Pork tenderloin is the filet mignon of pork, a delicious and succulent cut of meat. It can be cooked in a variety of different ways and there are usually plenty of leftovers!.
This pork cut is too tasty to throw away, so it’s helpful to have some recipe ideas ready in case you have extra. They can be as easy as a sandwich, as fun as tacos, as thrilling as spring rolls, or as tasty as Thai peanut pork.
If you want to get ideas for what to cook with leftover pork tenderloin, check out these top recipes! Keep in mind that the meat will last for three to four days in the fridge, so don’t wait to start cooking!
If you have pork tenderloin left over and want to use it for lunch, Jonathon Melendez made this great Cuban sandwich quesadilla. Grab some thin slices of that juicy meat and use them to make a quesadilla version of the famous sandwich. Or if you want it for dinner, serve it with a tasty side of fries.
Making fried rice for dinner is very quick and easy, but sometimes it doesn’t taste very good. This problem is solved by a great mix of spices in Omnivore’s Cookbook, but if you use leftover pork tenderloin, you’ll get a huge flavor boost right there!
Another easy dish is ramen. This recipe from Carlsbad Cravings is no different. It’s often easier to get the flavor right than fried rice. Throw in your leftover pork and it turns up the heat from dorm room to gourmet!.
Skinny Spatula has a great recipe for pappardelle that will make you feel like you’re in Italy. If you use leftover meat, it’s also pretty easy to make because you only need to heat it through instead of cooking it all the way through.
Because you can put almost anything on top of the rice, rice bowls are a great way to eat dinner, especially with leftovers. On top of the rice, you should put mostly protein and vegetables. The pork is a good way to cover the protein. Eating Well 101 shows you how to carry off the rest.
Fit Foodie Finds shares another noodle dish, this one with a much higher spice level. The flavor is great because it has gochujang, a spicy Korean paste, in it, and the flat noodles make it different from Asian dishes that usually use thin egg noodles.
Another pasta option is this indulgent creamy pasta. This recipe from Buns In My Oven was inspired by the romance of Tuscany. It stays true to life by being a one-pot meal that can be made in 30 minutes. Who said you can’t have it all in life?.
Stir fries are simple, but a really good one can be hard to pull off. Small Town Woman tells you what spices to use (ginger and garlic are two examples) and how long to cook the vegetables to get the perfect al dente crunch.
Another Korean-inspired recipe, this time from Silk Road Recipes. The flavor of this Jeyuk Bokkeum (jerk pork) is very similar to that of bulgogi pork. It has plenty of chopped peanuts to give it that authentic street food taste,.
Cafe Delites gives us a recipe that makes us think, “Of course! Why didn’t I think of that?” Making sweet and sour pork with leftover pork is a great idea; the dish tastes so good that you wouldn’t even think of it as leftover. But here we are!.
The Family Food Kitchen shares a recipe that the whole family will enjoy. It comes with noodles, so even if your kids don’t like the pork, they’ll eat the noodles. You tried, right?
You’ll beg for leftovers of this salty pork dish from Pinch of Yum the next day, until you realize that these were the leftovers! Who knew you could make so many tasty dinners from leftovers? Don’t be put off by the recipe’s long list of ingredients; they are all easy to find.
Ironically it’s the blogger Plain Chicken that brings us this delightful pork dish. It’s comparable to chicken tortilla soup in flavor and ingredients but is served with a compulsory cornbread. Not really mandatory, but highly recommended!.
Fox Valley Foodie tells you to add a lot of fresh cilantro and lime to a dish that tastes a lot like the stew above. You can add more hot sauce to your liking, so you can make it as spicy or mild as you like. It’s a pretty healthy option too, as the carbs and fat are kept to a minimum here.
Kitchen Sanctuary shares a delicious peanut pork recipe. Such a yummy and unique flavor in meals (unless you live in Asia of course!). Fish sauce adds extra saltiness, and the coconut cream combines it all together nicely.
There is a great recipe for leftovers from Alison’s Pantry that lets you use any vegetables you have on hand along with the pork. If you have everything, or nothing and need to shop anyway, they recommend potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms.
Of course, tacos are the best way to use up leftover pork tenderloin! Downshiftology shows you how to make carnitas and put them in tacos for a truly amazing taco dinner. Don’t forget all the trimmings, like avocado and shredded cheese for the full experience.
Another recipe for carnitas, but this time it’s meant for topping nachos with. She really knows how to use up leftovers, because what could be more fun than carnitas nachos? It seems hard to make at home, but if you have meat left over, do it!
It’s a great idea to use leftover pork tenderloin to make skewers, and there are lots of different recipe ideas out there. Souvlaki are a traditional Greek street food made of grilled, garlicky pork skewers served in warm pita bread with dips like tzatziki. The Mediterranean Dish shows you how to make them.
Balance With Jess shares a barbequed pork recipe perfect for leftover pork tenderloin. They are flavored with the classic Vietnamese aromas of garlic and fish sauce. It’s often eaten as a full meal with vegetables or noodles, but it can also be eaten by itself at any time of the day, even for breakfast!
Using a hoisin sauce, The Yummy Life shares how to create these delicious kabobs at home. Extra garlic powder and cayenne pepper are also added to the seasoning for an extra kick. Since these kabobs are mostly meat, grill up some vegetables to go with them if you want to make a full meal out of them.
Another sweet and sour recipe, but this time in a skewer version so a bit ‘drier’. Well Seasoned Studio focuses on flavoring the meat for the grill rather than creating a saucy dish. The meat is marinated in plenty of flavors, including Thai chilis, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and ginger.
This pork and potato hash from The Spruce Eats is a different take on bacon breakfast hash. You can eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The secret to the creaminess of this recipe is the cream of mushroom soup.
Pot pie doesn’t have to be chicken; Little Sprouts Learning shows us how to make it with pork too. You won’t feel so bad about all the pastry and cream sauce because the recipe calls for a lot of frozen vegetables.
Another great way to use up leftovers is to make spring rolls, which are so tasty that you don’t even think of them as leftovers. Cook With Rachz shares how to prepare them. These are the sweet, wrapped, and fried rolls, not the clear rice paper ones that are a little better for you. It’s all about the technique and, of course, the sauce! I love sweet chili sauce!
Pork tenderloin is a lean, versatile cut of meat that can be used in everything from quick weeknight dinners to fancy dishes for special occasions. It cooks up quickly since tenderloins are individual muscle divisions and don’t contain a lot of connective tissue.
However, pork tenderloins are quite large Oftentimes I find myself with plenty of leftover cooked pork tenderloin even after feeding my family Rather than eating the same plain pork several nights in a row, I like to repurpose it into new and exciting leftover pork recipes.
If you ever have extra cooked pork tenderloin and are wondering what to do with the leftovers, take inspiration from these 7 delicious ideas:
1. Pork Tenderloin Stroganoff
Transform leftover pork into a rich, creamy stroganoff by slicing and sauteing the pork with mushrooms, onions and garlic. Finish it off with a sauce made of beef broth, Dijon mustard, sour cream, and a splash of wine. Serve over buttered egg noodles for a comforting meal.
2. Pork Noodle Casserole
This easy casserole is a great way to use up pork tenderloin leftovers. Cooked pork is combined with egg noodles, cheese, milk, vegetables, and seasonings then baked until hot and bubbly. It comes together quickly and makes for excellent leftovers itself.
3. Pork Tenderloin Lettuce Wraps
For a fresh take on leftovers, wrap sliced pork tenderloin in lettuce leaves along with cooked rice, grated carrots, sliced cucumbers, and a peanut or sesame dressing The cool lettuce contrasts nicely with the heated pork.
4. Pork and Veggie Quesadillas
Leftover pork stars in these quick and easy quesadillas. Shredded pork tenderloin is sautéed with onions and peppers then placed in a tortilla with cheese and griddled. Serve with guacamole, salsa and sour cream for a simple Mexican-inspired dinner.
5. Pork Tenderloin Fried Rice
Fried rice is a great way to repurpose leftover pork. Dice and stir-fry the pork with frozen mixed veggies, cooked rice, soy sauce, sesame oil, eggs, and ginger. This versatile recipe easily adapts to whatever vegetables you have on hand.
6. Pork Tenderloin Egg Rolls
For an appetizer twist, wrap leftover pork tenderloin, sliced carrots, cabbage, onions, and ginger in egg roll wrappers then fry until crispy. The pork and vegetables create a flavorful filling and egg rolls are always a hit at parties.
7. Barbecue Pork Tenderloin Sliders
Shred leftover pork, mix with your favorite barbecue sauce and pile onto slider buns for an easy dinner or party food. Adding a tangy coleslaw topping cuts through the richness. Customize with different barbecue flavors like hickory smoked or bourbon.
Helpful Tips for Using Leftover Pork
When dealing with leftover pork, keep these tips in mind:
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Let pork cool completely before refrigerating in a sealed container. It will keep for 3-4 days.
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Frozen pork will last for 2-3 months – thaw overnight in the fridge before using.
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Reheat gently either on the stovetop or in the microwave to avoid drying out the pork.
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Chop, shred, dice or slice pork to give it new texture and flavor absorption for recipes.
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Add bold ingredients like barbecue sauce, cheese, spices and vegetables to prevent leftovers from being bland.
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Don’t overcook pork twice. Use it in dishes that just require reheating like casseroles or egg rolls.
With a little creativity, leftover pork tenderloin can be reinvented into all sorts of mouthwatering dishes. Next time you cook a pork tenderloin, double it up so you’ll have plenty of leftovers to experiment with. The possibilities are endless!
26 LEFTOVER PORK TENDERLOIN RECIPES
- Choose your favorite recipe
- Click the link to view the recipe instructions
- Follow the linked instructions
- Enjoy!
PORK TENDERLOIN LEFTOVERS LIFE HACK!! | cooking | leftovers | pork recipe | grilling | bbq | how to
Can I use leftover pork tenderloin?
Some recipes can be easily adapted to use fresh or leftover pork tenderloin. It all depends on if the leftover pork tenderloin recipes allow for the pork to be used as is or if it needs particular seasonings added during the cooking phase. Here it clearly states this recipe can go either way, and I appreciate that.
What to do with leftover tenderloin?
If you need a tasty lunch, look no further than your leftover tenderloin. Slice it, cut it, or shred it up, and pile it onto slider rolls. Bake until it’s just lightly toasted up, then top with coleslaw and BBQ sauce. Or skip the coleslaw and melt cheese on top. Adding pickles is optional but encouraged.
What to do with leftover pork?
You already have the leftover meat! Throw it on a tortilla with gooey melted cheese, stir fried veggies, and meaty mushrooms, and viola – a filling, flavorful pork quesadilla that took less than 30 minutes to prepare.
Can you freeze leftover pork tenderloin?
There’s nothing like a comforting casserole served warm out of the oven, and this recipe is no exception! It combines leftover pork tenderloin with noodles and veggies in a delicious sauce. Popular with the entire family, it also freezes well. Pork is a great addition to salads, adding nutrition, flavor and texture!