Slow Cooked Minced Pork Ragu

I have been making this Slow Cooked Minced Pork Ragu recipe for many years now, and I just can’t believe I haven’t popped it on the blog for you guys yet! It was one of the first ‘scary‘ recipes I attempted in my early twenties, and I have to say, it has evolved into something amazing over the years. It certainly comes from a place of love.

I first came across a recipe for Italian pork ragu in a random discarded newspaper I was reading on my lunch break at work years ago. It was one of those recipes that sounds so tantalizing your mouth automatically starts watering and you would give anything for a big bowl of whatever it is to just appear before you Genie-style right there and then. It didn’t. Unfortunately no Genie was around to supply such things, and I wasn’t doing much cooking at that point in my life either. In fact, I had never heard of that cut of meat before, and we had just bought a new house so we had no money for fancy cuts of meat anyway. The little recipe was promptly clipped from the food section and sadly languished on my desk for a year or so.

Fast forward and I suddenly discovered that I actually quite liked cooking. The pork ragu recipe became one that I made over and over again until it looked nothing like the original and turned into my signature dish when we had people over for a nice dinner…then I forgot about it for years again.

So I am sure you can imagine my sheer delight when I stumbled across my much edited clipping and prepared a big heavenly pot last weekend. The kids gobbled up 3 bowls each, and my husband was super jealous when he discovered what we had been eating without him.

This version of slow cooked minced pork ragu is nothing like the original found in that old dusty newspaper. It doesn’t use crazy expensive ingredients you need to drive to the other side of town to find, there are no crazy cooking skills involved and it doesn’t need to be reserved for special occasions. This is your ‘everyday, everyman‘ ragu and it is certainly quite the dish! I just hope you love it as much as we do.

Do you have a signature dish you have been perfecting over the years? I would love to hear all about it so be sure to leave a comment. Happy eating.

4.75 from 4 votes

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Slow Cooked Minced Pork Ragu

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

2 hr

Total Time

2 hr 15 mins

 

Belly warming and made with love, this slow cooked pork mince ragu is the perfect way to celebrate the weekend. Pour yourself a glass of wine and spend some time in the kitchen preparing this heavenly dish for your loved ones

Course: Pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 4 serves

Author: Whole Food Bellies

Ingredients

• 150 g bacon look for bacon free of sulfites/sulfates
• 1 large carrot diced
• 2 celery stalks diced
• 1 small onion diced
• 1 lb pork mince look for pasture raised where possible
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 20 g tomato paste
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup whole milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• pappardelle freshly cooked to serve
• parmesan finely grated to serve

Instructions

1. Fry bacon gently in a saucepan. Once cooked, add in the carrots, celery and onion and cook softly until slightly brown and the onion is translucent
2. Add in the pork mince and stir constantly until browned
3. Add in the wine, tomato paste and a little of the stock. Stir to combine
4. Simmer for two hours, gradually adding in the remaining stock and milk during that time. Season to taste with salt and pepper
5. To serve ladle a scoop of the meat mixture over some freshly cooked pasta and top with parmesan cheese