Dinner, Fast: Roast Pork Bowl With Asparagus
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EatingWell Magazine is a longstanding ode to home-cooked, nutritious food that doesn't leave out any flavor. Their latest cookbook is a vibrant book of 45-minute meals perfect for even the busiest weekday, so everyone can be at the table together for some quality dinnertime. This roast pork bowl with bulgur wheat, asparagus and cherry tomatoes will be an an instant favorite.
This Mediterranean-flavored dinner-in-a-bowl starts with lemon-scented bulgur and layers on pork and vegetables roasted side-by-side. Top it off with a drizzle of creamy hummus sauce.
Clean It Up: Not all store-bought hummus is created equal. Select one with a short ingredient list: chickpeas, oil, tahini, salt, spices, citric acid (which is safe!). Some brands contain added sweeteners and benzoic acid, a preservative that when combined with ascorbic acid, another common preservative, can form small amounts of carcinogens.
- 2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons water
- 1 1/4 cup bulgur
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 pound pork tenderloin
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 large red onion
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup plain hummus
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in bulgur and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and let stand until tender, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, sprinkle pork with marjoram, pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork; cook, turning often, until browned on all sides, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Toss asparagus and onion with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. When the pork is browned, scatter the asparagus and onion around it. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the pork registers 145°F, 12 to 16 minutes. About 5 minutes before the pork is done, scatter the tomatoes over the vegetables in the pan.
- Transfer the pork to a clean cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Toss the vegetables with the pan juices.
- Drain any remaining liquid from the bulgur, then stir in parsley, lemon zest and lemon juice. Combine hummus and 2 tablespoons hot water in a small bowl. Divide the bulgur among 4 bowls and top with the pork and vegetables; drizzle with the hummus sauce.