Pulled Pork Ragu with Polenta
Use up leftovers to make this incredible pulled pork ragu. Serve over pasta or my favorite, creamy polenta and you've got an incredible Italian comfort food that will blow you away!
Servings 4
Calories 497kcal
Ingredients
Ragu Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup chopped onions
- ¼ cup chopped celery
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
- ½ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt divided
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- ⅓ cup dry red wine
- 15 oz canned diced tomatoes
- 8 oz cooked pulled pork
Polenta Ingredients
- 1 cup polenta corn meal
- 4 cups water
- 4 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup grated parmesan
Instructions
Ragu Directions
- In a medium pot over medium-high heat add olive oil.
- When oil is hot, add onions and celery and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in herbs, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper until combined.
- Reduce heat to medium and stir in tomato paste. Work it into the vegetables and herbs and cook until color begins to darken.
- Stir in wine and continue stirring and cooking for 2-3 minutes.
- Mix in diced tomatoes, then reduce heat to low and simmer ragu for at least one hour.
- Stir in pulled pork and let sauce simmer for 20 minutes.
- If sauce gets too thick, add a little water to thin out.
Polenta Directions
- In the meantime, make the polenta. If you are serving over pasta, prepare the pasta.
- Add 2 cups of water into a small pot, add 1 teaspoon salt and bring to boil.
- When water is boiling, slowly pour in corn meal, whisking it into the water the whole time.
- Reduce heat to medium-high and continue whisking until mixture is smooth and begins to thicken.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until corn meal is tender and polenta is thick by creamy, stirring often, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in butter and parmesan cheese.
- To serve, spread cornmeal over a shallow bowl or pasta dish and top with pork ragu.
- Garnish fresh parsley and more grated parmesan, if desired.
Notes
Cornmeal cooks faster than polenta, so if replacing the polenta with cornmeal, cook it about half as long.
TO STORE: Store any leftover pork ragu in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
TO FREEZE: You can also freeze leftovers. Transfer to a resealable bag or freezer safe container and freeze for up to 4 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 497kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 1909mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 14g
