#HealthyRedMeat – Slow Cooker Smoky Pork Casserole Recipe

We’re total carnivores in this house. I did toy with vegetarianism in my teens, with my poor mum making Beanfeast for Sunday dinner, just for me. I was drawn back into meat eating by an irresistible lasagna she made one day and I’ve never looked back. We do eat quite a bit of red meat, and, I admit, I often wonder if we eat too much.

Red meat often gets a bad press, but, like most foods, eaten in moderation it has health benefits, including being a great source of iron, zinc, B vitamins, selenium and potassium; these nutrients can be lacking in younger children, so it’s important to try to include them in their diet. Dr. Emma Derbyshire, a public health nutritionist (and a mum!) says, “Including a small portion of red meat in the diet a few times a week after weaning can help to bridge nutrient gaps and so help to maintain good health through childhood and beyond.” Phew! Maybe we’re not eating too much after all!

I was invited to take part in the BritMums #HealthyRedMeat challenge, so I decided to create a recipe that is really healthy, as well as containing red meat. Obviously, as I’m ‘food optimising’ with Slimming World, I wanted to make a meal that all the family will eat, but that fits in with the plan. I give you… my Slow Cooker Smoky Pork Casserole!

Print Recipe

Slow Cooker Smoky Pork Casserole

This is a delicious and super-simple recipe for the whole family to enjoy on the cooler autumn evenings! Pork, root vegetables, and smoky paprika make it a really tasty - but healthy dish.

Course

Main Dish

Cuisine

Slow Cooker

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

6 hours

Servings

people

Ingredients

• 500 g Diced Pork
• 3 Carrots
• 2 Parsnips
• 1/2 Swede
• 1 Leek
• 1/2 Butternut Squash
• 3 Celery Sticks
• 1 onion
• 1 carton passata
• 2 tbsp Smoked Paprika
• 2 Stock Cubes
• 150 ml boiling water
• 1 tbsp Cornflour mixed with water into a liquid

Course Main Dish Cuisine Slow Cooker Prep Time 30 minutes Cook Time 6 hours Servings people Ingredients 500 g Diced Pork 3 Carrots 2 Parsnips 1/2 Swede 1 Leek 1/2 Butternut Squash 3 Celery Sticks 1 onion 1 carton passata 2 tbsp Smoked Paprika 2 Stock Cubes 150 ml boiling water 1 tbsp Cornflour mixed with water into a liquid

Instructions

1. Chop all the veg into bite-sized chunks and put into the slow cooker.

   
2. Add the diced pork on top

   
3. Add the passata, the smoked paprika and season with salt and pepper.

   
4. Make up the stock with the boiling water and stock cubes. Stir in the cornflour and water. Add to the slow cooker until the liquid is around half the depth of the meat and veg. You may need to add a little more hot water if there isn't quite enough stock. Don't add too much as there will be a lot of liquid from the veg as it cooks!

   
5. Pop on a lid, turn it to 'high' and leave for around 6 hours. I do give it a stir half way through cooking, just to make sure all the meat is properly cooked. Once ready, serve with rice, potatoes or crusty bread and a side of green veg if required.

   

Recipe Notes

If you can't be bothered to chop all the veg (and, let's face it, it's a pain and I wouldn't normally bother, but wanted to look like a proper cook!), use a pack of pre-prepared veg to save time. You can usually find them in the veg aisle, or I get frozen packs too. Saves bags of time!

I also double the ingredients and then I have plenty left over to freeze for another day. Batch cooking people!

What could be simpler than bunging it all in the slow cooker and leaving it to do its thing for a few hours while you get on with your day?

So, what was the verdict?

I was hoping to get Small to try it, as she loves meat but isn’t so keen on veg hates veg, but, typically, she chose the day we had it to decide she wanted eggy bread for her tea as she’d eaten all of her dinner at school instead! So, I only had Big’s opinion to go on and… he liked it! Hurray! We only tend to have pork for Sunday dinner a couple of times a month, so it made a nice change to use pork instead of beef for a casserole. Oh, and The Hubby declared it “bloody delicious”!

It’s British Food Fortnight, so I used all-Brit ingredients in my casserole, other than the butternut squash which sneaked in from Portugal! Why not spend the next couple of weeks exploring all the amazing food and drink that Britain has to offer?

Disclosure: This post is an entry for the BritMums #HealthyRedMeat challenge, sponsored by the Meat Advisory Panel. I was given a voucher to buy red meat to use in my recipe.