green. Keep the parmesan on the table rather than mixed in — some nights everyone wants extra, some nights nobody touches it, and it's one less thing to argue about before the fork even goes down.
FAQ
Can I use pork chops instead of tenderloin?
Yes — boneless pork chops are actually easier to find than tenderloin in most supermarkets, and they pound out just as thin with a meat mallet. Look for boneless cuts, or trim the bone off yourself before pounding. Cooking time stays the same: two minutes a side, same heat.
How do I store leftover meat and pasta?
Keep the pork and the pasta in separate containers in the fridge — the crème fraîche sauce splits fast if it sits on top of warm meat overnight. It keeps for 2–3 days. Reheat gently in short bursts in the microwave with a splash of milk stirred into the sauce; blasting it on high in one go toughens the meat.
Can I freeze this dinner?
The pork on its own freezes well for up to three months. The sauce doesn't — crème fraîche splits and turns grainy once it thaws, no matter how gently you warm it back up. Make the sauce fresh the night you thaw the meat instead; it's fifteen minutes from cold pasta to a finished plate.
How do I tone this down for kids who don't like strong seasoning?
Split the garlic-and-parsley rub in two and use half the pepper on the portion for younger eaters, or season the adults' pieces separately after cooking. The pasta itself is mild since the crème fraîche carries no heat of its own. Put extra parmesan in a bowl on the table so everyone can adjust their own plate.
What can I swap in for the celery if the kids push back?
Finely grated carrot or thin leek strips do the same job without changing the cooking time or texture much. Chop it even finer than the recipe calls for if you want it to disappear completely into the sauce. Some families skip it altogether and stir in frozen peas for the last couple of minutes instead.
Is this realistic on a normal weeknight with school or daycare pickup?
Ten minutes of prep, twenty minutes of cooking — realistically under thirty minutes from walking in the door to plates on the table. The only step that takes any real attention is mincing the garlic and parsley, so do that the night before if your afternoons tend to be the tight ones. It's exactly the kind of dinner that tolerates you being distracted halfway through.