What can I make with ground pork?
Ground Pork is the ingredient most weeknight dinners get built around, and it rewards a little technique more than a long ingredient list. Below are recipes from our library that use ground pork, followed by the browning, temperature, and storage notes that make the difference between a good result and a grey one.
12 recipes with ground pork
Tonkatsu
Crisp panko-crusted pork cutlets with tangy tonkatsu sauce.
Japanese22m4
Banh Mi Sandwich
Crackly baguette with pickled vegetables, herbs, and savory pork.
Vietnamese30m2Pan-Seared Pork Chops
Tender and juicy pork chops seared to perfection and served with a side of roasted vegetables.
American35m4Tacos al Pastor
Marinated pork tacos with pineapple, onion, and cilantro on corn tortillas.
Mexican40m4Currywurst
A popular German fast food dish made from a grilled sausage smeared with a spicy tomato-based sauce, curry powder, and onions.
German50m4Potstickers
Pan-fried pork and cabbage dumplings.
Chinese60m6Swedish Meatballs
Tender meatballs in a rich creamy sauce, served with lingonberry jam and pickled cucumbers.
Scandinavian60m4Tacos Al Pastor
A flavorful and colorful Mexican dish inspired by shawarma, made with marinated pork, onions, cilantro, and pineapple, served in a warm tortilla.
Mexican75m4
Tamales
Masa dough steamed in corn husks with savory fillings.
Mexican105m12
Pozole Rojo
Hominy and pork soup in a red guajillo broth.
Mexican140m8Feijoada
Slow-cooked black bean and pork stew over rice.
Brazilian170m8Braised Pork Knuckle
A classic German dish featuring a tender, flavorful pork knuckle.
German210m4
How to cook ground pork so it stays tender
- 1Pat the ground pork dry and salt it 15-40 minutes ahead. Dry surface means browning instead of steaming.
- 2Preheat the pan until a drop of water skitters, then add a thin film of oil. Crowding the pan is the number one reason ground pork turns grey.
- 3Brown in a single layer without moving it for 2-3 minutes per side, then build the sauce in the same pan so the browned bits dissolve into it.
- 4Cook to temperature, not time: 160F for ground meat, 130-135F for a medium-rare cut, then rest 5 minutes before slicing.
What goes well with ground pork
Ground Pork is at its best with onion, garlic, tomato, potato, paprika and red wine. Any two or three of those, plus ground pork, is already a dinner rather than an ingredient list.
Storing ground pork
Keep raw ground pork on the bottom shelf of the fridge and use it within 1-2 days, or freeze it flat in a bag for up to three months. Cooked leftovers keep 3-4 days and reheat best with a splash of stock in a covered pan rather than in the microwave.
Substituting ground pork
If you are out of ground pork, look for something that behaves the same way in the pan rather than something that tastes the same. Match the moisture level, the cooking time, and the richness, and adjust the liquid slightly if your substitute releases more water. When in doubt, describe what you actually have in the chat and Mr. Chef will rewrite the recipe around it.
Ground Pork recipes: common questions
- What can I make with ground pork and not much else?
- Plenty. With ground pork plus an onion, garlic, oil, and salt you already have the base of a skillet dinner, a soup, or a simple sauce. Add a starch - rice, pasta, bread, or potatoes - and it becomes a full meal. The recipes above are ordered so the ones needing the fewest extra items come first.
- What is the quickest ground pork recipe?
- Look for the entries above marked 20 minutes or less. As a rule, anything cut small and cooked in a hot pan beats anything roasted whole, and one-pan recipes save more time in cleanup than in cooking.
- Can I substitute ground pork?
- In most recipes yes, as long as the replacement plays a similar role - similar moisture, similar cooking time, similar richness. Swapping across roles (a watery vegetable for a starchy one, for instance) usually needs a change in liquid or cooking time too.
- How do I use up leftover ground pork?
- Fried rice, a frittata, a grain bowl, a soup, or a quesadilla will absorb almost any leftover ground pork without a recipe. If you want something specific, tell Mr. Chef exactly what is in the fridge and it will build a recipe around it.
- What temperature should ground pork be cooked to?
- Use an instant-read thermometer rather than timing: 165F for poultry, 160F for ground meat, 145F for whole cuts and fish, all measured at the thickest point away from bone. Rest larger cuts for five minutes before cutting.