Most salads leave you looking for a snack an hour later, but a grilled pork tenderloin salad like this one holds up as a proper dinner. The pork spends a couple of hours in a sweet, gently spicy jam made from canned peaches and jalapeño before it goes on the grill, and once it has rested you slice it thin and lay it over romaine, black beans, sweet corn, avocado and cherry tomatoes.
Pork tenderloin with peaches works because the tenderloin is lean and mild, so the fruit brings the sweetness it lacks, and the jam caramelizes on the grill into a golden crust. A few spoonfuls of that same jam go into the cilantro-lime dressing before the pork goes into its marinade, which means the dressing tastes like the meat. It’s a simple salad with pork tenderloin at the center, and it works just as well the next day with leftover pork.
If you like cooking with lean cuts like this one, our collection of healthy pork recipes has plenty more to try.
A salad only feels like dinner when it has enough protein and fiber to keep you going, and this one gets both from ordinary ingredients. The pork tenderloin is lean, the black beans add protein of their own, and together with the romaine, corn and avocado they bring the fiber to 12 grams a serving. Most of the fat comes from avocado and olive oil. Because you make the jam and the dressing yourself, you also know what’s in them, which is hard to say about a bottled dressing or a store-bought glaze. The cotija and tortilla chips are there if you want them, and without them a serving has 78 milligrams of sodium.
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Pork tastes best next to something crisp and a little sweet, like romaine with corn and avocado or spinach with sliced apples, and adding the sliced pork turns that side into dinner.
A sweet and tangy vinaigrette suits it best. This one shakes 3 tablespoons of peach-jalapeño jam with olive oil, lime juice, Dijon, agave or honey and cilantro, so it tastes like the marinade.
At 400°F, a pork tenderloin takes about 15 to 20 minutes, turned every few minutes, until the thickest part reads 145°F. Let it rest for three minutes before you slice it.
Yes, as long as you use it within three to four days. Slice the leftover tenderloin thin and serve it cold over the greens, or tuck it into lettuce wraps or a sandwich.
It is, and it can mean two different dishes: greens topped with sliced pork, like this recipe, or a creamy chopped pork salad made with mayonnaise the way chicken salad is.
This version uses grilled pork tenderloin, romaine, black beans, sweet corn, avocado and cherry tomatoes with a cilantro-lime dressing, and you can finish it with cotija and crushed tortilla chips.
The same peach-jalapeño jam does both jobs here, but you set the dressing portion aside first. Once the jam has touched raw pork, it has to be thrown away.
You can, and this version skips pectin and added sugar: canned peaches, jalapeño and lime simmer until thick. It isn’t made for canning, so refrigerate it and use it within a few days.
If a salad topped with grilled or cooked protein is your idea of a good weeknight dinner, these four work the same way. The flank steak salad shares the lime and jalapeño in this recipe, and the Mexican chicken salad uses the same corn, avocado and cilantro.
Pork tenderloin shows up in a lot of our dinners because it cooks fast and takes on whatever flavor you give it. The recipes below use tenderloin or pork loin in very different ways, from a cocoa rub in the oven to slow-cooked pork tucked into tacos with a sweet nectarine salsa that pairs stone fruit with jalapeño, much like this salad does.
All three of these start with the same jam: two more pork tenderloin salad ideas, plus a way to serve the pork on its own when you want it as the main dish.
Recipe yields 4 servings
To make peach-jalapeño jam, add peaches, jalapeño, 2 tbsp lime juice, ½ tablespoon lime zest, black pepper, and a pinch of salt to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Pour mixture into a small pot; bring to a simmer, uncovered over medium heat. Simmer for 5-8 minutes until mixture begins to thicken. Remove the pan from heat. Let the jam cool for at least 5 minutes.
Place ¼ cup peach-jalapeño jam into a large jar to use for the vinaigrette. Set aside.
Pour the remaining peach-jalapeño jam into a large zip-top bag. Place pork tenderloin into the bag. Seal bag and gently shake until tenderloin is fully coated with jam. Place bag in the refrigerator and marinate tenderloin for at least 2 hours or, for best results, marinate overnight.
Preheat grill to 400° F. Grill marinated pork tenderloin, rotating every 3-5 minutes. Continue to rotate until pork reaches an internal temperature of 145° F. Remove tenderloin from grill; let rest for 3 minutes. Thinly slice.
To make cilantro-lime vinaigrette, grab the reserved peach-jalapeño jam jar from step 2. Add olive oil, remaining lime juice and lime zest, mustard, agave nectar, cilantro, and a pinch of salt and black pepper to the jar. Cover and shake vigorously to mix the vinaigrette.
Place lettuce, corn, avocado and cherry tomatoes in a large salad bowl. Top with cheese and tortilla strips, if desired (Note: nutrition information is calculated without the cotija cheese and tortilla chips). Place peach-jalapeño pork tenderloin slices on top of the salad; drizzle generously with cilantro-lime vinaigrette. Toss, serve and enjoy!
Between the pork, the black beans and the avocado, this salad is filling enough to be the whole meal. When you’re cooking for a group, a square of heart healthy cornbread or a cup of low sodium tomato soup goes well alongside it, and a light fruit salad with lemon-mint dressing makes an easy dessert.
Boneless pork loin can stand in for the tenderloin, since it’s also done at 145°F, and slicing it thin makes a good pork loin salad.
Ripe fresh peaches or thawed frozen peaches both work in place of canned, though you may need a splash of water in the blender to get them moving.
No-salt-added pinto beans or chickpeas work the same way and keep the sodium just as low.
Baby spinach or arugula can replace some or all of the romaine, depending on how soft or peppery you like your greens.
Crumbled feta or queso fresco can take the place of cotija and gives the salad a similar crumbly finish.
For a milder jam, use a quarter of the jalapeño instead of half, or swap in a pinch of red pepper flakes.
With the grill already hot, these dinners put it to good use, and like this salad, each one pairs lean protein with fresh salsa, citrus or herbs.
