No need to simmer away for hours on the stovetop, in a slow cooker, or spending time finely chopping the aromatics! This speedy pork ragu comes together easily in under an hour with simple ingredients and a few shortcuts. It’s comfort food without too much work!

Why this Pork ragu Works ✔️✔️✔️

A few recipe highlights that might win you over:

• Blended up aromatics: No chopping or dicing required here! Pull out your food processor or stand blender to make quick work of preparing your battuto (finely diced aromatics). The veggies blend up into a super-fine mixture that melts into the ragu sauce in little time.
• Perfect for Busy Weeknights: Just like the original recipe inspiration this one is based off, this is a super easy meal that comes together in about 30 minutes which is much faster than more authentic ragu recipes.
• Simple Ingredients: No need to rush out to the grocery store to buy a bottle of red wine. Basic ingredients come together to pack in a TON of flavor in this rich tomato sauce.

What’s New & Why

I originally shared this pork ragu recipe back in December 2017. While it is a fairly popular recipe I couldn’t help making a few changes to the recipe card to make an even better pasta.

• Images: New photos including step-by-step pictures to make it easier to follow along.
• Tomato Paste: Adds a richer tomato flavor.
• Balsamic Vinegar: Increased the amount from 1 tablespoon to 3.
• Reserved Pasta Water: Add some of the starchy pasta water to the meat sauce to create a thicker, silkier sauce that clings to the pasta better.

Recipe Steps

1. Blend veggies: combine carrot, spring onion, celery, garlic and chili pepper in a food processor and blend into a greenish/brownish paste.
2. Sauté vegetable medley: Add the blended up aromatics to a large skillet and cook over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes.
3. Season pork: In a large bowl combine the ground pork, salt, fennel and oregano and mix until well combined.
4. Brown the meat: Add the pork mixture to the frying pan. Cook about 5-7 minutes to brown the pork until no pink remains.
5. Make meat sauce: Add vinegar and tomato paste. Stir and cook a couple of minutes then add water and canned tomatoes to the pan. Bring to a simmer and let cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the liquid reduces/thickens into a sauce.
6. Boil pasta: While simmering the sauce, cook the pasta according to package directions. Cooking time will vary based on pasta
   • Before you drain the pasta, save some of the cooking water to add at the end.
7. Add pasta: Add the drained pasta to the pan. Mix together then taste and season as needed. Add fresh herbs and parmesan cheese if desired and enjoy!

Substitutions and Additions

• Instead of ground pork: Swap out the pork mince for sausages. Just make sure to remove the casing first. You can also make this with a different type of meat like ground beef or turkey.
• Use a different pasta: Feel free to use your favorite pasta in place of the penne. I used penne because it’s almost always easy to find in the gluten free aisle. Try this with spaghetti noodles, tagliatelle or pappardelle pasta instead.
• Tomato Types: Fire-roasted tomatoes in place of regular canned tomatoes are a great option if you can find them. I’ve also made this pasta using crushed tomatoes and whole peeled tomatoes (from a can). Both come out great so use whatever you’ve got on hand.
• Stock/Broth: Instead of water, use beef or chicken stock for a super rich flavor. I recommend using a low sodium stock and maybe even leave out the salt in the pork though.

More Easy Dinner Recipes Like This:

Gluten free pastas:

• One Pot Ground Turkey Pasta
• Za’atar Spiced Pasta With Chickpeas And Spinach
• Lemon Zucchini Pasta With Garlic Chili Breadcrumbs
• Leek And Mushroom Pasta
• Red Pesto Pasta With Chili Kale

Pork Recipes:

• Golden Pork Lettuce Wraps
• Taiwanese Minced Pork
• Cider Braised Pork With Apple & Onions
• Instant Pot Pulled Pork

Enjoy!

Let me know if you try this pork ragu! Leave a comment and review with your thoughts. I always appreciate the feedback and serving suggestions that you come up with!

Yield: 6 servings

Pork Ragu with Penne

4.5 Stars (73 Reviews)

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

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This speedy pork ragu comes together easily in under an hour with simple ingredients and a few shortcuts.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb ground pork mince (about 10% fat)
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp salt + more to salt the pasta water
• 3 large spring onions, roughly chopped
• 2 large carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 large celery sticks, roughly chopped
• 3 large cloves garlic
• 1 red chilli, deseeded (type of chili up to you)
• 2 tbsp olive oil (30 ml)
• 3 tbsp tomato paste (50g)
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (30 ml)
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 can chopped tomatoes (15 oz | 425g)
• 1 cup water (240 ml)
• 10 ounces dried gluten free penne (or pasta shape of your choosing)

Optional Toppings

Toggle ingredient group

• fresh herbs like basil, parsley, thyme or oregano
• grated parmesan cheese
• chili flakes

Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.

Instructions

1. In a large bowl: thoroughly mix pork, salt, fennel & oregano. Set aside.
2. Add spring onions, carrots, celery, chili pepper & garlic to a high-powered blender or food processor. Pulse in 5-10 second intervals it until very finely broken down.
3. Warm olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the pulsed veggies to the hot oil & cook 5-7 minutes, stirring often.
4. Add the pork to the pan. Cook over a medium-high heat, about 5-10 minutes until no pink remains.
5. Stir in tomato paste and balsamic vinegar. Cook 1-2 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to gently loosen up any bits stuck on the bottom of the pan.
6. Stir in the canned tomatoes and water. Bring to a simmer and let cook 10-15 minutes. Stir every so often.
7. While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente according to packet instructions. Before draining, carefully scoop about 1 cup of the pasta water (240ml) and add to the meat sauce.
8. Once the sauce has reduced and thickened, turn off the heat. Add the cooked pasta and mix everything together until fully combined.
9. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Add any additional toppings you might enjoy (grated parmesan, fresh herbs, red pepper flakes, etc) and serve.

Notes

• Tomatoes: You can use whole peeled tomatoes (from a can) or chopped tomatoes. If using whole tomatoes, make sure to break them down with a wooden spoon.
• Pork Substitute: Instead of pork you can make this using ground beef or turkey. You can also use sausages, but makes sure to remove the casing and omit the added salt.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

g
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 429Saturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 456mgCarbohydrates: 50gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 18g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© A Saucy Kitchen, Sarah Nevins

Course: Mains Cuisine: Italian