Table of Contents
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I grew up on a farrow to finish farm. We birthed the pigs and raised them until they were old enough for the market. This gave me a very real “Circle of Life” experience and at a young age, I always knew where babies came from. This also meant that we ate pork at many meals. Our deep freezers were always full of different cuts of pork. Mom was such a whiz with all of them, bless her heart! Roasted pork tenderloin, grilled pork chops, sausage, pork burgers: the list of her creations, experiments, and failures (only sparingly!) goes on and on. To her credit, a menu was always planned around what meat we were planning to have.
In my own grown-up life, I don’t really cook like this as often as Mom did. I find myself more vegetable-centered most of the time, reserving the preparation of a meat dish for special occasions or when friends are headed my way for the evening. When I do prepare meat as a main dish, I want to make sure it’s enjoyed to the fullest, flavored and cooked to perfection.
A roasted pork tenderloin is one of my favorite cuts, probably because it’s the most tender part of the loin. And it cooks quickly, which is a total plus in my book. For this recipe, I wanted to really drive home the idea of the fall season, so what better to pair with the pork than a mixture of apples and squash. While they take different roasting times, when these three are paired together, they’re such a delicious mixture of sweet and hearty.
Plus, wait until you try the spice rub. It’s made of the usual suspects, but I added a pop of warmth with the addition of cinnamon. It’s like fall knocked on the front door and invited itself to the table! And I definitely said, “come on in!”
You can totally have this meal ready in way less than two hours for a special occasion or on an ordinary weeknight.
Watch how to make this roasted pork tenderloin:
If you love the idea of this recipe, you may also love some of my other fall main dish recipes:
- Squash and chickpea tacos served with a chipotle slaw
- Chipotle squash soup
- Roasted pepitas – they’re so good and so easy to make!
Have I Convinced You to Make This Recipe?
I hope you make this recipe and put some food on your table. Leave a comment and share a star rating so you can let others know how much you love this recipe. This helps show others that this is a recipe they, too, can make, enjoy, and love!
Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Squash
Ingredients
- 3 lb squash 1 large or 2 small
- 2 lb apples 4 large
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 lb pork tenderloin cut into 1-pound pieces
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For the spice blend
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
For the pan sauce
- ½ cup apple cider
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Peel the squash, slice in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Cut into ½-inch slices and place in a roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Mix to evenly coat the squash with the oil and spread in an even layer. Add the thyme sprigs. Roast in the preheated oven until the squash just begins to become tender, 20 minutes.3 lb squash, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp kosher salt, ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper, 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- While the squash is roasting, prepare the tenderloin. In a small bowl, combine the salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and cinnamon. Stir to combine and sprinkle all over the dry tenderloins. Rub into the meat, picking up any fallen bits.2 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, 2 lb pork tenderloin
- In a large 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Once the oil is shimmering and hot, sear the tenderloin until browned all around, about 3-5 minutes on all four sides. Remove from heat and set aside.2 tbsp olive oil
- Cut apples into quarters and remove the core. After removing the core, cut each quarter in half again.2 lb apples
- When the squash is just beginning to become tender, remove from the oven and add the apples. Stir to combine and spread in even layer. Add seared tenderloin on top of squash and apples, adding any juice that gathered under the meat.
- Continue to roast until the apples are tender and the pork registers 145°F, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
- While resting, prepare pan sauce. Heat skillet over medium-high for 2 minutes. Add apple cider and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and scrape the browned bits from the bottom. When the apple cider is reduced by half, about 3 minutes, turn off the heat and whisk in the Dijon mustard and butter. Whisk until smooth.½ cup apple cider, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- Cut pork and pour the pan sauce over the cut pieces. Serve with the squash and apples.
Absolutely delicious…and easy!!!! Although I take the time to make a nice meal almost everyday, my husband could not believe it was actually a Tuesday evening that we enjoyed this fabulous dish. I cannot wait to make this again…& again!
Made this tonight and it was awesome. Pan sauce was the topper. So easy too. Have some slow cooked butternut squash soap going so I can try the Kale Squash Lasagna.
This sounds amazing! What type of swuadh do you use? Yellow zuchinni squash? Thanks in advance for your reply.
Butternut squash, a winter squash.
Good morning to you. I prepared your dish for my Family this weekend. My husband and I have discussed this meal a few times and how much we loved it. I use pork tenderloin quite often, we like pork schnitzel, and they’re just perfect. Thanks much for a terrific recipe…. Cheers, Mitty
The entire family loved it!!!
Hello Kaleb.
Just made this dish and both me and my husband agreed that we’ll have it again at again. Delicious, easy, fast and inexpensive. What else could we ask for? So glad that I „discovered” you and your channel. Lot of love xx
I just have to say I am new to following you, and I just have to share how amazing your recipes and content is. I look forward to all your videos! Your focus on organic growing, and farm to table content totally vibes with my lifestyle. Don’t get me started on how tasty your recipes are!! (OMG!) They are ALWAYS on point with what I want to feed my family, they are SOOO tasty and easy to follow. That is saying a lot because I don’t find many recipes online that are actually flavorful. I am now not afraid to can just pickles!! LOL So thank you for that. You have a loyal follower with me, and I just have to share that you have inspired me to really put the time and effort into growing more of my own food! Your Apple Butter recipe is devine, the star anise add was genius and I’m going to enjoy it with this pork recipe. Thank you and please sharing! I feel like we are total besties at this point! 😉 lol I would love to see some harvest/winter soups!
Greetings from Germany. We just finished eating this delicious dish and it was so wonderful, we are looking forward to the leftovers. The only thing I added were a few sliced potatoes since my husband loves them. The kitchen smells wonderful and everyone is trying to figure out what the secret spice is. I am looking forward to making ore of your dishes.
This was delicious! Although I did not have squash I substituted sweet potatoes and it was so yummy and easy to put together.. will definitely make again and again…
My family loved this , but next time all have to add two squash since they wanted more of that. The seasoning was great and definitely will be a Fall favorite for mine for sure. Highly recommend this receipt ThanKs Kaleb
Can you substitute sweet potatoes for the squash?
Delicious!! Incredible flavor and very easy! Will definitely make again. This is my introduction to you and looking forward to many more delicious recipes. Thank you!!
This is the BEST kind of recipe- delicious, healthy and easy! My family devoured it, will definitely be making this again!
This was so delicious My hubby loved it Thought about cooking onions and mushrooms to lay under roast wrap in bacon maybe use white sauce or tomato sauce with it Just to change it up great idea Loved this recipe
This was so good very easy. I kept the skin on squash and much to my surprise it was wonderful
Made this for dinner, and me oh my!! Absolutely delicious!! I added Brussels sprouts to the squash and apples and they were divine! The spices worked perfect with them. I didn’t have apple cider so substituted chicken broth. It worked well. I also used thick porkchops instead of tenderloin. Yummy!! Thank you so much for this awesome recipe!! My family gobbled it up!
This recipe sounded so good, I had to make it. I didn’t have tenderloin so I used what I had – pork shoulder steak. Worked wonderfully. I added sweet cherries to the squash/apples and some brown sugar sprinkled on top. This made such a nice tangy taste that complimented the apple and made the squash a delight. It looked beautiful as well – an autumn dish. Everything else I kept the same. Thank you for this delicious recipe.
Wonderful and delicious recipe. My husband said this is the best new recipe we’ve made in a long time! We have a large garden and grow butternut squash and are always looking for new recipes for using them. This one is a real winner! The sweetness of the roasted squash, paired with the slight tartness of the apples and the tender succulent tenderloin is the perfect combination. And then add the pan sauce and the complete meal is bursting with wonderful flavors! I have already added this recipe to my collection of favorites. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Keep the recipes coming!
Kaleb!!!!! I am a retired grandmother, wife and postal worker who is known in all of my circles for being a culinary whiz and food snob! 😁😁😁. Since retirement, I have gotten a little lazy in the kitchen. But watching you my new best friend, has pulled me out of my east chair and back in the kitchen where I belong!!!! This pork tenderloin dish is amazing!!!! I love the addition of cinnamon in the spice rub! It just gives it an earthiness I haven’t had before!!! I used acorn squash unpeeled and instead of apple cider which I know would be wonderful, I used the apple water from the wonderful applesauce I also made the same day. Many thanks for what you do!!!
Just made this. We loved it. I doubled the sauce recipe and I’m so glad I did. Thank you for the recipe
THis was delicious! I doubled the sauce for the leftovers. And so simple. I will definitely make this again.
I will make this for company – when we get back to normal.
We love this recipe.
Thank you!
I want to make the squash and apples as side dish for Thanksgiving. What would be the best instructions for doing this without the pork loin?
Omg! My family lived this dish. Ed will make this many times!
Looks amazing! I can’t wait to make this dish.
Thank you for this amazing recipe. I love it and it will be a regular meal at our house.
Going to try this tonight. Sounds so good!
I made this and it was a huge hit. Very easy to make and so tasty. It was so good this is what we are having Christmas Day
You need to have a “Follow me” button!!
I tried this recipe yesterday. I used thick pork chops in its place. It was absolutely delicious. We all agree this will become a regular meal at our home. I look forward to trying more of your recipes. I really want to try the pumpkin Whoopi pies.
Every member of my family loved this dish! I will be making this regularly. Smells delicious when it’s cooking as well.
So delish!!
Sounds like a lot of work. I saw you in a video and you made it look so easy. I can’t wait to try this. Looking forward to more recipes from you. Thank you.
So delicious. Easy to put together. The hardest part is peeling the acorn squash, but so worth it! I saw afterwards that Costco sells peeled squash cut up in the produce section, so I am going to try it next time. I did by error use apple cider vinegar instead
apple cider, and to combat the mistake I added honey, honestly it was so good that I’m going to deliberately make the mistake again!
I enjoy your videos and your sidekick!
I just made this after seeing “wise guide” post. It was absolutely Devine! All the flavors went so perfectly together and such a nice, warm dish to prepare on this January, cold day. I only had Two Granny Smith apples and they turned out absolutely yummy.
This recipe is and now will always be on my top meals forever! 🍏
Looks dry boring tasteless.
Love this recipe!! I added yellow squash, zucchini, carrots and potatoes. What an easy hearty meal! So delicious, even my picky family loves it! Thank you
Best meal ever!!! I make it frequently and share the recipe with friends. Easy and delicious! I’ve made it with thick cut pork chops and tenderloin. I give tenderloin a 10+ and pork chops a 9.5. Scrumptious!!
Best meal ever!!! I make it frequently and share the recipe with friends. Easy and delicious! I’ve made it with thick cut pork chops! Scrumptious!!
What an incredible dish! The spice rub for the tenderloin was just delicious – the whole kitchen had an amazing aroma. I used a bag of frozen butternut squash (because it’s what I had on hand) and cut my apples to match. The mixture was somewhat mushy at the end, but that was my fault. The tenderloin was so tender and flavorful. I used chicken broth with a splash of apple cider vinegar for the pan sauce as I didn’t have any apple cider on hand. Next time, I will double the pan sauce and use fresh butternut squash. Thank you for such a lovely dinner recipe.
I just made this fro my family. Delicious, easy and healthy. Love this recipe.
I am not a big meat eater, but this recipe is fantastic. I get my veggies, and my SO gets his meat. I will make a 100 times more! Good job!
Awesome so good. I watch you all the time but this is the first recipe I’ve done. Thankyou
Can’t wait to try this!
Great recipe! I made it yesterday, in July, for 11 people. I increased the amounts. I didn’t have apple cider so sautéed onions with the pork bits and a little butter to put on the pork roast. Everybody loved the recipe. Thanks for this recipe. Love watching you on the internet. Love your new kitchen.
I wanted to reach out and let you know that I thoroughly enjoy following you. Every recipe has been fantastic! The last thing I made was the skillet chicken thighs with orzo and apricots. My family loved it! More east weeknight meals plz. The apple butter was also a hit w my family.
Thank you for the great recipe. The flavors were superb. The only thing they didn’t work for me was the timing of timing if the squash. Mine cooked much faster at 425. I could have added the apples at 10 minutes. I ended up with firm apples and mush for the squash. Overall still a great recipe.
Fantastic fall flavors! I made this easy recipe on a weeknight to test it out and plan to repeat it soon for a Sunday dinner with the family. I followed some previous reviewers and doubled the sauce with no regrets.
I made this wonderful pork tenderloin recipe for my family last night. Got rave reviews! I’m so glad to have discovered you just a few days ago. You are so delightful and entertaining to watch. I’m looking forward to exploring so many more dishes!
Love you
Love you to the Moon and Back
This will be my first time cooking with butternut squash . I’m working on meal prep as well so hopefully it’ll turn out well.
Love, love, pork and will try this. We love cooking it also on the grill and making an apricot jam sauce for the top.
Thanks for all you do and all the happiness you give!
I’ll make this recipe.It looks yummy.
When you made the tenderloin with squash and apples what was the brand roaster pan that you used
This recipe is awesome. Full flavor, not difficult and comes together quicker than I thought it would. I followed directions exactly and the times listed are perfect .
I will definitely be making this again . Good company meal.
I made this dish to pair with the pumpkin Whoopi pies for dessert. This dish was wonderful. The pork had a great taste and was very tender. I will need to make more juice to put over the pork but the squash was very nice and went well with the apples. I will make this again for sure!
Question: your last week FB vid showed you leaving the butternut squash skin on to roast. Can I still do this?
Thanks
Love pork any way it is cooked can’t wait to try this recipe!!!!!
Absolutely delicious! Made this evening and realized had no apple cider so tried pure maple syrup with Dijon and butter. Only warmed to melt butter a minute. Oh my it was so good! Thanks so much.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Oh my Goodness, how simple and delicious this is!! I even used what I had on hand which was unsweetened apple juice in place of apple cider and honey mustard in place of Dijon. I can’t imagine it tasting any better with no substitutes, but gonna try it next time. I will also cut my squash a little larger so they won’t roast as fast . Again, so delicious !!
I enjoy your shows very much. Thank you!!!
Easily adaptable recipe! In typical “me” fashion, I made do with what I had on hand.. subbed white sweet potato for squash and apple sauce for the cider. Yum yum!
Made this for dinner this evening. I have to say, it is absolutely delicious. Will be making this again even for guest’s.
Caleb, I am fixing your pork loin for a second dinner party tonight. This was a big hit at the first
party with everyone oohing and aching over the sauce. One guest told me that if I would bottle the sauce he would keep me in business. This recipe is so easy for entertaining. I did sear the meat 2 hours before and then wrapped and refrigerated them. That cut down on the mess with guests here. Love this recipe!
Made this tonight with a modification of sweet potato instead of squash because that’s what I had. It was really delicious. My whole family loved it! Will definitely be making again.
I made this last night for Sunday dinner. It was so easy to put together! The pork was juicy, tender and so flavorful and the squash and apples a perfect accompaniment. Everyone loved it- definitely will be making this again. I can’t wait to eat leftovers today. 🙂
I watched your tutorial and I though you said you didn’t peel the squash but in the written it said you do.
I want to do this recipe this week
Thanks
I made this tonight for my family and it was DELICIOUS! Moist and flavorful. Thank you for the video too, it helped me know how big the slices were supposed to be, and how everything is supposed to look.
This was absolutely delicious!! Loved having the video to give you step by step instructions. Doubled the sauce after reading comments made by others. Glad I did! Will definitely make this again!
I made this for my mom as a late birthday dinner. She loves fall flavors. This was absolutely delicious!!! So easy to follow and make. I’ve never eaten butternut squash before and this was so so good!!! This will definitely be on a rotation.
When I watched this video I just had to make it…Went shopping for all that I needed. I found it very easy to make, it was enough for 5 people and everyone had a big smile on their faces…Thanks for sharing..
Thank you Kaleb, this dish was truly delicious! I left the peel on both the butternut squash and the Honeycrisp apples and was surprised the peels were soft enough to eat. I loved the addition of cinnamon and loved the combination of apples and butternut squash with the pork. This was a quick and easy recipe, and the pork came out tender and juicy. I will be making this again when family members come to visit next month!
WOW!!
Delicious! Made it last nite for dinner and it was amazingly delicious!!
The sauce put it over the top!
Thank you for yet another great recipe!
Loved it and so easy!
Yum! Love this. Smells great! Taking 1/2 to my daughter who just had baby. Thinking. Roasted onions along with the squash and apples???
Kaleb,
I made this yesterday for supper, it was so so great, everyone loved it.
I added a couple of pears to it and 5 cloves of minced garlic to the mixture. The sauce was to die for. The tenderloin was juicy and the flavor was out of this world.
Thank You
Made this for dinner last night. Extremely easy to make and very flavorful! I used two small butternut squash and a mixture of Honeycrisp and Pink Lady apples. The pork loin was perfectly cooked and the sauce this makes is soooo good! Kaleb definitely created a winner with this recipe!
I made this recipe tonight and I have to say my family said “best dinner they’ve ever had” , “how are you ever going to too this”, “absolutely delicious”. It was the perfect dinner for a Sunday night. Followed with pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting.
This recipe will definitely be going in my list of winners.
Thank you
Delicious. I will make it again.
Holy cow this recipe is delicious! Not kidding, the spices add a pop to the tenderloin. this is my go to recipe when having friends over. yummmmm.
I want to try this
The flavors of this pork were amazing. I did it a little differently since I sous vide the pork but used the seasoning combo from this recipe and it was out of this world. The pan sauce really brought it all together too.
This was fantastic! Only change i made was cutting oven back to 325 once pork went in. We absolutely love it!
Made this with pork loin and tenderloin. I served over polenta. This recipe was delish and easy !!
My whole family loves this recipe! Beautiful fall flavors, delicious and healthy!
I made this last night and we’re still talking about it this morning!
Oh my, is this a delicious meal! The spice blend is perfect for the meat and the pan sauce just put it over the top! I doubled the sauce and was glad I did. We’re already looking forward to the leftovers! 😋
Thanks, Kaleb, for yet another fabulous recipe!
I made this tonight! I loved it. My hubby picked out the cabbage. The dessert was the pumpkin roll with the pumpkin seed brittle. Definitely a new favorite!
This was so delicious and easy! Will definitely be on repeat at our house. Love all your recipes – thanks for sharing!
Can’t wait to try this
I made a sheet pan version of this that was fabulous. Since I’m an empty nester, this was easy to make a single serving at a time. Fabulous pan sauce with the apple cider. Totally loved this recipe and your narrative.
This is amazing. The pork was so flavorful , juicy and tender! We will absolutely make this again!
This pork tenderloin recipe has forever changed my mind about preparing this cut of meat. The squash and apples, the seasoning and the pan sauce make this a mouthwatering meal. My husband accidentally bought caramel apple cider, but it worked beautifully.
Very good! I doubled sauce but will quadruple next time! Everyone lived it!
Roasted extra squash and apples for a bisque tomorrow.
Hi! There is something so comforting about this recipe, I am so glad you enjoyed!
This is our new favorite pork recipe! I have served it to guests and everyone loved it!
Love this recipe! One of our absolute favorites! Thank you!
In this time of uncertainty many of us are struggling to find ways to express our feelings of being blessed. Here’s a poem passed on to me by dear friends. I think this says it all.
Let us give thanks for a bounty of people
For children who are our second planting
and though they grow like weeds
and the wind too soon blows them away,
May they forgive us our cultivation
and remember fondly where their roots are.
Let us give thanks:
For generous friends, with hearts as big as hubbards
and smiles as bright as their blossoms;
For feisty friends as tart as apples;
For continuous friends, who, like scallions and cucumbers,
keep reminding us we’ve had them;
For crotchety friends, as sour as rhubarb
and as indestructible;
For handsome friends, who are as gorgeous as eggplants
and as elegant as a row of corn,
and the others, as plain as potatoes and so good for you;
For funny friends, who are as silly as Brussels sprouts
and as amusing as Jerusalem artichokes,
and serious friends, as complex as cauliflowers
and as intricate as onions;
For friends as unpretentious as cabbages,
as subtle as summer squash,
as persistent as parsley,
as delightful as dill,
as endless as zucchini,
and who, like parsnips,
can be counted on to see you throughout the winter;
For old friends,
nodding like sunflowers in the evening-time
and young friends coming on as fast as radishes;
For loving friends, who wind around us like tendrils
and hold us, despite our blights, wilts, and witherings;
And finally, for those friends now gone,
like gardens past that have been harvested,
but who fed us in their times
that we might have life thereafter;
For all these we give thanks.
— Max Coots