Naptime Village Recipe
_Contains Affiliate Links_ Fall is one of my favorite seasons for simple family meals. Sweet potatoes, apples, and onions are inexpensive, easy to find, and pair beautifully with p
Prep
TBD
Cook
TBD
Total
TBD + TBD
Serves
Serves 4
Difficulty
Easy
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Fall is one of my favorite seasons for simple family meals. Sweet potatoes, apples, and onions are inexpensive, easy to find, and pair beautifully with pork. Lately I've been trying my hand at more sheet pan meals because they are so easy to throw together in the middle of the chaos that comes with raising multiple young children. Even better, I've been experimenting with "roasting" meals on the grill to keep the heat outside and NOT in my kitchen. Fall can still bring plenty of warm afternoons, and since we don't have central air, the afternoon sun can turn my kitchen into an oven!
Easy sheet pan meal
Great for busy weeknights
Made with simple fall ingredients
Can be cooked in the oven or on the grill
Kid-approved
Perfect for keeping kitchen heat outside
This Harvest Dinner was a big hit with my kids. The sweet potatoes become slightly sweet and caramelized, the apples add a touch of freshness, and the pork loin stays juicy and flavorful.
Cut the sweet potatoes smaller than you think you need to. Smaller cubes cook faster, brown more evenly, and are easier for little kids to eat.
If you'd like, serve this meal with homemade bread. I've even experimented with baking bread on the grill, which has become one of my favorite ways to avoid heating up the house during warmer weather.
1 pork loin (about 2 pounds)
3-4 medium sweet potatoes, diced into small cubes
1 large red onion, diced
3-4 apples, chopped
4 tablespoons oil/fat such as avocado or beef tallow, melted
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Whisk together and serve alongside the pork.
My kids especially enjoyed this meal with Chick-fil-A Sauce.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Toss the sweet potatoes and red onions with avocado oil, beef tallow, salt, pepper, garlic powder, sage, and thyme.I also like to give the pan a quick sprit of oil with myMisto Sprayer.
Spread the vegetables onto a large sheet pan.
Place the sheet pan in the oven while you prepare the pork.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Sear the pork loin on all sides until nicely browned, about 2–3 minutes per side.
Remove the sheet pan from the oven and place the seared pork loin in the center of the vegetables.
Return the pan to the oven.
After about 15–20 minutes, stir the vegetables.
Add the apples and stir them into the vegetables.
Put back into the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145°F (Want to know why 160°F-165°F isn’t necessary for pork loin? Check out my explanation here.)
Rest the pork for 10 minutes before slicing.
One of my favorite ways to make this meal is by using the grill as an outdoor oven. It keeps the heat outside and works surprisingly well for roasting vegetables, cooking pork, and even baking bread.
Place a pizza stone on the grill, in the center.
Turn on all burners and preheat the grill to about 400°F.
Heating all of the burners initially helps the grill come up to temperature much faster.
Toss the sweet potatoes and onions with avocado oil, beef tallow, and seasonings.
Spread them onto a sheet pan.
Place the sheet pan on top of the pizza stone.
Turn off the center burners while leaving the outside burners on.
This creates indirect heat and essentially turns your grill into an outdoor oven.
While the vegetables begin roasting, place the pork loin directly over the hot burners.
Sear all sides until nicely browned.
Transfer the pork loin to the center of the sheet pan.
Continue cooking over indirect heat.
About halfway through cooking, carefully remove the sheet pan and stir the vegetables.
Add the apples during the final 15–20 minutes of cooking and stir them into the vegetables.
Continue cooking until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145°F.
Remove from the grill and allow the pork to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
I originally added my apples during only the final 10 minutes of cooking. They were still a little crunchier than I would have preferred.
Next time I will probably add them 15–20 minutes before the meal is finished so they become more tender while still holding their shape.
Don't forget to download the free"What's Hiding in My Harvest Dinner?"matching worksheet.
Kids can match foods to how they help their bodies and learn a little food science while they eat.
It's a fun way to start conversations about nutrition without making it feel like a lesson.
Yes. You can chop the vegetables up to 24 hours ahead and store them in the refrigerator. I like to keep my potatoes in water in the fridge- it prevents them from turning brown through oxidation and extracts excess surface starch, which helps with a crispier texture when cooked.
Absolutely. Just reduce the cooking time since pork tenderloin cooks faster than pork loin.
Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, and Pink Lady all work well.
You can, but they add a wonderful sweet contrast to the savory pork and sweet potatoes. You can also top with pecans or cranberries for a slightly different flavor profile.
If you enjoyed this Harvest Dinner, be sure to check out my homemade bread recipes, including my experiments with baking bread right on the grill.
Keeping the heat outside means a cooler kitchen, less stress, and one less reason to turn on the oven during warm fall afternoons.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Toss the sweet potatoes and red onions with avocado oil, beef tallow, salt, pepper, garlic powder, sage, and thyme. I also like to give the pan a quick sprit of oil with my Misto Sprayer.
Spread the vegetables onto a large sheet pan.
Place the sheet pan in the oven while you prepare the pork.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Sear the pork loin on all sides until nicely browned, about 2–3 minutes per side.
Remove the sheet pan from the oven and place the seared pork loin in the center of the vegetables.
Return the pan to the oven.
After about 15–20 minutes, stir the vegetables.
Add the apples and stir them into the vegetables.
Put back into the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145°F (Want to know why 160°F-165°F isn’t necessary for pork loin? Check out my explanation here.)
Rest the pork for 10 minutes before slicing. One of my favorite ways to make this meal is by using the grill as an outdoor oven. It keeps the heat outside and works surprisingly well for roasting vegetables, cooking pork, and even baking bread.
