Roast Pork Loin With Sweet Potatoes and Apples

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 07/28/21
Roast Pork Loin With Sweet Potatoes and Apples

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

Prep: 0 mins
Cook: 2 hrs 30 mins
Total: 2 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 6 servings

A roasted pork loin is an ideal meal whether for family or guests as it's easy to make and quite versatile, marrying well with a variety of flavors. This recipe nestles sweet potatoes and apples around the pork as it roasts, and enhances the natural sweetness of these ingredients with honey, orange juice, and brown sugar.

Serve this roasted pork dish as a complete meal or add a green vegetable on the side, such as roasted broccoli or Brussels sprouts.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • 1 (3- to 4-pound) boneless pork loin roast, fat trimmed

  • 1/3 cup honey

  • 1/4 cup orange juice

  • 1/4 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed

  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed

  • 3 large sweet potatoes, quartered

  • 3 large apples, cored and quartered

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Roast Pork Loin With Sweet Potatoes and Apples ingredients

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

  2. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Place a large ovenproof Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil.

    pot with oil

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

  3. When very hot, add the pork roast. Cook, turning the roast, until all sides are browned, about 6 minutes.

    pork roast cooking in a Dutch oven

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

  4. Remove from the heat.

    pork roast cooking in a Dutch oven

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

  5. In a medium bowl, combine the honey, orange juice, apple juice concentrate, pepper, and brown sugar.

    honey, orange juice, apple juice concentrate, pepper, and brown sugar in a bowl

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

  6. Spoon over the pork roast.

    add sauce to the pork roast in the Dutch oven

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

  7. Place the sweet potatoes around the pork.

    sweet potatoes added to the pork loin in the Dutch oven

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

  8. Cover and bake for 2 hours. Pork should register at least 145 F on an instant-read thermometer, the minimum safe temperature for pork.

    red Dutch oven

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

  9. Place the apple quarters around the pork.

    apples, sweet potatoes and pork loin in a Dutch oven

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

  10. Bake, uncovered, basting frequently, for 20 minutes, or until the apples are just tender.

    basting pork loin while it's cooking in a Dutch oven with apples and sweet potatoes

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

  11. Let the pork stand for 10 minutes. Slice the pork roast and serve with the sweet potatoes and apples.

    Roast Pork Loin With Sweet Potatoes and Apples in a dutch oven

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

Pork Loin Vs. Pork Tenderloin

It is easy to think these two cuts of pork are similar (or even the same) considering the names are so much alike. But a pork loin and a pork tenderloin are different from each other, specifically in their size and shape. A pork loin comes from the back of the pig and the pork tenderloin is a cut from the muscle along the backbone, which is the rear of the pork loin. A pork tenderloin is boneless and very narrow while pork loin is wider and can be sold with the bone or boneless. A tenderloin will cook much quicker than a pork loin, so the two should not be swapped in recipes unless the cooking time is adjusted and it won't affect any other ingredients. A tenderloin is also more expensive than a pork loin, which is considered an affordable cut of pork.

Pick the Right Apple

You want to choose a type of apple that is best for baking so it holds its shape in the oven and won't essentially become apple sauce. Varieties such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Cortland, and Jonagold are all good choices.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
505 Calories
15g Fat
54g Carbs
40g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 505
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g 19%
Saturated Fat 4g 21%
Cholesterol 113mg 38%
Sodium 100mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 54g 20%
Dietary Fiber 6g 21%
Total Sugars 36g
Protein 40g
Vitamin C 32mg 160%
Calcium 58mg 4%
Iron 2mg 10%
Potassium 1092mg 23%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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