French Onion Pork Cutlets are slices of pork tenderloin, smothered in a luscious sauce made with onions, then topped with melted Gruyère cheese. So good!
We love ‘mash-up’ recipes…taking familiar flavors from one favorite dish and combining them in a brand new way!
These French Onion Pork Cutlets do just that. Imagine a delicious French Onion Soup, transformed into an incredible sauce, then served over juicy, tender pork cutlets. If that sounds good to you – this recipe is one you’ll want to try as soon as possible.
Why you’ll love it
- This fantastic pork dinner has amazing flavors in every bite!
- French Onion Pork Cutlets are fancy enough for a special dinner – but easy enough to serve any day of the week.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Pork Tenderloin – We butterflied pieces of pork tenderloin to create easy-to-cook pork cutlets for this recipe.
- Yellow Onions – Yellow onion (AKA Spanish onion) works well for this recipe – however sweet onions are becoming easier to find and would work in this recipe, just a little milder than the yellow.
- Fresh thyme – We strongly recommend using sprigs of fresh thyme when cooking the onions. Dry can be used if necessary, but fresh is best.
- Beef Stock – Like the soup, this French onion sauce is made with beef stock. You can make your own, or buy a good-quality canned beef stock at the market.
- Brandy – French Onion Soup is flavored with brandy (not to be confused with coffee brandy)- and we used the same in our sauce. It’s optional but highly recommended. (Note that the alcohol will cook off, leaving only the flavor behind.)
- Gruyère cheese – This is a type of Swiss cheese with a distinctive, nutty flavor. It’s a bit more expensive than the regular deli Swiss cheese – but 100% worth it.
- French Bread – Just like the soup, you’ll want to serve this dish with slices of toasted baguettes to sop up the delicious juices.
How do I make it?
- Sauté the onions in butter and thyme over low and slow heat until caramelized. Don’t try to rush this step – a long and slow cooking process will give you the sweetest caramelized onions!
- Butterfly the pork into thin cutlets.
- Sear the pork on each side to just to brown – then add cooked onions, beef stock and cheese on top.
- Bake – just long enough to melt the cheese, and to finish cooking the pork.
- Serve with grilled slices of French bread.
Chef’s Tip
Be careful not to over-cook the pork tenderloin. It will get tough and dry if you cook it for too long.
Frequently asked Questions
Can I make this recipe with other meats? Sure – you could use boneless chicken breasts, boneless chicken thighs or center cut pork chops.
How big are the portions? As written, the portion size per person is actually fairly large. You could easily cut each cooked piece in half to yield eight portions rather than four. (That would of course cut the nutritional information by half.)
Can I make this ahead of time? You could sauté the onions ahead and refrigerate until you are ready to cook the pork and bake. Warm the onions in a saucepan or skillet – then follow the recipe.
Can I freeze the leftovers? This dish should freeze well.
How do I store the leftovers? Keep refrigerated in an air-tight container for up to three days.
You may like these other pork tenderloin recipes:
- Pork Tenderloin with Pomegranate Pan Sauce
- Perfect Pork Tenderloin
- Peppery Peach Glazed Pork Tenderloin
- Pork Tenderloin Tips with Apricot Sauce
- Mandarin Pork Tenderloin Medallions
- Pork Tenderloin with Strawberry-Plum Sauce and Herbed Biscuits
French Onion Pork Cutlets
French Onion Pork Cutlets are slices of pork tenderloin, smothered in a luscious sauce made with onions, then topped with melted Gruyère cheese. So good!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: entree
- Method: stovetop, oven
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
2 pounds yellow onion
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
4 tablespoons butter
4 sprigs fresh thyme tied together with butcher’s twine
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large pork tenderloins, about 2 1/2 pounds
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 medium cloves of fresh garlic, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons brandy
2 cups good quality beef stock or broth, divided
6 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded
1 loaf French bread or baguette cut into thick slices on the bias
Instructions
- Cut each onion in half from root to stem, remove and discard ends, peel then slice into half-inch thick half-moon slices.
- In a large heavy saute pan or large cast iron skillet over medium low heat, add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and all of the butter. Once melted, add all of the onions, the thyme, salt and pepper and let cook untouched for 15 minutes.
- While the onions cook, cut the tip off of each tenderloin leaving you with one long piece approximately the same thickness end to end. Save the tips for some other recipe. After trimming, each of my tenderloins was one pound.
- Cut each in half across the center giving you four pieces.
- Butterfly each piece by laying it on its side and running a sharp knife down the length but not cutting all the way through.
- Fold each piece open and with a fine mesh sifter, sift on the two tablespoons of corn starch on the front and back of all four pieces. Let them sit while you continue to cook the onions.
- After the onions have cooked for 15 minutes, stir the mixture and cook for 15 more, tossing occasionally so that the onions on the bottom do not stick.
- Add the garlic and brandy, stir and cook for five more minutes.
- Add ½ cup of beef stock and cook five minutes. Add another ½ cup of stock and cook for five more minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Remove the onion mixture with liquid to a bowl, discard the fresh thyme and clean out the pan.
- Heat the pan back up over medium heat and add two tablespoons of olive oil. Once hot, add the four pieces of pork, not touching each other if possible.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes until browned then flip and cook for two minutes longer.
- Add the remaining cup of beef stock and divide the cooked onions over the tops of the four pieces of pork.
- Divide the shredded cheese over the tops of the onions and place uncovered in the oven for ten minutes to melt the cheese and finish cooking the pork.
- While the pork is finishing in the oven, brush the bread with the remaining olive oil and grill on a ribbed pan until browned.
- Serve one pork cutlet with some of the liquid left in the pan along with the bread on the side to soak up the liquid as it is being consumed.
Your recipes are amazing! Not one we haven’t found delicious thank you for all that goodness and don’t stop giving us your generous recipes!
Thank you so much Dawn – what a nice message to start the week! 🙂