Classic Pork Stew
This hearty stew is perfect for a cold winter day. Slowly cooked in the oven for a few hours creates tender meat and it is packed with vegetables.
Once winter comes around I love to cook any kind of comfort food and there is not much that screams comfort more than a big bowl of hearty stew. I love having a dutch oven full of stew slowly baking in the oven. The meat is so tender and the vegetables are packed with flavour. I also love the broth, or should I say gravy in the stew, since it is nice and thick. So good!
Usually, I make beef stew, but every once in a while I make it with pork. There was a couple of pork tenderloins in the fridge, and since it was super chilly outside. I decided that a traditional classic pork stew, made with cubed pork tenderloin and lots of vegetables, would be perfect for dinner.
This stew did not disappoint!
What Makes This Stew So Good?
- This is true comfort food! I love a bowl of stew on a cold day as it is perfect for warming you up.
- Great for leftovers – This pork stew is just as good reheated as it is on the first day!
- Perfect for company – Having some people over for dinner? This stew is an excellent choice because it can cook away in the oven while you visit.
Ingredients You Will Need
- Pork tenderloin – you can use many different cuts of pork (shoulder, blade, butt, etc.) but I love the tenderloin in this stew!
- Vegetables – red potatoes, carrots, onion, celery and mushrooms
- Canned diced tomatoes
- Garlic
- Oil
- Bay leaves
- Ginger ale or apple juice – this gives the stew a hint of sweetness and is a very nice addition to the flavour profile.
- Chicken broth
- Salt
- Pepper
- Bay leaves
- Corn starch
- Water
How To Cut Up The Meat
For this stew I use two pork tenderloins. Before you cut them up, trim them of any excess fat. Also, use a sharp knife and trim away the shiny membrane.
Then, cut the pork tenderloin into cubes about 1 inch in size. Don’t worry too much if the sizes are not exactly the same.
Heat the 3 tbsp of oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat. Then add the cubed pork to brown the meat. Let it sizzle and brown, stirring occasionally to make sure that the pork is browned on all sides.
While the pork is in the dutch oven, dice the onion and mince the garlic.
Stir in the onion and garlic and let it all cook together for about 5 minutes.
Add The Rest Of The Ingredients!
Once the onions have cooked enough that they are starting to get tender, it is time to add in everything else, except the corn starch and water (those will be added later to thicken the broth). Mix in the cut up potatoes, carrots, celery and mushrooms. Also, add in the can of diced tomatoes, ginger ale, broth, salt, pepper and bay leaves.
How Long To Cook Stew In The Oven?
It is now time to put the pork stew in the oven. Cover the dutch oven with the lid and place in a 350F oven for 3 hours. Feel free to check it every once in a while to give it a stir. The aroma of this stew cooking away is incredible.
How To Thicken Stew Broth
When finished, it is time to thicken the broth so that it is a nice gravy. To do that, make a slurry by whisking together the corn starch and water. Stir the slurry in with the stew. It should thicken almost immediately, but if not, you can place it back in the oven for a few minutes. Then take it out and stir – should be the perfect consistency for stew.
This stew is the perfect comfort food for a cold winter day. Ladle some of this in a large bowl and you have a complete hearty dinner!
This Stew Is Amazing With Bread!
This pork stew goes perfect with fresh bread. Here are a couple bread recipes that are awesome with this stew.
Classic Pork Stew
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp oil
- 2 pork tenderloins , cut into 1 inch cubes
- 2 medium onions , peeled and diced
- 4 garlic cloves , minced
- 5 medium red potatoes , cut into chunks
- 5 medium carrots , peeled and cut into chunks
- 3 celery stalks , diced
- 8 mushrooms , quartered
- 1 can (28oz) diced tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 can ginger ale , or apple juice
- 1 cup chicken broth , or water
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 3 tbsp water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat. Brown the pork in the dutch oven, turning and stir so that they brown on all sides.
- Stir in the onions and minced garlic and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Add the potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, celery, diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, bay leaves, ginger ale and broth. Stir to mix everything.
- Cover dutch oven with lid and place in the oven to bake for 3 hours.
- Take dutch oven out of the oven. In a separate bowl whisk together the corn starch and water to make a slurry. Stir the slurry in the stew to thicken.
- Serve.
Nutrition
Per serving:
More Stew Recipes!
A quick look on my website and you will discover I seriously love stews. Stews can be cooked a number of ways including the oven, slow cooker and pressure cooker. I have recipes for all methods using all sorts of different kinds of meat, including beef, pork, chicken and even venison.
