Tender Pork Marsala, made with garlic and herb marinated pork tenderloin and smothered in a creamy mushroom wine sauce, is the perfect dinner.
Similar to chicken marsala, this recipe is ready in just 30 minutes. Pork marsala with mushrooms and shallots can be served over mashed potatoes or pasta.
PORK MARSALA
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Pork Marsala is such a great dinner recipe. First, it uses pork tenderloin. This cut of meat is not only more moist and flavorful than chicken, but it is cheaper too! If you were thinking of making Chicken Marsala for dinner, you might want to think twice and make this recipe instead.
One of my favorite things about cooking pork is that it can be prepared any night of the week for an easy and delicious meal. Marinated pork tenderloin is especially versatile because it can be grilled, roasted or sautéed. It’s an easy way to get real flavor, real fast, for quick and simple meals.
Whether you choose to serve this savory meal over pasta like I did in the photos, or creamy mashed potatoes as you’ll see in the video, you will love this tasty and satisfying quick meal.
How to make Pork Marsala:
The first step is to marinate your pork tenderloin. This isn’t necessary, but you’ll be glad you did. If you’re wondering what to marinate pork tenderloin in, my marinade consisted of fresh garlic, some herbes de provence, and olive oil.
There are so many ways to cook a pork tenderloin, but cutting it into two inch thick medallions and then smashing each piece with your hand to further tenderize it might just be the quickest possible way to cook it.
Get a nice sear on your pork medallions. This will add both flavor and texture to your final dish. I recommend using a really large pan so that the meat browns well. Then you’ll set that browned pork aside in order to let it rest while you make the sauce.
The Marsala wine sauce starts with shallots and garlic cooked in the pan you seared the pork tenderloin. Next comes the mushrooms. You’ll cook these until all of the liquid has cooked off and they get some nice color. You’re starting to drool already, aren’t you? A bit of flour cooked onto the veggies will create a roux so that your sauce can thicken.
Then you’ll deglaze the pan with the wine to lift every ounce of flavor that may have stuck to the pan. Next you’ll add chicken broth and homemade is always best. Once that reduces a bit, you’ll add the heavy cream and parsley.
Pork Marsala is a super easy recipe to make!
What else to make with Pork Tenderloin:
Smothering an already flavorful piece of pork with a homemade mushroom Marsala sauce is about as close to heaven as my taste buds get. If you love this cut of meat, here are some other great recipe options for you to try:
- Pork Fried Rice, made with tender pork tenderloin, is a delicious and complete meal your family will love. See how easy it is to make pork fried rice just like a Chinese restaurant in your own kitchen!
- Pork Wellington is a great dinner option if you’re looking to make something fancy that doesn’t cost too much. A seared pork tenderloin is wrapped in puff pastry, prosciutto, dijon mustard, and sauteed mushrooms and shallots. So good.
- Delight the entire family by making this flavorful and healthy Pork Tenderloin with a savory balsamic Raspberry Sauce for dinner. You just can’t beat a good sauce, right?
What to serve with Pork Marsala:
Since both pasta and mashed potatoes go great with this recipe, you can go with your basics or you can go with some over the top recipes.
If you’ve never made your own homemade pasta from scratch, it will change your life. It’s actually really easy to make, whether you knead and cut the noodles by hand, or you’re smart and use your stand mixer and a pasta roller to make the task a breeze.
You can make very basic mashed potatoes with butter, sour cream, cream cheese, buttermilk, or all of the above. Or, you can step out of your comfort zone and make something like roasted garlic mashed potatoes or gorgonzola celery root mashed potatoes.
Variations on a pork marsala or chicken marsala recipe:
Although I love this recipe just as it’s outlined below, I think it would be equally delicious with some of these suggestions.
- Pork marsala with spinach would be an easy way to squeeze in a dark leafy green to the meal. A big handful or two of fresh spinach into the sauce would taste delicious!
- Pork marsala with capers would add the slightest pop of flavor. I’m a fan of putting capers in just about anything.
- Pork marsala with porcini rice would be a savory change from the pasta or potatoes.
- Pork marsala without wine would sort of defeat the purpose, in my opinion, but you can easily substitute some lemon juice and additional chicken broth if you want to enjoy this recipe without the wine.
Watch the video of me making my Tender Pork Marsala recipe below!
Tender Pork Marsala
Ingredients
- 1 Pork Tenderloin 1.5 - 3 pounds
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp herbes de provence
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 2 medium shallots finely diced
- 2 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 12 ounces mushrooms thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Marsala wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
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Marinate the pork tenderloin in a resealable bag with the 3 cloves garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil, and herbes de provence at least one hour or overnight. Discard marinade before cooking.
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Cut the tenderloins into 2 inch thick medallions and flatten each medallion slightly with the palm of your hand. They should flatten easily. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
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Heat a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the olive oil and just 1 tablespoon of butter. Once heated, add the pork and allow to brown 2-3 minutes on each side. Once both sides have nicely browned, remove from pan, transfer to clean plate, and loosely tent with aluminum foil.
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Using the same pan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and add the shallots. Cook for about a minute until they start to brown and then add the garlic to cook for just a minute more. Stir while scraping the bottom of the pan to release any browned bits.
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Add the mushrooms, stir well to distribute butter and flavor, and allow them to cook undisturbed for a couple of minutes before stirring. This will allow your mushrooms to get slightly brown. Continue to cook until the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are golden, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour, stir, and allow the flour to cook for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
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Add the Marsala wine and allow to cook down until almost completely evaporated. Then, add the chicken broth and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes while stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the heavy cream and parsley. Then return the pork and any accumulated juices to the pan. Cook the pork in the mushroom sauce, flipping the meat once, until it's firm to the touch, about 2 to 4 minutes or until it's no longer pink inside. Add salt and pepper, as desired.
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Serve over pasta or mashed potatoes and a crisp green salad.
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This is my go-to pork tenderloin recipe
Anyone have a substitute for the wine? I’m allergic. Thanks in advance!
You could use chicken broth or apple juice… it just won’t taste the same but will still be good! Krissy
I just made this tonight and without the Marsala because I didn’t have any. Just used chicken broth in it’s place. Delicious!! My husband even liked it and he is pretty hard to please when it comes to cooking.
Glad to hear it. Thank you!!! -Krissy
Lemon juice
Made it tonight with bone in pork chops. Tender and so good. Would cut some of broth and increase marsala.
I used this recipe as a guideline because I had half a tenderloin left over and needed to use it up. This worked beautifully and was delicious! Served over rice.
Do you have a marinade you’d recommend? The pre marinaded ones have a lengthy unpronounceable ingredients list. I’ve been using this one: http://livelytable.com/perfect-garlic-rosemary-pork-loin/
But I wonder if the rosemary is throwing off my final dish though. Despite that, this is my new favorite dish. I’ve made it half dozen times now. It is so packed with flavor, and I’m a picky eater.
can I use a plain pork tenderloin? (not a marinated one from the store, I have pork tenderloin straight from the butcher..) Thank you!!
yep!
I used this with Ikea meatballs and it was delicious.
If I can’t find the roasted garlic and herb tenderloin, what and how much of each should I add.?
Hi Karen, You can always get a plain pork tenderloin and rub it down with a mixture of equal parts herbs, garlic, and olive oil. How much would depend on how much you like those flavors! -Krissy
Honestly it was some of the best pork I’ve ever had! I had to substitute a Malbec for the Marsala. I used a plain tenderloin (without a marinade). I also skipped the mushrooms and my pickiest kid even loved it!
I’ve seen different types of Marsala wine , dry, sweet. Which do you use for this?
Dry!
This was awesome. Changes I would make are; double your sauce for a full size tenderloin. Cut the medallions about 1 to one and half inch. Two inches seemed to thick. We served over now tie pasta. I don’t think my husband spoke a word at dinner! He inhaled it. Great recipe!
What brand of Marsala wine do u recommend?
I just usually grab what’s on sale. 🙂
This was delicious! I had a plain tenderloin and just put some garlic powder on it. Next time I’ll increase the broth and wine as we all wanted more sauce, it was so yummy! Thank you!
A great recipe which works well with chops as well: I used 1.5 lb boneless 1″ loin chops. I did make some changes so I’m not being true to the recipe, but I thought I’d share in case others are wondering: I used only 1 Tbsp of butter, 1/2 tsp Kosher salt, heaping 1/4 tsp pepper, and 2 tsp dried parsley flakes. Plenty of delicious flavor in the sauce! Since my family does not like mushrooms, I omitted them which may seem outrageous, but it does work. For my tastes, I will use less shallots next time. Thanks for a keeper recipe!
I love other people’s suggestions! I almost always modify other people’s recipes to my liking. Thanks for sharing!
could I make this ahead?
Hi Marla, I think the only way to make this ahead would be to make the full recipe and then reheat it.
Oh, forgot to mention I used half and half instead of the heavy cream…worked fine. I’m sure my modifications resulted in a less rich sauce, but it was still tasty.
Made this tonight and it was wonderful. I used white wine and dried shallots to substitute. No herbs de Provence so I just used various herbs I had. Instead of regular flour I used gluten free flour. Served over gluten free egg noodles with sautéed spinach on the side. Fantastic dinner!
Recipe looks fabulous Krissy! Can I prepare this the day before and serve it over fresh mashed potatoes or pasta the following day?
You bet! I would just heat it gently on the stove. Low and slow and you won’t overcook the meat. Enjoy!
Thanks Krissy! It’s on the menu for Saturday dinner!
I made this last night for my family and WOW what a hit!! EVERYONE loved it!! I got compliments left and right!!! This is one recipe that I will definitely be making over and over again!
Thank you so much, Yami! Glad you enjoyed it!!! Krissy
could I use plain yogurt instead of cream?
Hi Candy, You bet! You’ll probably get a bit more tang from the sour in the yogurt, but it will still be tasty! Krissy
Can you sub beef broth for chicken..im allergic to chicken?
Absolutely! How awful to be allergic to chicken!!! Let me know how you like it!
Tried this tonight, very good!
Don’t have cream .what is a sub?
You can definitely use milk or half and half and perhaps a little extra butter.