This healthy and delicious grilled pork tenderloin and zucchini recipe is perfect for a dinner everyone will love. Tender pork is grilled to perfection with a delicious garlicky marinade and grilled alongside zucchini.
In this post, we’re sharing three different ways to cook the pork so you can enjoy it all season long! We know it’s not always in the cards to fire up the grill, so keep reading for three great ways to cook this pork tenderloin: Bake, grill and reverse sear.
Spending the proper amount of time marinating the pork makes all of the difference. Simply put the pork tenderloin in a zip top bag, add marinade and let it sit for a minimum of two hours or even up to overnight for maximum flavor.
What ingredients do I need to make grilled pork tenderloin?
- Garlic cloves
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Oregano
- Dried chives
- Black pepper
- Pork tenderloins
- Zucchini (or summer squash)
This recipe is so easy and always produces a great pork dish that’s full of flavor and also a great way to eat healthier. Pork is a lean protein and adding a side of grilled zucchini makes this dish ideal for late summer enjoyment.
This pork and zucchini can be served on top of couscous or any other grain/pilaf of choice! You could even pair it with salad. While we love to use grilled zucchini on the side, you could also try these balsamic grilled veggies or grilled broccoli too.
This grilled pork tenderloin and zucchini dish is one of our favorites, but if you prefer pork chops, we’ve also shared a great recipe for grilled pork chops with garlic – with grilled pork you can’t go wrong!
Grilled Pork Tenderloin and Zucchini
This grilled pork tenderloin and zucchini dish is perfect to enjoy late in the summer; on the grill, while zucchini is fresh in the garden!
Print RateIngredients
- 10-12 cloves garlic peeled
- 4 Tablespoons olive oil
- 4 pinches Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 Tablespoon dried chives
- 20 grinds black pepper
- 2 pork tenderloins 1 lb. each, trimmed
- 2 zucchini or summer squash - medium
Instructions
- In a food processor combine garlic cloves, olive oil, salt, oregano, dried chives and pepper and pulse until garlic is chopped very fine. It'll be almost like a paste with a little liquid.
- Pour/spoon contents of the food processor into a ziplock bag, reserve 2 tablespoons.
- Add pork tenderloins into the bag and marinade for 2 hours or overnight.
- Cut each zucchini in half. Brush remaining marinade over the inside of the zucchini.
- Cook the pork and zucchini
To bake pork
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a baking sheet (with a lip) with cooking spray. Place marinated pork tenderloins on the baking sheet (discard extra marinade liquid).
- Add zucchini halves, skin side on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn the pork and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 145.
- Remove pork from oven, transfer to a cutting board and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing and dividing onto plates.
To grill the pork
- Put the pork tenderloin on a medium-high grill and flip it once when it's starting to brown, this takes about 10-15 minutes. You take it off the heat when a grill thermometer reads 145.
- For the zucchini, they take 10 minutes, flipped once halfway through as well. You can move them off the heat if they are done before the pork.
To reverse sear the pork*
- *Reverse sear means you cook it over indirect heat and then sear it right before it's done. This yields the most tender pork.
- Preheat 1/2 grill to medium-high heat (ours was two left burners medium high heat, two right burners off). Using tongs, transfer pork tenderloins from the marinade bag/bowl onto the no heat side of the grill (it cooks in indirect heat), turning every so often. Cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until internal temperature of the pork reaches 130.
- Turn the heat up to high and add the zucchini to the grill. Cook the pork/sear it for about 5 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 145, flipping once.
- Zucchini should be flipped once too and should be tender throughout. Zucchini takes about 10 minutes, flipped once to cook through.
Notes
The nutrition information presented on this site should be considered an estimate as the calculations will change based on the exact products you use in your own kitchen.
Leave a Reply