Slow Cooker All-In-One Italian Pork Tenderloin Dinner

We got hit with a bit of a winter storm here in Michigan in the afternoon on Tuesday. Knowing in the morning that the weatherman was mentioning possible power outages later in the day, I knew that I didn't want to have to worry about trying to make dinner without any power. So, I got out the slow cooker and got a pork tenderloin going quite early in the morning to ensure that dinner would be cooked and ready should power go out anytime after the storm hit. And, the awesome part ... all of the components of our dinner came together right in the slow cooker together.

Seriously, it takes like, maybe fifteen minutes in the morning to get this going. Grab your slow cooker. Toss in a small pork tenderloin {no need to sear first}, throw in some chunks of potatoes, pour on an Italian Parmesan vinaigrette and - partway through cooking - lay a foil packet of seasoned whole green beans on top. So simple. So delicious. And, clean-up is a breeze after dinner.

NOTE:  You could easily substitute 4 or 5 chicken breasts for the pork tenderloin in this recipe.  Also, if you didn't want your potatoes in with the Italian Parmesan vinaigrette, you could package those up separately in foil, too, with a little olive oil (or butter) and some seasoning.

Serves 4 - 6.


Ingredients:

1  2 - 3 pound pork tenderloin
Kosher salt
Black pepper
2 pounds potatoes, cut into large chunks {peeled or unpeeled per preference}
1/2 cup good-quality Italian dressing
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
8 - 10 oz. fresh or frozen green beans
1 tablespoon butter
Non-stick spray

Directions:

Coat slow cooker insert with non-stick spray. Season pork with salt and pepper on all sides. Place pork in bottom of slow cooker. Place potato chunks around the pork.

In a small bowl, mix together the dressing, Parmesan cheese, garlic and Italian seasoning. Pour over meat and potatoes. {Try to ensure that all of the potatoes are decently coated so that they don't discolor during the beginning of the cooking.}

NOTE: The packet of green beans can be added at this point if you prefer very well-cooked beans. Otherwise, wait and add them as instructed below.

Lid slow cooker. Cook an initial three-to-four hours on low before adding beans.

 

Place green beans in the center of a large piece of heavy-duty foil {or double up foil if not using heavy-duty}. Season beans with salt and pepper. Top with butter.

Seal green beans in foil. Place packet on top of the pork and potatoes.

Cook for another three-to-four hours or until potatoes are cooked and pork is tender.




10/01/17: Updated photos and made clarifications to recipe/post.