First off, I am sorry for my lack of posts as of late. Since around Christmas I have not been feeling well. Multiple negative covid tests, strep test was also negative (even though my throat felt like fire), and just a basic feeling of my head exploding from sinus pressure. My husband has been a literal rockstar. He kept our house running, the kids fed, and me from dying. He even made dinner last night as going to the doctors and there for an actual three hours literally took out ALL of my energy. I slept through dinner and that amazing husband of mine fed our family. I appreciate him so much! Tonight, I made a Pork Tikka Masala Casserole that was so hearty and delicious.
Disclosure
Published January 4, 2022
Updated March 30, 2022
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Oh, joyous dinner
Today, at around 9-oclock, I felt like the fog lifted, my brain was no longer in dire fear of exploding, and I could finally swallow without needles piercing my throat. As of now, I am grateful for doctors, strong antibiotics, rest and Tylenol. I have had sinus infections in the past, being severely allergic to dust mites, this happens often. However, this severe sinus infection that I am still recovering from was by far the worst I have ever experienced. And that counts the month of strep when our oldest son Samuel, became a carrier for it in 4K.
Tonight, was the first-time making dinner in about a week. Honest. My sinus infection was that bad. And I love to cook, so this was odd to literally NOT want to get off the couch and feed our family. As I needed to slowly make my way back to the kitchen cooking, I chose an easy meal. One that can be prepped and into the oven to cook in under twenty minutes. It is delicious, creamy, packed with flavor and a win with kids.
One of our favorite meals is Tikka Masala. Eating Indian inspired meals is so much fun because you cannot mess them up. The flavors are bold, the meat cooks long and ends up tender, and you can have it sweet or spicy or both.
Cost for this recipe
2 pounds pork tenderloin $11.58, resulting in this tenderloin costing $4.29 per pound.
heavy cream $1.00
Onion $0.40
Chicken stock $0.80
White rice $0.60
So, the total for this meal, in a 9 X 13 baking dish was roughly $14.38, and that is all ALDI prices in Wisconsin right now.
Pork Tikka Masala Recipe
Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds Pork Tenderloin
1 onion
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp sweet curry powder
1 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 cup white rice
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place a large pan over medium-high heat and then warm 1 Tbsp oil.
2. Sear all sides of the pork tenderloin turning it with a tong.
3. Spray a 9 X 13 baking dish with non-stick spray and then set aside.
4. Dice onion on a cutting board and then set aside. I had carrots laying on the cutting board with the hope that they would have been cooked into this dish. This was a lost case for the carrots as they did not get peeled, diced or added to the dinner.
The sad carrots went back into the fridge to hang out for another day while this momma gets the energy for more intense activities. Like carrot peeling.
I also used a shallot that was left over from a meal last week, and it was just diced and cooked with the onion.
5. When tenderloin is seared on all sides, set it into the prepared baking dish.
So many of my images are blurry and I am wondering now if the camera settings are all messed up. This will be a job for tomorrow! Camera tune-up day. I did have once where our middle son, Matthew who hates pictures, smacked his hand on the lens at Christmas… Maybe he left a handprint or something awful. Have kids they say… It will be fun they say… Am I right?!
But seriously, we have four kids and I LOVE THEM SO DANG MUCH.
6. In the large pan, place the onions in and then cook until translucent.
7. Once the onions are tender, add 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, salt, pepper and 2 tsp sweet curry powder, then mix well and do not burn or over cook. This is just to bloom the spices, not cook them.
8. Into the pan with the seasonings and onions, add 1 cup heavy cream slowly and then stir to mix, slowly add it because it may steam and bubble up a lot.
9. Add remaining heavy cream and chicken stock, bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. Just do not take your eyes off this pan once you have 2 cups of heavy cream in there. You literally only want it to start to bubble and get warm, it can froth up VERY quick. As mine did and Samuel was like, “mom, that is a BIG mess”.
It was a mess. It took a very long time to clean up. Drips even went down between the glass on the front of the stove. If you know how to clean that, please leave a comment! I will search tonight with the hopes that I can get it cleaned.
10. Carefully pour the Tikka Masala mixture over the tenderloins in the casserole dish. I ended up cutting the tenderloins into 2-inch sections so it would cook faster and more evenly.
11. Measure and add white rice to the Tikka Masala Casserole and then stir to combine. Finally, bake in the oven for 45 minutes.
Typically, we eat Tikka Masala with quinoa or rice made separately, but I was dead tired, and this rice hack was my lifesaver today. The rice came out so creamy in the sauce and soaked up so much flavor from the seasonings.
Finally, remove the Tikka Masala Casserole from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with steamed vegetables if you desire! Taking the easy route tonight, a bag of mixed vegetables was popped into the microwave. Viola! Dinner served. And there was literally just enough for Tyler to have lunch leftovers for tomorrow. What a deal!
As I have just updated this post, I would like to share that my tiredness was real and two days later turned out to have tested positive for Covid-19. I ended up losing my taste and smell for a week in addition to being basically bedridden for a week and was exhausted, our kids were also sick, my husband Tyler was home from work. I guess, when your body is trying to tell you something, listening is important. Today is March 30, 2022, and I can honestly say my taste and smell are still quite wonky.
~Monica
Recipe for Pork Tikka Masala Casserole
Ingredients for Tikka Masala Casserole
2 1/2 pounds Pork Tenderloin
1 onion
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp sweet curry powder
1 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 cup white rice
Directions for Tikka Masala Casserole
1. Firstly, preheat oven to 350 degrees and place a large pan over medium-high heat and warm 1 Tbsp oil.
2. Secondly, sear all sides of the pork tenderloin turning it in the pan with a tong.
3. Spray a 9 X 13 baking dish with non-stick spray and then set aside.
4. Thirdly, dice onion and set aside.
5. When tenderloin is seared on all sides, set it into the prepared baking dish.
6. In the large pan, place the onions in and cook until translucent.
7. Once the onions are tender, add 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, salt, pepper and 2 tsp sweet curry powder. Mix well and do not burn or over cook as this is just to bloom the spices, not cook them.
8. Into the pan with the seasonings and onions, add 1 cup heavy cream slowly and then stir to mix.
9. Add remaining heavy cream and chicken stock, then bring to a simmer for 5 minutes.
10. Then carefully pour the mixture over the tenderloins in the casserole dish.
11. Measure and add white rice to the pan and stir to combine. Finally, bake the Tikka Masala Casserole in the oven for 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven and then let the Tikka Masala Casserole rest for 5 minutes. Serve with steamed vegetables if you desire!
~Monica
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