I must confess- I LOVE holiday leftovers. I happily eat stuffing for breakfast and whip up a few batches of my favorite potato bread using leftover mashed potatoes. But, there are always a few leftovers that I’m never sure how to use. This recipe takes the once forgotten holiday leftovers and turns them into something amazing!
While I was in my kitchen creating this dish, I felt a little bit like I was on Chopped – turning a handful of ingredients into one tasty and cohesive dish. I wanted to do a riff on my Grandma’s famous Cranberry Chicken, which uses canned cranberry sauce, Catalina dressing, and onion soup mix. This recipe takes the classic “Cranberry Chicken” recipe up a few notches, and the result is truly something new and special. (Plus, it uses up your leftover cranberry sauce!)
I love the bit of heat the La Victoria® Green Taco Sauce adds. It’s subtle, but adds a punch of flavor. The sparkling cider adds just a bit of tang, and really helps round out the sauce. This is NOT your ordinary left-overs. This is one incredible sauce, all poured over an awesome cut of meat from Hormel Foods.
Ingredients
1 cup leftover cranberry sauce – (*You can use canned or homemade for this recipe. We had several “slices” of the can-shaped variety, and it worked great for this recipe!)
1/2 cup French or Catalina dressing (*I used a “sweet and spicy” variety.)
1/3 cup La Victoria® Green Taco Sauce
1/4 cup sparkling apple cider
1 ( 24 oz) package of Hormel® Always Tender® Original Pork Loin
To Prepare
1. Mix together the cranberry sauce, dressing, taco sauce, and cider in a mixing bowl.
2. Place the pork loin in a 13×9 inch baking pan, and pour the sauce on top, making sure to coat the meat. (I refrigerate my pork loin for 30 minutes before baking, to allow the flavors in the sauce to mix and develop, while flavoring the meat.)
3. Bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes, or until the pork is cooked through, and has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Slice and serve. Enjoy! (Serves 6)
