This quick, easy and delicious pork marsala with mushrooms cooks up quickly in one pan on the stovetop! Uses pork tenderloin medallions, that are quick cooking and always tender.
Pork marsala is one of my favourite ways to enjoy pork tenderloin! The fact that it is quick, easy and delicious is just a big bonus! And while this dish is quick and easy for a weeknight meal, it’s also special enough for entertaining, which is always good.
I love to cook with pork tenderloin, as it is lean, cooks quickly and is always tender. The quick and easy mushroom sauce is flavoured with Marsala wine, that has such a delicious and distinct flavour and pairs perfectly with mushrooms.
This delicious pork tenderloin cooks up entirely on the stovetop in a hot skillet and is ready is just 20 minutes!
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Marsala Wine – Marsala wine is a worthy addition to your kitchen if you don’t have it already. It keeps for a long time on the counter and is great for cooking. The Marsala wine I use is the Italian “Sperone Dry Marsala” (bottle pictured below). You’ll usually find it with the Fortified Wines. I strongly suggest a Dry Marsala, rather than a sweet one. If you don’t have or don’t want to use Marsala, a Dry Sherry would probably work fine here.
Mushrooms – You can use whatever type of mushrooms you like. White or Cremini mushrooms are the most common mushrooms to use in a sauce like this. I like to buy whole mushrooms and slice them myself, as I can make them a little chunkier and I like the little round bits :)
Heavy Cream -This is heavy, 35% butterfat whipping cream. I highly recommend heavy cream here, if you have it. It’s only 3 Tablespoons and makes for the best textured sauce, without making it heavy and rich. You could use a lower-fat cream, but lower-fat cream may split in the acidic wine sauce, leaving small bits of white fat in your sauce. Your sauce will also not be quite as thick. You could stir a teaspoon of cornstarch into a lower-fat cream before adding it to the pan to help with the thickening.
Recipe video
Recipe tips!
- I love this dish with pork tenderloin, but I have also made it with beef medallions or thinly sliced chicken breast. I think it would be nice with other cuts of pork as well, such as boneless loin chops or even bone-in pork chops.
- As mentioned above, this entire dish should be cooked over a bit more than medium-high heat, depending on your oven and/or the pan you are using. You want that to get a good sear on your meat, to get golden, delicious mushrooms and to reduce your sauce quickly, so don’t hesitate to nudge up the heat under your pan if needed.
Top tip
As this dish cooks quickly over high heat, have all your ingredients prepped, measured and handy near the stove, to add into the pan quickly and easily.
What to serve with pork marsalad
I enjoy this dish served with rustic mashed potatoes or try a garlic mash. I will set some water to boil for the potatoes while preparing my ingredients. The potatoes then boil as the dish gets cooked on the next burner. Simply drain the potatoes, add some cream and butter and mash. Try some small new potatoes and leave the skin on. Pretty and easy!
Get the Recipe: Pork Marsala with Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 2 lb (900 g) pork tenderloin, (about 2 small or one large tenderloins)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 medium shallots, finely diced (can substitute red onion)
- 12 oz. (340 g) cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced (or regular button mushrooms)
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) dry Marsala wine, not sweet Marsala (look for Dry on the label)
- 1 cup (240 ml) chicken broth
- 3 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Tip! As this dish cooks quickly over high heat, have all your ingredients prepped, measured and handy near the stove, to add into the pan quickly and easily.
- Trim the tenderloins of silverskin and any excess fat. Cut the tenderloins into medallions about 1 1/2-inches thick. Place medallions with the cut side up and press down with the palm of your hand to flatten slightly. Season the meat with salt and pepper.
- Tip! This entire dish should be cooked over a bit more than medium-high heat, depending on your oven and/or the pan you are using. You want that to get a good sear on your meat, to get golden, delicious mushrooms and to reduce your sauce quickly, so don't hesitate to nudge up the heat under your pan if needed.
- Heat 3 Tbsp. oil and 1 Tbsp. of the butter in a large skillet over high heat , somewhere between medium-high and high. You want a really hot pan, but not so hot that it will scorch. When the butter is melted and foaming, add the meat and sear until browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Don't over-crowd the pan. Do in two batches, if necessary. Flip and cook the other side until the meat is well browned and slightly firm to the touch, about another 2 min. Transfer pork to a plate.
- Melt the remaining 2 Tbsp. butter in the pan. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring for about 30 seconds, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the mushrooms and cook until all of the mushroom liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are golden, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour and add the Marsala. Allow the Marsala to boil until almost completely evaporated.
- Once the Marsala has almost completely evaporated, add the chicken broth and cook until the mixture is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Stir in the cream and parsley. Return the pork and any accumulated juices to the pan, and cook, flipping the pork once, until it’s firm to the touch and still a little pink in the middle (cut into a piece to check), 2 to 4 min. Taste for salt and pepper and serve. Serve garnished with additional parsley.
Notes
More pork tenderloin recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
I may have already commented on this most delicious recipe before, but if I didn’t, I should have. I have made this several times now over the past several months and always to rave reviews. It’s easy and looks beautiful on the platter. I have served it with mashed potatoes as suggested, but also with parsley butter egg noodles or parsley butter potatoes. Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
Thanks so much, Kathleen :) So glad you are enjoying it!
So good and easy
Thanks!
After browning the meat and mushrooms , can I put it in a slow cooker ? Thank you
Hi Sheri, I wouldn’t recommend a slow cooker for this dish. The covered, moist environment of a slow cooker will produce a different texture for the pork tenderloin. Not only that, there really isn’t much reason to cook it slow. It is virtually done and ready to enjoy when the meat and mushrooms are cooked.
My husband and I love this dish!! We would love to serve it to friends however I don’t want to be cooking while they are here. Can I prep this ahead and reheat?
So glad you are enjoying it Peggy. As for making ahead, the greatest risk with this one is overcooking the pork. If you wanted to try it, I would undercook the pork just slightly so when reheating (which you could do in a skillet on the stovetop), the pork won’t be overcooked.
Made this for 1st time today and it’s a keeper!
We found the marsala taste weak for our taste and will increase Marsala & decrease stock the next time. I used sour cream we had on hand in place of the heavy cream and it worked fine. Served over a small serving of thin egg noodles that paired well with the velvety marsala sauce.
Thanks
Glad to hear, Don. Thanks!
That sauce is just too good.I used sweet marsala and beef stock and had to cook the pork for about 10 minutes to get reach medium doneness. Everyone loved it. Outstanding!
Glad you enjoyed it, Ken. Thanks so much!
Can one make this in advance n then rewarm?
Hi Ellen, while you could, it is not always ideal as there is a risk of overcooking the pork. If you needed to do it ahead, undercook the pork just slighty so that when it is rewarmed it won’t be overcooked.
Easy to make and a family favorite!
So pleased you are all enjoying it, Elaine. Thanks so much!
Absolutely delicious!!! It’s my new favorite recipe!!
Thanks so much Sylvia!
I have made this several times and it is an amazing recipe. If you prep everything in advance it is easy and relatively quick to make. Excellent with mashed potatoes and broccoli.
I’m so glad you are enjoying it, Sally! Thanks so much :)
This marsala sauce came out so velvety! I’ve made at least 20 different marsala sauces, and they never seem to come out to the right consistency. I think I was able to reduce the sauce longer at the very end, with the prok in it. Tenderloin is so much more forgiving than chicken or pork chops. This is the first time i did not have to add cornstarch to my sauce. I Followed the recipe, but my medallions were thick, and i had to cook a little longer to reach 145. Thanks for the recipe 😋
Thanks Christy. So glad you enjoyed it!
Can I use marsala cooking wine? I’d love to make this, but not sure if I can use the cooking wine instead. Thank you!!
Hi Drew, I’ve never used Marsala cooking wine, so I can’t say how it compares. I’d certainly give it a try though if you have it on hand.
Cooking wine has added sodium so make adjustments for that.
Made this tonight and it’s definitely a keeper! Delicious!! My family loved it. Hubby said I can make this anytime and he’ll be happy to eat it. Pretty easy to make too! A new favorite!! Thank you!!
So glad to hear, Susan. Thanks so much!
My husband and I both thought eating this pork marsala recipe was like eating at a great restaurant. I made mashed potatoes and green beans to accompany the dish. It was easy to prepare and cook. The sauce is silky and so delicious! Leftovers taste even better than the first night. I remembered making it a few years ago, and when I saw it again, I knew I had to make it. It’s perfect for a weeknight meal or for company. Highly recommend.
Thanks so much, Kathleen :)
I have been making this recipe for years, it is a family favorite. Thank you for sharing it!💖👍🏻
Thanks so much, Janet! So glad you are enjoying it :)
Can gluten free flour be used to make this sauce? I made this before and is reall delicious.
Thanks.
Hi Laurie, I don’t have any first-hand experience with gluten-free flour, but as I understand it, some (but not all) GF flours will work to thicken the sauce. A 1 for 1 GF flour would probably work best. You could also skip the flour and simply thicken the sauce with cornstarch mixed with cold water at the end of cooking.