So pork tenderloins were on super sale last week. So I bought one…with the intention of cutting it in half to use for 2 meals. I’d originally thought I would make 2 different meals, but as I was mixing this recipe up…I was completely overcome with the smells of the cranberry sauce and the many holiday memories that came with it. I got out another apple and another can of cranberry sauce and dropped the other half with the mixture in the freezer. We’ll have it later this week…on one of our “busy afternoon days” when I just need dinner to be ready to go right at 6 pm.
This is super simple, using ingredients that are in “high season” right now. Please don’t pay more than $1 for a can of cranberry sauce. Or for a bag of fresh cranberries. Keep your eyes peeled, you’ll find the deals! Apple prices fluctuate wildly, depending on the week and the variety, but I stick to the less than $1/lb varieties.
Note: Recipe written below is for “double portion” – half to eat, half to freeze.
$5 DINNERS TV
Cranberry-Apple Orange Pork Roast
Yield – 4 servings x 2
Preparation Time – 10 minutes
Cooking Time – 8 hours in slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1 large pork tenderloin, cut in half (about 2.5 lbs.) ($4.22)
- Salt and pepper
- 2 15 oz. cans whole cranberry sauce ($1.98)
- 3 medium apples, cored and diced ($1.25)
- 1 cup orange juice ($.50)
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger ($.05)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ($.05)
- Side suggestion: Bread or rice
Directions
- Place half of the pork loin in the base of the slow cooker and the other half in a labeled plastic freezer baggie. Sprinkle both with salt and pepper.
- In mixing bowl, stir together the cranberry sauce, diced apples, orange juice and spices. Pour half over the pork in the slow cooker and the other half into the freezer baggie.
- Set the slow cooker to low and cook for 8 hours. Serve with side of bread or rice.
- Freeze the other half, up to 6 months. To use, thaw in the fridge overnight and cook as directed. If partially frozen when you start the slow cooker, that’s OK, but you might want to add an hour or two to the cooking time.
Cost $8.05 (2 meals worth)
Will jellied cranberry sauce work or have you only used the whole berry canned cranberry sauce?
Sounds yummy! Can’t wait to try it . . . . But don’t you mean about 2.5 lbs. “boneless pork loin?”
A pork “tenderloin” is small, maybe 1.5 lbs. or so and usually expensive. I love your site and always look forward to trying new recipes!!!
Can you please have a section on your site that sorts all your crock pot meals? I’m big into the slow cooker now and on your search its hard to sort to find the slow cooker meals! (I keep getting the ‘weekly meal plan’ as results)
love it!
That looks wicked!
So I defrosted both pork loins (I must have picked up one that had 2). I decided to cook both at the same time, adding pineapple to the mixture. Do you think half of it will freeze well since I already cooked it? Or should I try to come up with somthing else for the second half of my pork loin?
Yes, you can freeze cooked pork. Sometimes it can be dry once defrosted and reheated which is why we recommend freezing raw pork to cook later.