This quick, easy and delicious pork marsala with mushrooms cooks up quickly in one pan on the stovetop! Pork tenderloin is sliced into medallions and served with a delicious Marsala wine and mushroom sauce.
Pork marsala is one of my favourite ways to enjoy pork tenderloin! It is quick, easy and delicious, and while that makes it perfect for a weeknight meal, it’s also special enough for entertaining.
For this lovely pork dinner, pork tenderloin medallions combine with an easy mushroom and Marsala wine sauce, which has such a delicious and distinct flavour and pairs perfectly with mushrooms.
Recipe Review
“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.” – Kathleen
This delicious pork tenderloin cooks up entirely on the stovetop in a hot skillet and is ready to enjoy in less than 30 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 at liquor stores.
Note that there are two kinds of Marsala wine – Dry and Sweet. I strongly suggest dry Marsala wine, rather than sweet. Generally speaking, sweet Marsala is used in desserts. While some have used sweet Marsala for this particular recipe and enjoyed it, unless you are certain of that choice, opt for the dry Marsala.
If you don’t have or don’t want to use Marsala, a dry sherry would probably work fine here. In a pinch, a full-bodied red wine would work, though both sherry and red wine will bring their own flavour profile and not the unique flavour of Marsala wine.
Pork tenderloin – While the recipe specifies a weight of pork tenderloin, it isn’t critical that you start with this exact size. If your pork tenderloin is smaller, it won’t affect the outcome of the recipe. You’ll just end up with more sauce to pork, and I think we can all agree that more sauce is never a bad thing. (It’s perfect for spooning on mashed potatoes!)
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 than the pre-sliced ones, and I like the little rounded bits for extra texture :)
Chicken broth – I prefer this pork marsala with chicken broth. I have tried it with beef broth, but I find the fuller flavour of beef broth overpowers the Marsala wine flavour a bit. That said, if beef broth is the only option, it will certainly work.
Heavy cream -Also known as whipping cream, this is the 35% butterfat cream. I highly recommend heavy cream here, if you have it, as it will produce the nicest finished texture in the sauce, and the high fat content will prevent it from splitting in combination with the acidic wine.
If you need to use a lower-fat cream, be aware that it may split in the acidic wine sauce, leaving small bits of white fat in your sauce. It’s perfectly safe to eat, just not very attractive. Your sauce will also not be quite as thick. If you like, you can thicken it with a cornstarch slurry of 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 1 Tablespoon of cold water. Drizzle this mixture into the simmering sauce a bit at a time, until the sauce thickens to your liking.
How to make pork Marsala with mushrooms: step-by-step
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Scroll down to the Recipe Card below for the complete list of ingredients and full instructions.
- Cut the prepared pork tenderloin into 1-inch pieces.
- Turn the slices cut side up and press down with your palm to flatten the pork medallions. Season with some salt and pepper.
- Add the pork medallions to the hot olive oil and butter in a large pan.
- Brown the pork well on both sides and then remove to a plate.
- Add the shallots to the skillet and cook briefly, then add the sliced mushrooms.
- Cook the mushrooms until golden, then sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms.
- Add the Marsala wine to the skillet and allow it to cook off for a minute or so, until mostly evaporated.
- Add the chicken broth to the skillet and stir it in. Allow the sauce to simmer until reduce by half.
- Add the cream to the skillet and stir it in.
- Add the parsley to the skillet and stir in.
- Return the pork medallions together with any juices to the skillet.
- Cook the pork in the sauce, turning a few times, to finish cooking the pork and further thicken the sauce.
Recipe video
Recipe tips!
- Have all the ingredients prepared and ready! As this recipe cooks over high heat, it moves quickly. You won’t have time to find and measure out ingredients. Having all the ingredients prepared and at the ready will make for a stress-free cooking experience.
- Start with the right pan! I don’t recommend using a non-stick skillet for this recipe, as non-stick skillets aren’t recommended for higher heat cooking. Instead, reach for a cast-iron skillet, a heavy-bottomed stainless steel skillet, an enamelled cast-iron skillet or even a Dutch oven. Using the right pan will ensure lovely browned bits and a rich, dark sauce.
- High heat equals high flavour! This entire dish should be cooked over medium-high heat (or even a bit higher, depending on your oven). The high heat will produce great browning on the pork, will cook the mushrooms quickly to a lovely golden colour, and will reduce the sauce quickly to a rich, dark colour. Don’t hesitate to nudge up the heat under just a bit if you feel it isn’t cooking quickly enough.
What to serve with pork Marsala
The delicious Marsala mushroom sauce is perfect with mashed potatoes! I love it with rustic (skin-on) mashed potatoes, or try garlic mashed potatoes. Oven-roasted potatoes, such as my Crispy Skillet Roasted Baby Potatoes or these Rosemary Olive Oil Smashed Potatoes, would also be a great option. Finally, creamy noodles such as my Cafeteria Noodles would also be nice.
For a vegetable, something green like broccoli, broccolini, green beans or peas would be perfect with this saucy pork recipe.
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Get the Recipe: Pork Marsala with Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 2 lb (900 g) pork tenderloin, (about 2 small or one large tenderloins)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons butter, DIVIDED into a 1 Tbsp and 2 Tbsp piece
- 2 medium shallots, finely diced (can substitute red or yellow 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, I recommend chicken broth, but beef broth will work
- 3 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream, 35% b.f.
- 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf or curly parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish (or 1 1/2 Tbsp dried parsley)
Instructions
- Tip! Take a minute to read the Recipe Tips in the Notes section below before starting, as it will ensure you will enjoy this delicious recipe at its best!
- Trim the pork tenderloins of the silverskin and any excess fat. Cut the tenderloins into slices/medallions about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick. Place the medallions with the cut side up and press down with the palm of your hand to flatten them slightly. Season the pork with a bit of salt and pepper.
- Heat 3 Tablespoons of olive oil together with 1 Tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat (or a bit higher, 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 pork to the pan. (Don't over-crowd the pan. Do in two batches, if necessary.) Allow the pork medallions to cook undisturbed until well-browned underneath, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until the pork is well browned and slightly firm to the touch, about another 2 minutes. Transfer the pork medallions to a plate.
- With the skillet still over medium-high+ heat, melt the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter in the pan. Add the shallots to the pan and cook 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 the mushrooms with the flour and stir the flour together with the mushrooms until no dry flour is visible. Add the Marsala wine. Allow the Marsala to boil for about 1 minute, or until almost completely evaporated.
- Once the Marsala has mostly evaporated, add the chicken broth and stir in. Allow the sauce to simmer vigorously 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.
- Cook the pork with the sauce for 2-4 minutes (depending on thickness), flipping the pork once or twice, until it’s firm to the touch and just reaches 145F internal temperature. If you don't have a thermometer, you can cut into a piece to check. The pork should be juicy and may have just a hint of light pink in the centre.) Taste the sauce and add additional salt and pepper, to taste and as needed.
- Serve immediately, garnished with additional parsley. Delicious served with creamy mashed potatoes, or try garlic mashed potatoes! Oven-roasted potatoes, such as my Crispy Skillet Roasted Baby Potatoes or these Rosemary Olive Oil Smashed Potatoes, would also be a great option. Add a green vegetable such as broccoli, broccolini, green beans or peas to complete the meal.
- Make-ahead advice: This recipe is at its best freshly cooked. That said, if you need to make it ahead, be sure not to overcook the pork when initially cooking it. In fact, you might like to undercook the pork just slightly (cook 140F internal temperature). Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm gently over medium-low heat on the stovetop. I haven't found that the sauce thickens too much in the fridge, but if that is an issue, simply add a Tablespoon of chicken broth or even water to loosen it up a bit.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Leftovers can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
Tips!
Have all the ingredients prepared and ready!As this recipe cooks over high heat, it moves quickly. You won’t have time to find and measure out ingredients. Having all the ingredients prepared and at the ready will make for a stress-free cooking experience. Start with the right pan! I don’t recommend using a non-stick skillet for this recipe, as non-stick skillets aren’t recommended for higher heat cooking. Instead, reach for a cast-iron skillet, a heavy-bottomed stainless steel skillet, an enamelled cast-iron skillet or even a Dutch oven. Using the right pan will ensure lovely browned bits and a rich, dark sauce. High heat equals high flavour! This entire dish should be cooked over medium-high heat (or even a bit higher, depending on your oven). The high heat will produce great browning on the pork, will cook the mushrooms quickly to a lovely golden colour, and will reduce the sauce quickly to a rich, dark colour. Don’t hesitate to nudge up the heat under just a bit if you feel it isn’t cooking quickly enough. If your sauce ends up a little pale, you need a bit more heat for better browning! Variations 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. Be sure to read the notes in the post above this recipe card for more tips, substitution suggestions and serving suggestions for this recipe. You’ll also find step-by-step photos and a recipe video that you might find helpful.Watch how to make it
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!
Making this tonight! Advantage of working from home is taking a break to prep dinner in the afternoon. Everything is ready to go. Potatoes are peeled and green beans ready to steam to go with it. Normally I avoid pork because not matter what recipe I try it always seems dry. I’ll update you after dinner with the families comments….
Hope you enjoyed it :)
I am not a cook, but I can follow directions. Matter of fact, I could burn water. I once blew up potatoes and fed them to my kids anyways because I knew if I tried to make anything else it would be just as bad. My wife started a job so I had to cook dinner. I wanted to do something fancy because she likes mushrooms. I followed your directions dished up and BAM flavortown! That was like two years ago. Since then I’ve made this like 20 times. I love it every time. Thank you for sharing your recipe. If you haven’t tried this recipe, what are you waiting for. You are missing out. Seriously!
So glad to hear, Jason :) It’s one of my favourite dishes, too! Thanks so much.
Hi !
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I have made this wonderful dish for my husband and I and over the last year shared it with friends for dinner, with rave reviews of your recipe.
Truly a great dish ! I am going to check your website since I just read you also have a chicken Marsala. Two thumbs up !!
So glad you are enjoying it, Nancy :) Thanks so much!
This is delicious and easy. To make. I had all the ingredients ready so All I needed to do was add.each item. I served it with mashed potatoes and salad
Glad you enjoyed it, Pat :) Thanks!
What a great recipe.
It was delicious.!! Only change was the addition of one more tablespoon of heavy cream for texture.
My family requested that I save this recipe.
Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it, Bonnie :) Thanks so much!
Dear Jennifer, I started out roasting a pork tenderloin, I came across your recipe whilst I was looking for a marsala sauce recipe. Reading through I took the tenderloin out of the oven and converted the dish into this one. We both loved it, I served it as three pieces of tenderloin in a star shape, with a small potatoes in the gap and one in the centre. The sauce poured over the centre. Not only did it look great but it was delicious. Thank you for sharing it.
Sounds perfect, Rob :) This is one of my favourite quick/easy/delicious dinners, so I’m glad you discovered it, too! Thanks.
So easy and sooooo delicious! My family loved it….licked the sauce clean! Love a quick, easy, scrumptious recipe!!!!
Happy to hear :) Thanks Julie!
Love this recipe! How would you actually double the amount of sauce?
Hi Howie, you would just double everything except the meat. You can do that easily by changing the “servings” in the recipe card from 4 to 8. That will automatically change the quantities on the recipe card for you.
All I have is sweet Marsala wine, can I use that?
Hi Carol, I’ve never actually tried sweet Marsala, so I don’t know exactly how sweet it is. If it’s super sweet, probably not the best. If not so much, it might be ok.
You are a wizard! This is the most tender pork I’ve ever cooked. Thanks for this recipe.
Definitely have to be on the ball though, so you don’t over sear the meat initially. Very tasty.
Apparently I’ll have to cook something else to use up the Marsala wine & shallots.
So glad you enjoyed it :) I have a chicken marsala on my site as well, but other than that, the Marsala keeps well just stored on the counter for several months. Thanks!
Could this be made a day ahead and then reheated?
Hi Donna, Of course it will always be best when cooked fresh, so the issue generally is how much it will suffer from making ahead and re-heating. In this case, the sauce will fair very well. It may thicken slightly, but you can easily loosen it up with a splash of broth or water. The only issue will be the meat and the risk of over-cooking it when re-heating it. I think as long as you undercook the pork slightly when you first cook it (say to 140F), then re-heating will not harm it. Hope that helps :)
This was outstanding! I made it with Sauvignon Blanc and coconut cream instead of buttermilk.
So glad you enjoyed it, Maggie :) Thanks!
We don’t cook with any type alcohol. Can you suggest a substitute. Our normal go to substitute is chicken broth. I’m making this tomorrow.
This is a tough one, Sandra. The Marsala in the sauce is less about the alcohol and more about the flavour. And the flavour is hard to duplicate. I like your idea of just using more chicken broth. I think I would add something acidic though, to mimic that quality of the wine. Maybe just a small splash of red or white wine vinegar. Or even balsamic. See what’s in your cupboard :) Enjoy!
My husband I absolutely loved this recipe. I did not have any Marsala wine on hand, so I substituted dry Sherry. It worked and was fabulous!!! The recipe was very easy, had so much flavor, and it took no time at all to make. Next time I will try it with Marsala. I know I won’t be disappointed!! Thanks so much for my new “go to” recipe!
So glad to hear, Jan! Thanks so much :)
Delicious and easy, but seems fancy. Essentially, a perfect recipe! Thank you.
Happy to hear, Lori :) Thanks so much!
This was absolutely delicious! Thanks so much for the great recipe!
So happy to hear, Paula :) Thanks so much!