Wondering what to do with a pack of diced pork? This easy peasy Diced Pork and Apple Stew is your answer! Tender pork is enhanced beautifully by tangy bramley apples and root vegetables cooked in a delicious pork gravy. Plus, it’s quick to prep, a real crowdpleaser and it will make your kitchen smell wonderful!
Why I love stew…
I am a huge fan of ‘stew’ – it’s definitely one of my favourite meals. A stew is so easy to make and also the type of meal that is so much better than the sum of its parts, thanks to the fact that everything cooks in the gravy. This results in tender meat, wonderfully flavoursome vegetables and a gravy that is so much better than when it went into the pot – thanks to all the flavour the meat and veg have imparted into it.
Diced Pork and Apple Stew
If stew is one of my favourite meals, then this easy Diced Pork and Apple Stew is definitely one of my favourite stews. The addition of a bramley apple really takes this pork stew to the next level. It’s kind of like a roast pork dinner, but in a super simple ‘prep it and forget it’ one pot format, that lets the oven do all the work. Perfect for busy evenings and hectic weekends.
And it’s so easy peasy to make. Simply fry the meat and veg, add the stock and apple, and then put it in the oven and leave it alone until it’s ready.
What to serve with pork and apple stew?
There are a couple of ways you could go here.
If you want to make this quick and easy… and only have 1 pot to wash up at the end, then serve this with bread or baked potatoes. (I like to pop a few jacket potatoes in the oven when I turn the oven on – just before I make the stew. By the time the stew is cooked, the potatoes will be cooked too!)
Alternatively, if you have a little more time on your hands, you can serve this stew with mashed potatoes and vegetables. Serving the stew like this makes a great low effort alternative to a roast dinner!
You could also serve the stew with dumplings on top (just follow the steps in this recipe).
What to drink with pork and apple stew?
My preference is to serve this pork and apple stew with white wine – I personally find red wine often overpowers pork and I also feel red wine clashes with the tart flavour of the bramley apple.
The best options would be a French Chardonnay (for example White Burgundy), white wines from Bordeaux (and any other Sauvignon-Semillion blend) or a South African Chenin Blanc. A dry Alsace or German Riesling would also work well.
If you prefer red, go for something like a Cotes du Rhone or a Chianti.
Another great pairing would be cider – which obviously goes brilliantly with both pork and apples.
Make it your own
This recipe is so adaptable.
You could swap the diced pork for diced chicken, turkey, lamb or beef. (Though leave out the apple if you are doing this with lamb or beef, and cook the stew for an extra 30 minutes.)
You could make this veggie by leaving the meat out altogether and instead adding in some Quorn ‘chicken’ pieces, thickly sliced Quorn sausages or simply some extra veg (a parsnip, for example, works really well here.)
And of course, you could swap the suggested veggies for any veggies you like (or have lurking at the back of the fridge) – for example: parsnips, celeriac, turnips, potatoes, onions…
Can pork and apple stew be reheated?
Yes, absolutely. Simply put any leftover stew into a plastic, lidded container and place it in the fridge, where it will keep for up to 3 days.
To reheat, place the stew in a saucepan and add a splash of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until piping hot all the way through.
Alternatively reheat this Pork and Apple Stew in the microwave until piping hot all the way through.
Can pork and apple stew be frozen?
Definitely! Simply put the cooked and cooled stew into a plastic, lidded container and place it in the freezer, where it will keep for up to 1 month. Defrost for overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
Diced Pork and Apple Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 500 g diced pork (I used a pack of ready-diced pork topside from the supermarket)
- 500 g swede (roughly 1 small swede or half a large swede) peeled and cut into 1cm / ½inch cubes
- 3 medium carrots peeled and cut into 1cm / ½inch long chunks
- 200 g mushrooms (ideally chestnut mushrooms) cut in half
- 1 large leek thickly sliced
- 1 chicken or pork stock cube (I used 1 Kallo organic chicken stock cube)
- 2 tablespoons cornflour (US – cornstarch)
- 800 ml boiling hot water
- 1 large cooking apple (bramley apple) peeled, cored and cut into 4 pieces
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Baked potatoes or mashed potatoes and green vegetables to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200C / 180C fan / gas mark 6 / 400F.
- Place 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large ovenproof, flameproof pot or frying pan (see Note 1).
- Heat the oil over a high heat for one minute. Add the pork and fry, stirring regularly, until the pork is browned all over. Remove the pork and juices onto a plate.
- Return the pot or pan to the heat and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the swede, carrots, mushrooms and leek and fry, stirring frequently, until all the vegetables are lightly browned all over.
- Meanwhile mix the stock cube and cornflour (US – cornstarch) with a small amount of cold water to create a paste, then add the boiling hot water slowly and mix together until thoroughly combined with no lumps.
- Return the pork to the pot and add the stock cube / cornflour mixture, plus salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, add the bramley apple quarters, and then pop a lid on the pot and put the stew in the preheated oven.
- Cook the stew for 1 hour 15 minutes and serve with either baked potatoes or mashed potatoes and green vegetables.
Video
Notes
- The ideal dish to cook this in is a 'Le Creuset' style cast iron pot (dutch oven) that is able to be heated on the hob and go in the oven, as this saves on washing up. However, if you don’t have an ovenproof pot that can also be used on the hob, simply cook the stew in a frying pan or large saucepan, then transfer to a lidded ovenproof dish before cooking. Cook the stew for an extra 5 minutes in the oven to make up for the fact that the ovenproof dish was cold.
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Linkies
I am linking this up to Cook Blog Share.
Chloe Edges says
Yes! Any excuse for pork!
Eb Gargano says
Haha – my thoughts too! 😀
Corina Blum says
It looks delicious! I’m getting really into stews this year as my kids seem to be a bit more willing to eat them than they used to be. They’ve always loved curries but now I can get away with other flavours too so I’m trying to make the most of it while it lasts!
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Corina 😀 Good to hear your kids are getting into stews. My kids love them as the meat is so tender and the flavour is more intense (they are right little foodies – haha!) Eb x
Janice says
Pork and apple are such a good combination. A wonderful easy and comforting one-pot.
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Janice – they really are! Eb 🙂
Midge @ Peachicks' Bakery says
The Peas would devour this! What a great flavour combination Thanks for sharing with #CookBlogShare 🙂
Eb Gargano says
Aw – that’s good to hear! Thanks Midge 😀
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
Pork is my absolute favourite, especially with apple. This is definitely my kind of food and perfect for this time of year.
Eb Gargano says
Mine too! It’s sooo good 😀
Charlotte says
Could this be cooked in a slow cooker? What would be the recommended cooking time.
Thanks
Eb Gargano says
Hi Charlotte, I’m sure that can be done in a slow cooker… However I have never tried it so I am not 100% sure of the timings. My guess would be 4 hours on high and 6-8 hours on low, but that’s only a guess, I am afraid. Do let me know if you try it and how it turns out! Eb 🙂
Cath says
Very tasty, I used butternut squash instead of swede.
Cooked in the slow cooker for 4 hours.
Will definitely cook again
Thank you
Eb Gargano says
Aw, yay! I am so happy to hear that. Love the idea of using butternut squash too 😀
Bev says
OMG I never thought I would eat stew again as it was one of my most hated meals ever since I was a child. I was brought up in a children’s home where I was abused and was forced to eat food that made me physically sick and stew was the main one. But I saw this recipe and showed it my son and he said give it a go it looks different. So I did and my god am I glad I did it was absolutely delicious and not like the horrible stew I was given as a child. The only change I made was I added butternut squash instead of swede as I still can’t eat that to this day. Thank you so much for sharing your delicious recipes this is now on my favourites list as me and my son really enjoyed it.
Eb Gargano says
Oh wow. I am so sorry to hear about your bad experiences in your childhood. But I am so delighted that you tried my recipe and enjoyed it so much. And good to hear it works well with butternut squash too! Eb 🙂
Kim says
Would it taste ok to use sweet potato instead? Not sure I’ll be able to find rutabaga at my grocery store.
Eb Gargano says
Absolutely! This stew is very easy to adapt. Another good swap would be parsnips in place of rutabaga. I often use parsnips in this stew – either as well as or instead of rutabaga. Hope that helps – and enjoy 😀