One-Pot Braised Pork Ragù

By Kay Chun

Published Dec. 31, 2022

One-Pot Braised Pork Ragù
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
1 hour 45 minutes
Rating
4(1,186)
Comments
Read comments

This vegetable-heavy baked ragù is a great way to stretch one pound of meat into a hearty pasta sauce. There’s only about 15 minutes of active work; the oven does the rest. Pork shoulder (also known as picnic shoulder) is a relatively inexpensive cut of pork that takes well to braising, which yields super flavorful and tender meat. Cubing it into small pieces helps it soften faster, while a little heavy cream helps tenderize the meat as it cooks. The versatile ragù can be served over pasta or polenta, and leftovers easily turn into craveable sandwiches the next day. The recipe is easily doubled and freezes extremely well, if you’d like to cook once and eat twice.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1pound pork shoulder, cut into ½-inch cubes
  • Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
  • 3medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped (1½ cups)
  • 1medium yellow onion, diced into small pieces (1½ cups)
  • 5garlic cloves, minced
  • 2tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1(28-ounce) can whole tomatoes
  • 1fresh rosemary sprig
  • 2fresh basil sprigs, plus chopped leaves for garnish
  • ¼cup heavy cream
  • Cooked pasta or polenta, for serving
  • Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

630 calories; 41 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 21 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 28 grams protein; 1164 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 450 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium. Add half of the pork to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 3 minutes; using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the pork to a plate. Repeat with the remaining pork and season with salt and pepper.

  3. Step 3

    Reduce heat to medium-low and add carrots, onions and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic, then add tomato paste and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and cook, stirring continuously, until lightly caramelized, 3 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Add pork and any accumulated juices, then the tomatoes and their juices, crushing the tomatoes with your hands as you add them. Stir in the rosemary, basil sprigs, cream and 2 cups of water; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high, cover and bake until pork is tender and sauce is thickened, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Discard rosemary and basil sprigs.

  5. Step 5

    Serve pork ragù over pasta or polenta. Top with some cheese and chopped basil.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,186 user ratings
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Comments

Julie

I cooked this at 300 for 2.5 hours and pork was tender and not boiled. Very delicious , I would make it again. My hubby loved it.

Name Deborah

I share the opinion that 450 degrees seems really high for a braise. I’m guessing that the author, Kay Chun, wanted to make this into a faster recipe that could be considered for a weeknight dinner, but I personally would opt for cooking it longer at a much lower temperature, say 300 degrees, or in a slow cooker on medium or high for 4 hours or until done. It would be helpful when the directions are so obviously strange if the author could give a rationale (and alternatives).

Marilyn T

JP, if you look at the ingredient list, it calls for pork shoulder, and the instructions for cooking it are covered pretty well in the instructions.

Chad

I've found that there is no need to increase the water (or stock, preferably) content when scaling up. Cut it by at least half, for example, 3 cups instead of 6 for a 3x recipe

Celeste

Easy and would make again.

Cecelia

Followed the advice of others and braised this at 300 for 3 hours and oh my god. It’s amazing. Only had a bottle of white so I added some of that and a little red wine vinegar. I could only buy an absurd amount of pork shoulder that I had to butcher, so I tripled the recipe and still have a ton more meat in the freezer.

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