Name: Autumn Harvest Pork Medallions with Roasted Apples and Onions (Paleo + Gluten Free)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: ½ cup Red Wine Vinegar; ¼ cup Apple Cider (NOT apple cider vinegar!); ¼ cup Honey; 1 tsp Apple Pie Spice (Primal Palate); 1 tsp Fresh Oregano, divided; 6-8 cloves Garlic, peeled and smashed; 3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 1 whole Pork Tenderloin, silver skin removed; 1-2 tsp am.Niccoli Signature Salt, can sub standard sea salt; 1 whole Red Onion, outer skin removed, cut into 8 wedges with base intact; 2 whole Gala Apples, firm, cut into 6 wedges each, cores removed; 1-2 tsp Organic Balsamic Glaze; 1 tsp Fresh Oregano

Autumn Harvest Pork Medallions with Roasted Apples and Onions (Paleo + Gluten Free)

Written by Michelle Published on September 1, 2026 in Back Porch Entertaining, Entrees, Holiday + Seasonal, Paleo or Whole30

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If there’s one skillet meal that captures everything I love about fall cooking in a single pan, it’s my Autumn Harvest Pork Medallions with Roasted Apples and Onions. Juicy pork tenderloin medallions seared until golden in olive oil, nestled into roasted Gala apple and red onion wedges, then finished with a honey apple cider glaze that is absolutely drool-worthy. A final drizzle of balsamic glaze over the top and a handful of fresh oregano, and you have a dinner that looks completely impressive but comes together in about 30 minutes. My goodness this one makes me so happy!

The glaze is what makes this recipe sing. Red wine vinegar, fresh apple cider (the drinking kind, NOT apple cider vinegar a very important note!), honey, Primal Palate Apple Pie Spice, fresh oregano, and garlic come together into this deeply savory-sweet sauce that coats every piece of pork and fruit in the most scrumptious way. By the time everything comes out of the oven those apple wedges are tender and slightly caramelized, the onion is meltingly soft, and the glaze has thickened into something that smells like the very best version of fall. I genuinely cannot wait for you to try this one!

Why This One-Skillet Fall Dinner Works So Well

It’s the combination of techniques that makes this so special. Searing the pork medallions first in a screaming hot skillet gives you that gorgeous golden crust (maillard reaction, for the technical term) and seals in all those juices. Then the apples and onions go in the same pan, picking up all those beautiful pork and garlic drippings. The liquid deglazes the pan and pulls up every bit of flavor from the bottom. Then the whole gorgeous thing goes into a hot oven to finish. The pork cooks perfectly, the fruit softens, and the sauce reduces into something deeply delicious. One skillet, minimal cleanup, maximum flavor. And when isn’t that the dream on a weeknight?!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here’s a quick look at what goes into this dish. Full amounts are in the recipe card below.

The Glaze

Red wine vinegar, fresh apple cider, honey, Primal Palate Apple Pie Spice, and fresh oregano. Whisk it all together in a small bowl and set it aside while you prep everything else. That’s it – simple pantry ingredients that come together into something deeply flavorful and fall-forward.

The Stars of the Show

One whole pork tenderloin with the silver skin removed (your butcher can do this for you if you ask) – seasoned generously with am.Niccoli Signature Salt and cut into 1.5 to 2 inch medallions. One red onion cut into 8 wedges with the base kept intact so they hold their shape beautifully as they roast. Two firm Gala apples cut into 6 wedges each with the cores removed. The optional balsamic glaze drizzle at the end is not optional in my kitchen – just sayin’!

How to Make Autumn Harvest Pork Medallions

Preheat your oven to 425°F degrees. Mix the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Pat the tenderloin dry, this is an important tip for getting that gorgeous sear! Season it generously all over with the Signature Salt and rub into your medallions. Heat the olive oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat, add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant and slightly browned, remove from the hot oil. Add the pork medallions. Sear 2 to 3 minutes per side until deeply golden. Do not move them around – let them build that beautiful crust!

Remove the pork and set it aside. Add the red onion wedges and apple wedges to the same skillet and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the glaze over everything and stir to combine, scraping up all those beautiful drippings from the bottom of the pan. Return the pork medallions, nestling them right in among the apples and onions. Tuck cooked garlic into the liquic if desired.

Slide the whole skillet into the oven and roast 8 to 10 minutes until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees. Let it rest 3 to 5 minutes before serving – an important step for the juiciest results! Drizzle with balsamic glaze and scatter fresh oregano over the top. Serve immediately and enjoy every single bite. 🍎

Tips for the Best Autumn Harvest Pork Medallions

Use apple cider, not apple cider vinegar. This is an important tip – they are completely different ingredients and mixing them up will result in a very sour dish! Apple cider is the sweet, unfermented juice. If you can’t find fresh apple cider, pressed apple juice is a great substitute.

Pat the pork completely dry before seasoning. Moisture is the enemy of a good sear. A quick pat with paper towels before the salt goes on makes a huge difference in how golden and beautiful those medallions get in the skillet.

Use firm apples. Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady all hold their shape beautifully during the sauté and roasting. Softer apple varieties will turn to mush, and a mushy apple is not what we’re going for here!

Keep the base of the onion intact. When you cut the red onion into wedges, leave a little bit of the root end intact on each wedge. This keeps the layers from falling apart as they cook and gives you those gorgeous, dramatic roasted onion wedges that look so beautiful on the plate.

Let the pork rest. Pull it at 145 degrees and let it rest 3 to 5 minutes before serving. The juices redistribute through the meat during that rest and the difference between rested and un-rested pork is genuinely remarkable.

Serving Suggestions

These pork medallions are a complete meal on their own but they’re also stunning alongside a few great sides. Here are some of my favorite pairings:

Roasted Butternut Squash Puree – spoon the medallions and their glaze right over the top for a stunning plate
Apple and Pine Nut Stuffing – a natural fall companion
Gluten Free Dinner Rolls – for soaking up every last drop of that glaze
Simple roasted vegetables or a green salad for a lighter weeknight dinner
Roasted Potato and Mushroom Chowder – start with a small bowl of this and follow with the medallions for the ultimate fall dinner