Pulled Pork Pasta

Hearty, nourishing comfort foods typically take long hours on the stove or in the Crockpot. That’s not the case with this pulled pork pasta recipe. Ready-made barbecued pulled pork is the secret to helping this filling dinner come together in just 25 minutes. Simply mix this store-bought ingredient with canned tomatoes, beef broth and a few flavorful seasonings, and heat until warm. Mix with a package of penne pasta, then serve with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese and chopped green onions. It’s a sweet and savory dinner that the whole family will love.

Ingredients for Pulled Pork Pasta

• Penne pasta: We’re using these long, spherical noodles for this recipe, but you can swap in something else. Ziti, shells and paccheri are all other options.
• Sweet red pepper: This is a very savory dish, so adding sweet peppers is a great way to offset it with sweet, earthy flavor.
• Onion: We start off this recipe by sautéing onions, peppers and garlic. The combination of earthy vegetables acts as a great base for the savory, tomato-based sauce.
• Butter: Butter adds richness to any dish it’s used in, and it’s a fragrant and flavorful fat in this simple recipe.
• Garlic: Garlic is an essential ingredient in any tomato-based sauce recipe. We sauté the garlic first to help mellow some of the bitter astringency before adding it to the pork, tomatoes, broth and cumin.
• Fully cooked barbecued shredded pork: Using fully cooked barbecued pork helps us save a ton of time here—it’s a great shortcut that lets the recipe come together in under 30 minutes.
• Diced tomatoes with mild green chiles: Canned tomatoes are a fantastic shortcut, and they’re an essential pantry staple to keep stocked for quick and easy dinners. We’re using canned tomatoes with mild green chiles to add a bit of extra flavor and brightness.
• Beef broth: Beef broth adds moisture and hearty flavor here. If you don’t have beef broth on hand, you can absolutely use chicken or vegetable broth instead.
• Ground cumin: Savory, earthy and just a bit smoky, ground cumin helps offset the sweetness of the barbecue pork with bold, earthy flavor.
• Cheddar cheese: A bit of melty cheddar is the perfect topping here; it adds creamy texture with irresistible flavor.
• Green onions: Bright, zesty and earthy, green onions add color and flavor when sprinkled on top of this recipe.

Directions 

Step 1: Make the sauce

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sauté the red pepper and onion in butter and oil until tender. Add the garlic and sauté for one minute longer. Stir in the pork, tomatoes, broth, cumin, pepper and salt, then heat through.

Step 2: Strain the pasta and combine

Drain the pasta. Add the pasta and the cheese to the pork mixture, then stir until blended. Sprinkle with green onions.

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Pulled Pork Pasta Variations

• Swap in chicken: If you’re serving guests who don’t eat pork, you can make this recipe with chicken instead. To do so, follow our recipe for slow-cooker pulled chicken and use that in place of the pork. Keep in mind that this version won’t be as quick as using store-bought barbecued pork, but it will be just as delicious.
• Add some heat: If you like extra spice, hot peppers would be great added to this recipe. In fact, chipotles in adobo would make an excellent addition—the peppers add fiery heat while the adobo sauce brings a deep, rich flavor that pairs nicely with barbecue sauce.

How to Store Pulled Pork Pasta

If you have leftovers from this pulled pork pasta recipe, it’s best to store them in the refrigerator. To do so, let the leftovers come down to room temperature, then transfer them to an airtight container with a tight-fitting lid. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for about three to five days.

Can you freeze this pulled pork pasta recipe?

You can certainly freeze this dish! To do so, let the pulled pork pasta come to room temperature, then transfer the cooled pasta mixture to freezer-safe containers. To use, partially thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then place the pasta in a shallow microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high until it’s completely heated through.

Pulled Pork Pasta Tips

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What can I serve with this dish?

This is a hearty dish on its own, so it’s best to serve it with a light side salad. Fresh greens are a wonderful way to balance out the richness of the pork and pasta.

How can I give this dish a crunchy topping?

To add some crunch to this dish, try baking it in the oven. After all the components are combined, pour the pasta, meat and sauce mixture into a prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle the top with cheese and bread crumbs, then bake it in the oven for an extra 15 to 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

I don’t have penne pasta; what other noodle shapes will work?

This is a versatile dish, so many noodle shapes could work here. However, you want to use something on the shorter side to ensure that the hearty sauce clings to the noodles and doesn’t slip right off (which could happen with something like spaghetti or linguine). Try elbows, shells, ziti or rigatoni.