Pork is a favorite in our household — I’m not sure how much of that is just because of bacon… Especially since I have said (on multiple occasions) that I could be a vegetarian except for bacon. We will talk about more than bacon here, but it definitely deserves a solid part of the meal planning conversation!
Pork can come in a variety of preparations — you have the various cuts of meat as well as various levels of curing (and none at all). You have some flexibility interchanging cuts of meat (for example, you can slice a pork tenderloin and use the medallions as you would a pork chop) and you may need to adjust cook times and seasoning depending on the level of cure. When I reference cure, this is speaking about the amount of smoking/drying/salting (aka preserving) a cut underwent. Bacon is one of your most commonly cured examples. Other cuts may be cured and this can change the flavor and the best use.
To follow with our theme of starting the week with a roast, you have various types of roasts that come from pigs — pork tenderloin, pork butt, rump roast, etc. You can roast a pork tenderloin and serve it along side scalloped potatoes, broccoli, and some apple sauce. You can also slow cook the larger roasts — they work really well for making shredded meat or in a stew! Pork tenderloin leftovers are perfect for making a Cuban sandwich later in the week (roast pork, ham, swiss cheese, pickles, mustard!) You can also use shredded pork for a BBQ pork sandwich, tacos, fajitas, or nachos, served over a salad, as a toping for pizza, or as an Italian ragu sauce.
Grilled pork chops are one of my favorite summer time meals and I seem to always forget about them. They don’t take long to cook and you can grill them naked or with a variety of seasoning combinations. This is a good opportunity to prepare extra as well so that you can use the leftovers later in the week. You can also bake pork chops (shake n bake anyone??) — again, you can prepare extra. The extra can be sliced into stripes for some of the options listed above or used for sandwiches or on salad for lunches.
Ground pork has a wide range of possibilities as well. It can be used in almost any recipe that calls for ground beef (or chicken or turkey for that matter) or you can mix it with ground beef for a unique flavor. This is the mix I use for my meatballs! Meatballs could probably have their own entry — there are many different flavor inspirations from Italian, Asian, and Swedish. If you make meatballs, be sure to make extra! They freeze well (freeze raw on a cookie sheet until solid, then transfer to a bag or container for easier storage.) They can be a quick item to heat and serve with salad and pasta or mixed into a sauce. I will also add ground pork (or more commonly loose Italian sausage) to my lasagna! It adds a dynamic flavor. Lasagna is another meal that you can prepare ahead — make two containers, freeze one for later use while you cook the other! Lasagna also freezes well after it is cooked.
Ham has many applications in the culinary world as well. Aside from the traditional roasted/baked ham, it is a common deli meat for sandwiches. Ham can come in different preparations and flavors. The options for leftover use are endless — you can dice it to top a salad, or make a salad with it, you can slice it for sandwiches (see those Cuban sandwiches above!), it can be served with eggs (or in an omelet) or mixed into a soup (lentil or pea soup anyone — or a 13 bean soup, yum!) It makes a nice topping for pizza (with pineapple, my favorite!)
And then we have bacon. Bacon makes me happy. We almost always have some cooked bacon in our refrigerator. Want to spice up a boring salad — add some crumbled bacon… Have a boring sandwich, add a slice of bacon. Want something yummy to sauté your vegetables in — use bacon fat or a few pieces of chopped bacon. A little truly goes a long way! I’ve been known to add bacon to bread or biscuit dough, egg salad, and even guacamole! You can cook up a sheet of bacon and keep it in the fridge for quick additions to items.
Pork absolutely has it’s place in the meal planning ideas for your week. Do you cook with a lot of pork? What is your favorite preparation or recipe? Let me know what you find challenging about using pork! I’m excited to hear how these ideas work for you!
xoxo, Gretchen