I am so excited about this Braised Pork Ragu Pappardelle pasta recipe. Even though LA is STILL refusing to acknowledge that it’s fall, I don’t care. Cozy and comforting meals are in full affect in my household and I’m really happy about it. ‘Stewy’ type foods are some of my favorite things to eat and today we have a really delicious, but totally simple Braised Pork Ragu Pappardelle! I love this recipe so much because it really is pretty simple, one recipe makes a ton (so it’s great for crowds and awesome to freeze for a later date too!) and to top it off pork shoulder is pretty inexpensive, so buying a couple pounds won’t break the bank!
We’re serving ours over pappardelle, which is one of Jordan’s (the hubs) favorite pastas, but you can serve the ragu over so many different things like creamy polenta, buttery spatzle, over a bed of wilted greens, or just with a big, crusty baguette. Also, I’m really not one of those ‘use expensive wines in cooking’ type of person (sorry, Queen Ina Garten), so much so that while making this in the studio to shoot for the blog the other week, I realized we were totally out of red wine and all we had was an unopened BOX of VERY cheap red wine, leftover from a recent freelance project. I used it and the ragu still came out delicious with tons of flavors that nicely melted together. So long story short, drink your fancy wines and cook with the cheap stuff. :) Enjoy! xx, Jenny
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Braised Pork Ragu Pappardelle
INGREDIENTS
- 2 ½ tablespoons vegetable or grapeseed oil, divided
- 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, fat trimmed
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks, trimmed and diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoons minced sage leaves
- 1 teaspoon minced rosemary
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 24 to 30 ounces dry pappardelle
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 325˚F.
- Place a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cut pork shoulder into four equal pieces and season all over with salt and pepper. Pour 1 tablespoon oil into Dutch oven and sear pork for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove pork from pan and set aside.
- Drain all fat from pot and add remaining oil. Add onion, carrot and celery and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes or until the onions begin to sweat and become slightly translucent. Add garlic and season with salt and pepper. Stir together.
- Add herbs and continue to sauté for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add tomato paste and stir together. Lightly season with salt and pepper.
- Deglaze pot with wine, making sure to scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom.
- Reduce heat to medium and simmer until about ½ wine has evaporated.
- Add the whole tomatoes, including juices, and stir together, slightly breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon.
- Once mixture is simmering again, add pork back into the pot and bring to a boil. Cover pot and place on the lowest shelf in your oven.
- Braise pork for about 2 hours or until the pork is fork tender.
- Remove pot from oven and finely shred pork with two forks. Adjust seasonings if needed. Cover until ready to use.
- Fill a large pot with water and place over high heat.
- Once water is boiling, add a small handful of salt followed by pasta. Boil pasta, stirring frequently, until al dente, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain.
- Divide pasta into individual bowls and top with a large ladle of ragu. Top with freshly grated Parmesan and serve.
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I have made this several times now and it is always a hit with the adults and children! And the smell is so delicious, agreed. I have made it on the stovetop and in the oven and have added different vegetables too such as mushrooms and purple carrots. I’ve also used different pastas and even spaghetti squash. One substitution that didn’t work was skipping the wine- it really is necessary for that robust flavor. Thank you for this family favorite recipe!
I made this and it was very good! Thank you! Substituted chopped mushrooms for celery and that worked out.
How does this recipe come up with 124g carbs? Unless you’re doubling the serving of pasta? Looking forward to trying this, as my daughter raved about it, but my hubs is Type 2, and we will be having this over zucchini noodles. Can you give me some idea as to the amount of carbs in the ragu alone?
Hi Kathy, We have an API that calculates all of these based on the ingredients and amounts. I just went in and double checked that it was pulling the correct amounts and it is. I suggest you use some of the free nutrition calculators out there if you feel like this is off. I know a lot of APIs that do nutrition calculate things differently.
Thank you for your prompt reply, I appreciate it! And this is in the oven as I type. The house smells amazing!
Can this be made over stove top instead? Don’t have Dutch oven.
Yes! Just make sure the ragu simmers on a very low simmer. The cooking time will also vary, so you’ll need to check on the tenderness of the pork throughout the stovetop braising.
When it comes to the thyme, sage, and rosemary, are they fresh or dried? Thank you. I want to make sure I don’t over do it!!
Hi Claudita, They are fresh! You can use dried – just double the amounts.
Excellent flavors and very easy to do!
The flavors of this were exceptional
I love the flavors in this recipe. Can’t wait to make another batch to freeze it!
Can this be made in a crockpot (vs cooked inside the oven) after preparing meat and sautéed ingredients?
Absolutely! Although Crockpot cooking times will vary
terrific smell, great taste and perfect with rice. The pork falls apart so easily and is very tender. Definitely will make again
Could you use this with other types of pork such as pork butt?
Yes! Can definitely use pork butt!
Looks great!
I’m thinking about making a half recipe. Would you recommend cutting the cook time shorter, or would 2 hours still work?
it really depends on the thickness of the meat, but I think sticking to 2 hours would be best. I would check on it around 1 1/2 hours into the cooking time, and see if it’s ready. :)
Can’t say anything yet about the taste (made this last night after dinner!), but the balance meat/sauce is perfect, not too runny and not too dry, and after two hours in the oven the smell was soooo enticing… will come back and tell you how it is over pasta :P
Do you think the ragu would freeze well? I always make big batches of sauce and freeze it in smaller portions for quick meals during the week. This looks delicious!
Yes, this freezes very well!
I just wanted to say that I just made this and it is amazing!!
Hi, I made this ragu last night and it was fantastic! Great flavors. I couldn’t find papardelle at the store, so I used gnocci. It was delicious. I might serve the leftovers with either rice or potatoes tonight.
Ooh! I love that you used gnocchi! So glad you enjoyed this one!
love ragu and heart bolognese recipes much more than marinara recipes, so thank you for this recipe!
this looks delicious! i will definitely try the recipe as is, but do you have any suggestions for how to adjust if chicken is the protein?
Hi! Yes, you can use the same method. But your cook time will be shortened quite a bit! I can’t give exact times since I haven’t made this with chicken yet!
Could I make this in a regular large soup pot, instead of a Dutch oven? How would the recipe change? Thanks!
Regular soup pot is totally fine and nothing in the recipe should change :)
You want a pot with a lid that will hold in the steamy liquid or the meat will dry out while in the oven.