14 Best Ground Pork Recipes

Written by
Lizz Schumer
A journalist, writer, and author, Lizz Schumer has 10+ years of experience covering food and drink for a wide variety of well-known print and online publications.
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Lizz Schumer
Updated 01/13/21
Homemade pork breakfast sausage

The Spruce

If you always have ground beef in the freezer and want to try something new, pick up some pork instead. Ground pork is generally made from pork shoulder or pork butt and sometimes includes some pork loin. Supermarkets or butchers often label it with its fat percentage, similar to the way you'll see ground beef packaged. You can grind it at home for the most control over the texture, ask your butcher to grind it for you, or buy it pre-ground at many supermarkets.

Ground pork has great flavor for a low price and cooks quickly. Use it to make meatloaf, stir-fries, meatballs, and more.

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  • 01 of 14

    Beef and Pork Meatloaf with BBQ Sauce

    Meatloaf With Barbecue Flavor

    The Spruce / Diana Rattray

    Make your classic meatloaf a little more exciting with this beef and pork recipe that uses a homemade barbecue sauce for zippy flavor. Pulse slightly stale French, Italian, sourdough, or other bread you have on hand in the food processor until it forms fine crumbs to give the meatloaf its tender texture.

  • 02 of 14

    Cocktail Meatballs with Apricot Preserves

    Cocktail Meatballs With Apricot Preserves

    The Spruce / Diana Rattray

    Apricot preserves give these appetizer meatballs a tangy sauce that has both sweet and spicy elements. Start with a blend of beef and pork for a meaty base. For a spicier meatball, add some crushed red pepper flakes or minced chiles to the sauce.

  • 03 of 14

    Hungarian-Style Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

    Stuffed Cabbage Rolls With Ground Beef and Rice on a white plate

    The Spruce / Ahlam Raffii

    Growing up, my grandma made these Hungarian-style cabbage rolls for special occasions or whenever she wanted a taste of home. This recipe uses the slow cooker to make it even simpler. With ground beef and pork, sauerkraut, tomato sauce, onion, and sour cream, they have a unique, old country flavor.

  • 04 of 14

    Chili with Pinto Beans

    Beefy Chili with Pinto Beans

    The Spruce / Diana Rattray

    Use a mixture of ground beef and pork in this simple, hearty chili that adds pinto beans for extra texture and jalapeño peppers for a little heat. You can make it on the stovetop or in the slow cooker for an easy supper. Serve it with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, sliced avocado, and sliced green onion for topping and cornbread on the side for a whole meal.

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  • 05 of 14

    Sweet and Hot Pork Meatballs

    Sweet and Hot Pork Meatballs

    The Spruce / Diana Rattray

    With apricot preserves, ginger, garlic, and cayenne pepper, these pork meatballs bring a little heat to the table. They work great as an appetizer if you set them out with toothpicks, or as a main dish over white rice with steamed vegetables. Use very lean ground pork to avoid a greasy meatball.

  • 06 of 14

    Chinese Green Beans with Pork

    Chinese Green Beans Recipe

     The Spruce

    Perfect for a hearty side dish or a vegetable-forward main, Chinese green beans with ground pork get their Asian flavor from a sweet and salty mixture of soy sauce, fresh ginger, and Szechuan preserved vegetables. You can find preserved veggies in Asian markets or online to give the dish a unique flavor.

  • 07 of 14

    Homemade Pork Breakfast Sausage

    Homemade pork breakfast sausage

    The Spruce

    For a fun weekend project, make your own pork breakfast sausage patties with just a handful of ingredients and spices you probably already have in your pantry. The recipe multiplies and freezes well, so make a big batch so you can pull some out on a busy weekday later. Adjust the amount of crushed red pepper for a milder or spicier sausage.

  • 08 of 14

    Swiss Chard and Pork Dumplings

    Green Garlic Pork Dumplings

    The Spruce / Molly Watson

    Making dumplings at home gets much more approachable if you buy pre-made wrappers. Once you get the hang of folding the wrappers, you can even make them for a weekday supper. A Swiss chard, sausage, ginger, and soy filling has so much flavor, they barely need a sauce. Just a little soy sauce on the side will do the trick.

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  • 09 of 14

    French Canadian Venison Tourtiere

    venison-tourtiere

    Philip Wilkins / Getty Images

    For a showstopping Christmas or special occasion dish, serve this decadent pork and venison pie that gets its rich flavor from a blend of spices, beef stock, and Cognac. It will turn any winter evening into a cozy event with just a bottle of red wine and a roaring fire. You can enrobe it in store-bought pastry to save some time or make your own pate brisee.

  • 10 of 14

    City Chicken Sticks

    City Chicken Sticks

    The Spruce / Teena Agnel

    Despite the name, these cracker-breaded drumsticks actually contain no poultry at all. While the exact recipe varies depending on which Southern kitchen they come from, they usually include ground pork, meat scraps, or veal that then gets shaped into a drumstick, breaded, and either baked or fried.

  • 11 of 14

    Sichuan Eggplant in Garlic Sauce

    Szechuan Eggplant in Garlic Sauce

    The Spruce

    This popular side dish starts with Chinese eggplants, which are longer, thinner, and sometimes lighter in color than the Italian or American version. Ginger, chili garlic sauce, garlic, and two kinds of soy sauce give it a tongue-tingling heat. Serve Sichuan eggplant as a side for your favorite Asian-inspired main or as a lighter main dish over white rice.

  • 12 of 14

    Pork Burgers

    Pork Burgers

    laperla_foto / Getty Images

    Instead of your traditional beef, turkey, or even veggie burger, pat together these pork burgers for a new backyard grill offering. Bacon and parmesan cheese give them a smokier, more complex flavor that tastes great with your favorite burger fixings.

    Continue to 13 of 14 below.
  • 13 of 14

    Stuffed Peppers with Ground Pork

    stuffed peppers

    The Spruce 

    Stuffed bell peppers make a fun, one-dish meal for the family. We use a blend of ground pork, beef, and veal, but you can adjust the proportions and types of ground meat if you like. Use any color of bell peppers you can find or a mix for a pretty presentation.

  • 14 of 14

    Pearl Balls

    Pearl Rice Balls

    P_Wei / Getty Images

    For a delicious finger food that works great as an appetizer or a light lunch, try these pork-stuffed pearl balls. The meat gets blended with water chestnuts, green onion, and seasonings and formed into a ball that you then surround with glutinous rice. It turns a pearlized color when cooked, which gives the snack its name.