Pork Loin with Creamy Celery Sauce
This braised Pork Loin with Creamy Celery Sauce is perfect for a special occasion dinner. Or just because it’s Wednesday.
Pork loin is one of our favorites! You can marinate and roast it, fill it with fruit and stuffing, or roast it and serve it with this creamy sauce. Because we enjoy it so much, I always look for sales on them and pick up a couple when they’re offered at a good price.
For this recipe, I’m also making use of a really lovely but underused vegetable, celery, in the sauce. We tend to think of celery more as a seasoning or a base for other things, but it’s quite nice to feature it for itself once in a while.
You can serve this for any special occasion or just for a family dinner. Hope you enjoy it!
How to Make Braised Pork Loin with Creamy Celery Sauce
Pat the pork dry and season liberally with salt and pepper. Heat the oil and half the butter in a heavy pan over medium heat.
Brown the pork loin, turning frequently, for 5-10 minutes or until dark golden brown. Transfer to a plate.
Add the shallots to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until softened.
Add the thyme and browned pork along with any accumulated juices. Pour in the stock. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Turn the pork over and add the celery. Cover and cook for an additional 40 minutes.
In a small bowl, make a paste of the flour and remaining butter. Transfer the pork and celery to a platter and keep warm. Remove and discard the thyme. Whisk the flour-butter mixture into the simmering liquid a little at a time. Cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly.
Stir in the cream and bring to the boil. Remove the pan from the heat.
Slice the pork and spoon over the sauce. Serve with fresh green peas, the celery, and remaining sauce.
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Pork Loin with Creamy Celery Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 pounds pork loin
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- 4 shallots chopped
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 ⅓ cups chicken stock
- 6 ribs celery chopped
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- Salt and pepper
- Green peas to serve on the side optional
Instructions
- Pat the pork dry and season liberally with salt and pepper. Heat the oil and half the butter in a heavy pan over medium heat.
- Brown the pork loin, turning frequently, for 5-10 minutes or until dark golden brown. Transfer to a plate.
- Add the shallots to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the thyme and browned pork along with any accumulated juices. Pour in the stock. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Turn the pork over and add the celery. Cover and cook for an additional 40 minutes.
- In a small bowl, make a paste of the flour and remaining butter. Transfer the pork and celery to a platter and keep warm. Remove and discard the thyme. Whisk the flour-butter mixture into the simmering liquid a little at a time. Cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly. Stir in the cream and bring to the boil. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Slice the pork and spoon over the sauce. Serve with fresh green peas, the celery and remaining sauce.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
Celery doesn’t get enough love…my grandmother makes a creamed celery dish that your’s reminded me of immediately. It’s absolutely fantastic!
I love pork. This is a wonderful version for preparing it.
This is fabulous. I love pork loin, can never get enough of it. Yours is cooked to perfection.
Such a creative idea. It looks so rich and satisfying. Perfect for December!
This is surely a comfort food and perfect for a cold night in! Looks divine!
Such a cozy comfort dish! I can imagine how fabulous your kitchen must smell after this!
Stick season – I like that! I’ve never thought to make a creamy celery sauce before, but it looks like it would be perfect with this pork loin.
I had never thought about a celery sauce before but it makes sense! Trying this :)
Hope you enjoy it, Heather!
This makes me want to try a pork loin again! Mine always come out so dry but yours looks perfect!
Yes, Ashley, because pork loin is so lean, it can tend to be dry. I find that braising is one of the more effective ways to cook it without it drying out too much.
I feel like celery is so underused (as a main flavor) I’m happy to see such an amazing looking sauce showcasing it’s deliciousness :)
I totally agree! I use celery a lot as one component of seasoning (i.e., celery, onion, and bell pepper), but rarely feature it on its own. It’s so good in this sauce!
What an interesting sauce! I can totally see how the celery would pair very nicely with the pork loin….I’ve got to try this recipe very soon!
The mixture of flour and butter actually is a component of fine French cuisine! It’s called beurre manie (byuh mah-nay’), and it’s right handy to have. The only difference between it and our more traditional roux is that it’s not cooked. And for those of us getting ready for the holidays, we can prepare our roux and our beurre manie ahead of time. Just make sure you keep them refrigerated!
Yes, you’re absolutely correct, Tracey. Beurre manie (literally, “kneaded butter” in French) is used to thicken many classical French sauces. The kneading process coats the flour particles with butter thus preventing them from lumping in the finished sauce. Although it contains the same components as roux, fat and flour, it is not cooked lending a bit more refined quality than roux.
I can just see the flavor building in this recipe. Very comforting on a chilly day like today (and yesterday, and tomorrow…).
Yes, lots of flavor in this recipe, Heather. And that’s sometimes hard to do with a lean pork loin.
It’s finally cold here now, too. So I’ve been in soup mode, but I love pork loin. The braise on that looks awesome!
I love pork loin and that creamy celery sauce sounds terrific!
It’s so different from a typical gravy or pan sauce, Brenda, and I think it gives a little bit of sophistication to an otherwise everyday presentation of pork loin.