Italian Pork Sandwiches

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So, in looking back at last night's dinner, I realized that I did the complete OPPOSITE of what I set out to start...I started this blog with a two and a half hour meal!  What the heck??  Who has time for that during the week?  Clearly it wasn't thought out in the slightest.  I just get so excited to post! So, heads up, if you feel like making Chicken and Sweet Potato Chili and you're not off during the week, save it for a weekend.  :)  And don't forget to wash your hands before cooking and especially after touching chicken...blech!
Now onto tonight's meal, which I promise was so much more easier than last night's meal.  I even had the ability to take my time on it.  This meal really only takes about 20 minutes total, but I managed to drag it out for about 45 minutes to an hour.
First thing's first: you will need a pork tenderloin, seasoned dry bread crumbs, butter/margarine, spaghetti sauce, kaiser rolls and Parmesan cheese!

Of course, as I was gathering all of these items and didn't yet have my oldest son's beautiful flute music to listen to while I cooked, I realized I needed some music.  Music, of course, isn't necessary to make a meal, but it certainly helps me.  That or the Food Network or Cooking Channel!  :)  Once I got my music playing on random, I cut the fact off of my pork tenderloin and cut it into 8 equal parts (the size of the pork tenderloin you choose to get depends on the size of your family).  Knowing my boys are hungry, growing young men, and knowing my husband would be going for seconds, I made sure to make enough so everyone could have seconds!

I then took about a 1/2 cup of the seasoned bread crumbs and put it into a bowl so that I could coat my cut pieces of pork tenderloin.  Once they were coated, I set them aside so I could quickly prep the other items.

The kaiser rolls I bought were fresh from the bakery, so they weren't sliced yet!  My husband is a ridiculously big fan of baked goods, so anytime I can get something fresh from the bakery, or dare to bake myself, I do that for him!  :)  If you get the ones that aren't sliced, of course make sure to slice them.  I certainly suggest getting the rolls from the bakery section of your supermarket; it just always tastes better.

Then I measured out about 2-4 tbsp. of margarine and put it in a deep skillet over medium heat.  Then I cooked 4 of the 8 cut pieces of pork tenderloin.  Depending on the heat of your stove, just keep an eye on the tenderloins.  Mine took about 8-10 minutes total.  I also had to add more butter during the cooking process, hence the 2-4.  Just eyeball it to see if the skillet is getting dry and needs more.  I did the same process with the additional 4 and set those aside to keep warm.

Next I heat up the spaghetti sauce.  How much to heat up depends on how 'saucy' you like your sandwiches.  I tend to like more sauce in general (pasta, pizza, etc.), so I dumped a whole can into the skillet and cooked that through until it was warmed.

After that, guess what?  It's done!  All that needs to be completed is putting the sandwich together!  Take one piece of cooked pork tenderloin, pour some sauce on it (however much you like!), and sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top and you've got Italian Pork Sandwiches!

I usually try to keep my dinner meals under 500 calories, because I do like to keep the family eating healthy and staying happy!  This one was a bit of a 'treat' at 605 calories (I also do like to treat my boys once in a while).  One of the best things I like about this meal is that it really only cost me about $3.36 per person...I'd say that's pretty cheap indeed!  Not to mention, the family loved it of course :)

You can add whatever you'd like on the side.  Tonight we had a light tomato Parmesan pasta, but it was still filling.  Most importantly, the entire meal was cheap, easy to make and still delicious and full of flavor!

Enjoy everyone and please, get cooking!  The recipe is below!

Italian Pork Sandwiches:
3/4 lb. pork tenderloin
1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
1 tbsp. margarine or butter
1/2 cup spaghetti sauce
4 kaiser rolls, split
2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
This was the actual recipe but add or subtract whatever you need based on family size!  :)  Happy cooking!!!