Pork Roast Ragu

Easy, healthy, and delicious, this freezer meal Pork Roast Ragu is exactly the hearty, filling family meal recipe you’re looking for. Simply combine ingredients, toss in your freezer, and throw in the oven or slow cooker for a meal that requires less of you but will be well loved by all. With rich flavours and a fairly hands off cooking process, this isn’t your dime a dozen pork shoulder recipe.

Why you’ll love this recipe:

• Talk about tender! Cooking your pork shoulder low and slow not only means the seasonings have time to soak… it also means the meat basically falls apart as you serve it. It doesn’t get better than that.
• Many mouths to feed? This one’s for you. Providing 8 servings, this Pork Roast Ragu is your answer to the question “what am I going to feed everyone?”, especially when served over pasta! It provides a great family meal or addition to the neighbourhood potluck.
• Five star flavour with only five minutes of prep. Grab your ingredients, throw them in a freezer bag, and then sit back, relax, and wait for the magic to happen. Despite the low effort prep, this recipe is sure to bring in the rave reviews from anyone who indulges.

That low effort, minimal stress, high reward feeling is exactly why we created the Freezer Meals 101 Club. If you’re facing dinner decision fatigue and evenings that shouldn’t be stressful becoming stressful when the “what’s for dinner?” question arises, there is a better way. Dinner doesn’t have to be a source of stress. The Freezer Meals 101 Club helps carry that mental load for you, to make your evenings calmer and easier. Check out our 550+ recipes, smart prep and grocery lists, and more and join today!

Pork Roast Ragu

Ingredients:

• 4 lb. pork shoulder or butt, boneless
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. butter, unsalted
• 28 oz. whole tomatoes, canned
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 tsp. thyme
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. fennel
• 1 Tbsp. hot sauce

Assembly instructions:

1. Add all ingredients to a large freezer bag. Mix gently to combine.
2. Remove excess air. Seal and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

1. Thaw. Cover, and put in 325° oven. Braise for 3-4 hours, turning every hour or so. Add more liquid (water, wine, or tomato sauce) if needed. (The liquid should come to about 1/3 of the way up the pork.) Meat is done when it’s practically falling apart.
2. Shred and add back to pot and stir.
3. Cook 1 to 2 pounds pasta according to package directions. Top pasta with ragu and Parmesan.

Pork Roast Ragu Suggestions:

Ingredient substitutions:

Don’t have wine on hand? Feel free to use a cup of chicken or vegetable broth and about a teaspoon of red wine vinegar in place. Not a fan of hot sauce? While the tablespoon of hot sauce doesn’t make this spicy, but instead rounds out the flavour, a healthy dollop of your favourite BBQ sauce can easily replace it.

Storing leftover Pork Roast Ragu:

Boasting 8 servings, you may find yourself blessed with leftovers after making this meal. If so, let it cool completely and then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. It’s one of those dishes that’s always nice to have on hand for a quick lunch or dinner!

Choosing the right pork shoulder:

Boneless cuts will save you the hassle of trying to find your way around the awkward bone with a knife. You want nice marbling, but not too much. Most pork butts or pork shoulders will include a fat cap, which you will want to mostly trim away for cooking in the slow cooker or the pressure cooker. The meat should be pleasantly pink, not dull or yellowing. You’ll need about 1/3 to 1/2 pound of meat per person, so plan accordingly.

Knowing your pork shoulder is ready:

When we say the meat should fall apart, we mean it. After the 3-4 hours in the oven or slow cooker, the pork shoulder should very easily shred with a fork. When it does, you’re in business!

Slow cooker vs oven braise:

This recipe works well both in the slow cooker or using an oven braise technique. Depending on the time you have in your day, and your preference for how liquid your ragu becomes, you can pick and choose. Oven braising does require a bit more TLC throughout the cooking process, requiring turning and potentially adding more liquid. It’ll provide a bit more caramelization for the part of your pork shoulder that sits above the liquid. Slow cooking, on the other hand, means you can set it and forget it. You will have a more saucy final result, based on the trapped evaporation in your crock pot.

Check out these other great pork recipes:

Who doesn’t love a pork shoulder to feed a crowd? We sure do! Check out our Cuban Mojo Pork, Texas Pulled Pork, and Mexican Pork Carnitas and be sure to tell us what you think!

Print

Pork Roast Ragu

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

3 hrs

 

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: freezer meal, pork, slow cooker

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 383 kcal

Ingredients

• 4 lb. pork shoulder or butt boneless
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. butter unsalted
• 28 oz. whole tomatoes canned
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 tsp. thyme
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. fennel
• 1 Tbsp. hot sauce

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

1. Add all ingredients to a large freezer bag. Mix gently to combine.
2. Remove excess air. Seal and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

1. Thaw. Cover, and put in 325° oven. Braise for 3-4 hours, turning every hour or so. Add more liquid (water, wine, or tomato sauce) if needed. (The liquid should come to about 1/3 of the way up the pork.) Meat is done when it’s practically falling apart. Shred and add back to pot and stir. Cook 1 to 2 pounds pasta according to package directions. Top pasta with ragu and Parmesan.