Shaved Pork Tenderloin Sandwich with caramelized apples and chimichurri mayo

So if you follow me on instagram, you know I’m OBSESSED with this brown sugar garlic grilled pork tenderloin.  But I’ve never thought of it as one of the proteins I’d want to make in bulk.  It’s perfect for a Sunday, so perfectly spiced and just a little sweet, tender and juicy, fresh off the grill.  We love it served with the light basil cilantro chimichurri, a giant salad like this fave, and some grilled bread.  But what to do with it later when it’s cold and boring in your fridge?

THIS THIS THIS.

This.  In case you weren’t sure what I was referring to. You won’t regret it. We’ve done plenty of tri tip and flank steak sandwiches and my kids never love them! The meat can be a little chewy to bite into and navigate without a fork and knife. Like where you’re nervous as you pull the sandwich away from your mouth, unsure if you committed enough with your bite, or you’re gonna end up with steak dangling from your teeth like some kind of animal. Don’t pretend it’s never happened to you.

And I kind of expected these to be the same. But NO!  I felt like I finally knew why it was called a tenderloin. So tender and perfect, piled high in thin slices between this gorgeous, buttery brioche and lots of tasty additions.  And obviously… so LEAN. A macro-counters dream.  There’s a reason I cook with so much pork!

What’s this Chimichurri Mayo?

So if you haven’t already made the brown sugar spiced garlic pork tenderloin with chimichurri, that’s your homework. Make it on a Sunday. You won’t regret it. Easiest way to feed a family or guests. And if your family is like mine, not everyone will touch chimichurri. But my girls and I could drink it! (although full disclosure: I whisk a bunch of olive oil in to theirs to make it more traditional and AMAZING and less “please keep my love handles in check”.)

Anyway- if you’ve got leftover chimichurri, this is as simple as mixing a little in to some light mayo. DONE.

If you don’t have any leftover because you loved it so much, you used it all. Or you were too scared to give it a shot because it looks a little like wilted spinach in my photo – it’s true (very little oil = less photogenic dangit), don’t stress. Just throw a cube of frozen garlic and basil, along with some chopped cilantro into your mayo/sour cream/greek yogurt and you’re done!

Because we don’t want to bother with the mini food processor on leftover-night. Am I right?

Caramelized Onions

And the onions. OH the onions. I’ve always been a HUGE fan of caramelized onions. Like MARRY ME NOW fan.  I honestly don’t know what savory meal they wouldn’t make better. And they don’t need butter to make them magic. Just a steady, pretty slow cook with a little cooking spray and some kosher salt and they become the best burger/panini/pizza topping, adding crazy amounts of flavor for just a few carbs.

Caramelized Apples

But you want to know what else I LOVE? Or maybe you’ve noticed.  A hit of something sweet and fruity on pretty much anything savory! Don’t ever tell me it’s wrong.  Just a few FAVES that make my heart sing:

• Fig and blue cheese turkey burger
• This peach, chicken and bacon flatbread
• This bbq chicken and pear pizza
• The bbq pork and peach grilled cheese….

So seeing as this was a PORK sandwich, apples just felt right. And THEY WERE. And so easy to cook up while you’re cooking the onions. One pan, two happy toppings getting all soft and caramelized and delicious while you whip up your mayo and slice your pork and tomatoes. Easy peasy.  You probably have time to clean your kitchen before you even sit down to eat. (I’m almost laughing as I type that because that is just NOT in the cards for me- ever. I’ve come to terms with it.)

But YOU. I have high hopes for you. Delicious, easy, shaved pork tenderloin sandwiches with caramelized apples and chimichurri mayo for dinner IN a clean kitchen. You’re not even stressed and sweaty from cooking because it was such a breeze.  And I bet your kids don’t ever fight during dinner. Your life is so good. xo

Shaved Pork Tenderloin Sandwich with caramelized apples and chimichurri mayo

I’ve never been excited about LEFTOVER grilled pork tenderloin until now! We’ll be grilling double from now on. These were a hit for the whole fam. And so quick to throw together!

Print Pin Rate

5 from 3 votes

Author Lillie

Course Sandwiches

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Calories 401 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 brioche hamburger bun or favorite bun. I find these in the bakery section at Walmart, Stater Brothers, Ralphs, and Sprouts.
• 100 g brown sugar garlic pork tenderloin sliced super thin heated just BARELY in the microwave until it’s not cold. No need for hot! That’s what will make it taste reheated.
• 15 g chimichurri I always make this one when I make the pork so it’s perfect to use the next day for these sandwiches!
• 15 g low fat mayo lite sour cream, or greek yogurt*
• 15 g caramelized onions see below
• 15 g caramelized apples see below
• 40 g sliced tomato
• Arugula

Instructions

• Caramelize onions and apples: Heat a large fry pan to medium high heat, spray with cooking spray, and add thinly sliced onion and apples, careful to keep each on their own side just so you can control what you take. You can do as much as you’d like.  I did half an onion and a whole apple and had leftovers.
• Sprinkle both with a little kosher salt and let sit for a couple of minutes to start cooking. Then turn pan down to medium-low and cook cover for 20-30 minutes until caramelized and tender. They will have cooked down by half.  Prep everything else while they cook, stirring them occasionally, careful to keep them divided in the pan. (Unless you don’t mind them all combined!)
• Chimichurri mayo: Combine equal parts chimichurri and your base (low fat mayo, lite (or fat free) sour cream, or greek yogurt.)
• Toast buns: Spray insides of brioche with a mist of cooking spray and place face down on a preheated pan to toast until golden brown. I always use my pancake skillet. Or you can broil them, just watch closely! But promise you won’t skip the toast.
• Build your sandwich: Top bottom bun with 2 tbs or 30 g of chimichurri spread, then 100 g of thinly sliced pork, 15 g each of the caramelized onions and apples, tomatoes, and arugula.
• I hope you lid it with that toasty top bun… and enjoy!

Notes

• It’s such a small portion of sour cream, mayo, or yogurt, it won’t make a huge difference which you choose. But for these specific macros I used greek yogurt. Lite sour cream is my favorite for flavor and texture.
• I used a mandolin for the apples but any thin slice is fine.
• If you don’t have leftover chimichurri and don’t want to go to too much trouble, just do a quick stir of ¼ cup of your base, a clove of garlic (frozen dorot cube for me of course), and some quick minced cilantro and basil to taste! Pretty much this staple basil “aioli” in this recipe, with some added cilantro, OR I’m sure it’d be good with my all-time favorite always-stocked skinny chipotle cream.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sandwichCalories: 401kcalFat: 10.5gProtein: 34.7gCarbohydrates: 41.5g

Keywords apple, arugula, caramelized onion, chimichurri, pork, sandwich, tenderloin

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